About half of all of the conversations that I’m having with association CEOs right now are around the idea of virtual meetings and virtual meeting sponsorships. First and foremost, I think associations should be preparing for hybrid meetings, if not full on virtual events for the remainder of 2020. That’s just the reality of things. Now is the time to start developing inventory that is specific to a virtual meeting format to accompany your existing inventory that you already have. Another key point of this is to interview your sponsors, specifically about their expectations. What are their goals for your virtual meeting? What data sets do they want and need from that virtual sponsorship? What kind of thought leadership programming could they offer? What are the specific return on investment metrics that they are seeking from you? In addition to that, you should be aware of their atmospheric attitude regarding these types of meetings. Do they think that they have upside? Do they think that their investment is worth it? Get a sense from your sponsors what they want from that program. They are now your business partners, treat them as such, and I think you can have a very successful virtual meeting sponsorship program. Wish you well.
Looking for virtual meeting sponsorship ideas? Check out this post or our Virtual Event Sponsorship Program that was designed to help association pivot from in-person event sponsorships to inventory best suited for virtual platforms.
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