Sponsor booths have always been a staple of large conventions and annual conferences. Partnering with a company that sells relevant products or merchandise has always been a great way to cut costs and entice guests. 

As in-person events stopped occurring, however, so did sponsor booths. While event planners were busy scrambling to convert their physical events to online mediums, sponsor booths were thrown out as unnecessary complications. 

Nearly two years later, and very few virtual events feature professional, well-done sponsor booths. Now that virtual events are the new normal for many companies, shouldn’t we find a way to reinstate sponsor booths that are branded, engaging, and worthwhile for sponsors? 

At Jumbo, we believe that sponsors are a huge part of making an event successful. Not only do sponsors help finance an event, but they also encourage your attendees to network and interact with others during their experience. 

Bizzabo, a sales and marketing information service, recently conducted a study on virtual event attendees. A few of these facts are relevant when considering how a virtual sponsor booth could benefit your upcoming online event: 

1. Over 50% of marketers believe that tools connecting sponsors and attendees will play a key role in their upcoming event strategies. Allowing sponsors to connect and network with attendees is expected to be a huge part of many event organizers’ strategies in the next year. 
2. 51% of companies say their budget for sponsoring events won’t change in the upcoming year. This means that although virtual events are now the new norm, sponsors aren’t planning on decreasing their amount when offering to help finance an event. 
3. Global Sponsorship numbers have been rising since 2007, and they aren’t stopping anytime soon. According to Statista, sponsorship spending has been up $65.8 billion in recent years. 

These facts prove the virtual sponsor booths have the potential to be just as successful as their in-person counterparts. There’s a chance online sponsorships might be even more lucrative for both parties simply because professional sponsor booths are so hard to find at online events. When done right, these booths can provide many opportunities for your attendees, as well as for your sponsors.

How Jumbo does sponsor booths right

You want your attendees to see virtual sponsors as an extension of your event; they should be something that amplifies your content and makes it even better. A huge part of making sure that your booths are enticing and memorable is ensuring that your sponsorships are well suited for your audience and your event. There’s no use in accepting a sponsor from a company that your attendees have no interest in. Do yourself, your sponsor, and your audience members a favor and only accept brands that coincide with your event’s purpose. 

Once you find sponsors that are compatible and complementary to your brand, you need to make sure that their sponsor booths are done right. At Jumbo, we believe that each and every virtual event should be custom and tailored to each company we work with. Every business is different and will likely require different features for their platform. We handle sponsor booths the same exact way. Each of your sponsors will want different things for their booths; some will want branded backgrounds, while others will ask for custom chat features. 

Jumbo can do just about anything. However, we do understand that when the possibilities are endless, it can be difficult to come up with creative ideas, so here are some tips on how to incorporate your sponsors into Jumbo’s all-in-one platform:

1. Create sponsored breakout rooms. Give your audience members a break from your keynote speakers by allowing your sponsors to host a branded breakout session. This gives your sponsors the opportunity to interact with attendees in a more natural setting. Sponsors could present a product demo, or they could simply organize a quick networking forum for the audience members who attend. 
2. Offer branded giveaways. If your sponsor wants a less hands-on approach, you could offer your attendees special deals or gifts from your sponsor. Encourage your attendees to enter their names into a raffle, and whoever wins gets a gift certificate or a care package from your sponsor. 
3. On-screen sponsor placement. Much like in movies and TV shows, simply mentioning your sponsor or putting their brand on your platform is a great way to show off your sponsors. You could do this by putting their brand name in the background of your keynote speakers or by putting their logo and website as clickable links on your platform. 

All of this and more is possible when you’re using a virtual event platform built by Jumbo. 

Conclusion

At Jumbo, we know that virtual events can be even better than in-person events. Because of that, we believe that no virtual event should lack certain features just because the platform is digital. We can make virtual sponsor booths that are more engaging, entertaining, and memorable than ever before. 

Ready to host a virtual event with unforgettable sponsor booths? Sign up for a free consultation with Jumbo today.