Finding brand partnerships for events, campaigns or long-term initiatives can help event organizers get more bang for their buck, but it’s important to ask these five questions before making your next event partnership move.
- Do you share the same goals? Make sure your potential partner values the same passion and future for your industry and that their leadership follows a same business model. Last year’s partnership between Cvent Inc. and Marketo has become successful because of their shared interest in the meetings industry. Partnerships between two companies with different views could become a nightmare and end up taking more time and resources than the partnership is worth.
- Do your attendees already use this product or service? Who you partner with ultimately reflects your business, so it’s important to make sure you partner with a company that your attendees support and know. A recent partnership between Hilton Worldwide and Uber benefited both parties because they shared similar customers who already used both products and services.
- Will this partnership be one that lasts? One-time partnerships rarely benefit two companies, so it’s important to look at the future and see how you can benefit each other for the long run.
- Will it help reduce expenses? A key reason to having an event partnership is to help reduce expenses, so make sure that your potential partner is willing to invest upfront to avoid any confusion.
- Does this partner have marketing potential? Social media presence is key for events, so make sure this partner has a strong social media following and that they are creative enough to help extend the marketing reach for both parties. Being stuck with marketing on your own is something no meeting planner wants.
