You may have some incredible ideas and plans for an upcoming event, but without the right attendees, exhibitors, and sponsors, your event isn’t likely to pick up much steam. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to spread awareness of your event, encourage registration from attendees/exhibitors, and even gain sponsorship from various companies and organizations. Creating an excellent prospectus is perhaps the most effective way to go about achieving these goals in preparation for your event.
Specifically, a prospectus is a huge advertisement for your event that encourages people to register and sponsors to send money your way. If this is your first event, there’s a good chance you’ve never created a prospectus before. Fortunately, with the right guidance and consideration, it’s easier than you might think.
What to Include in an Event Prospectus
While no two will look exactly the same, there are some basic components that will generally be included in any event prospectus. These are the key facts and details that any sponsor is going to want to know more about before they decide to spend their hard-earned money investing in your event.
The Fives Ws
Your potential sponsors, attendees, and even exhibitors are going to want to know the five Ws of your event: the who, what, where, when, and why. Usually, the best way to package this information is in a cover letter or other introductory page that’s at the very front of your prospectus. This will allow your readers to find this information right away with ease.
Specifically, you’ll want to include information on:
- the name of your event
- the target audience for your event
- anticipated exhibitor and attendee information
- the purpose of the event
- the location and dates/times for the event
Think of this introduction as an “elevator pitch” of sorts; your potential sponsors should be able to read this and get a general idea of what the rest of your prospectus will include.
Attendee/Exhibitor Information
More than likely, sponsors are going to want to know more about the type of audience that will attend your event, as well as the kinds of exhibitors you will have presenting there. After all, a company isn’t likely to want to sponsor your event if the audience that will be in attendance doesn’t fall in line with their target audience.
Demographic Information
This is where you’ll likely need to do a bit of research; sponsors and even some exhibitors will want to know more about your business and the types of demographics you target or cater to. This will also help them to decide whether or not sponsorship at your event is likely to be a wise financial decision for them. Some important demographics to include, where applicable, are target age groups, gender, and the like.
Financial Information
You should also make it easy for your potential sponsors to examine their options when it comes to sponsoring the event itself; many companies will decide to set up sponsorship options in tiers. For example, “bronze” sponsors may spend the least amount of money and receive a short list of perks, whereas “silver” and “gold” sponsors will spend more but perhaps receive greater perks and recognition during the event. However you decide to set up your sponsorship options, make sure the information is clear and that your sponsors have an easy way to go about submitting their payment to you.
Additional Advice for Attracting Attendees or Sponsors
Now that you have a better idea of what to include in an event prospectus, there are some additional tips worth keeping in mind as you create this document.
Packaging a Prospectus
The way in which you package and distribute your prospectus matters. To make it as easily accessible as possible, it’s usually best to save the document itself as a PDF file; this will ensure that no fonts or formatting is lost when you send it via e-mail or make the document available for download on your website.
Incorporating Visuals
A prospectus can be a relatively long document, and your readers are going to get bored if they’re constantly staring at a wall of text. With this in mind, be sure to incorporate some visual components to your prospectus; this may include statistical graphics (such as those to represent your demographics), infographics, and images. These will help to break up your text while also making your data easier to understand and visualize.
When it comes to event marketing, your prospectus is one of the best pieces of advertising to potential attendees, exhibitors, and sponsors. A well-written prospectus can propel your next event to success, so be sure to keep these tips in mind. For more information on maximizing success at your event and enjoying additional event insight, contact us today!
