Consultation
The Partnership Group-Sponsorship Specialists™ provides ongoing consulting to corporations and small to mid-sized businesses for the auditing and assessment of existing sponsorship programs. Through this service, the Partnership Group can determine which sponsorships are delivering a reasonable return on investment and why. The Partnership Group also provides ongoing feedback and counsel to assist its clients in activating and leveraging their sponsorships as well as negotiating new agreements. In many cases, the Partnership Group is hired by an organization to seek out sponsorship opportunities for them to review and select for investment. In this type of engagement, the Partnership Group often manages the sponsorship programs. Many organizations are presently looking to have the Partnership Group develop an entire strategic plan for sponsorship that includes meeting overall corporate objectives. This plan would include detailing specific sponsorship and marketing objectives, criteria for sponsoring, and the activation tools and measurement systems that will be used.
Consulting rates are $375 per hour. Bundled packages of services, with a discounted rate, are also available. Traditionally these services can range from $45,000 to $150,000+. GST and applicable travel expenses are additional fees.
Strategic Review
Many sponsors seek a review of their sponsorship programs. This service provides an overall review of the company’s existing sponsorship program, including an assessment of their commitments or selected sponsorships. Through this process, the agreements are value-assessed to determine the overall value in real market terms of the program(s) versus the current investment. In addition, recommendations are made regarding how to increase the return on investment through leveraging the agreement, through activation ideas, and the benefits presently being provided by the sponsored property or properties.
This is a very valuable exercise for any sponsor to undertake. The investment for this service varies on the number of programs engaged, the complexity of the sponsorship(s), and other mitigating factors. As a result, the investment can vary anywhere from $5,000 for a simple program audit to $65,000+ for multiple sponsorship program reviews. GST and applicable travel expenses are additional fees.
Plan Development
As companies become savvier in their sponsorship plans, many are turning to the Partnership Group for strategic planning assistance. Through this process, the Partnership Group works with clients to determine goals, objectives, budgets, strategic review of existing properties, property recommendations, and establishing criteria for selection of sponsorships. This process provides metrics, measurement tools, and recommendations for the company to efficiently and effectively assess their return on investment and success with any given sponsorship.
This service ranges from $35,000 to $95,000+. Alternatively, it can be delivered in components at an hourly rate of $375 per hour. GST and applicable travel expenses are additional fees.
Opportunity Search
The Partnership Group will research and compile a series of properties that match your objectives, budget, and goals. The report outlines each recommended property with the information you will need to make a cost effective decision to obtain the return on investment you are seeking. This service is beneficial for organizations with tight schedules and staffing concerns. As well, it is a cost effective and efficient service that provides anonymity during the search period.
This service ranges from $25,000 to $80,000+. GST and applicable travel expenses are additional fees.
Acquisition Negotiations
The Partnership Group can act on your behalf to negotiate agreements as a service to complement property partner searches and strategic plan and audit services. Many properties are sophisticated in negotiation to reap rewards for their property versus a true win-win partnership. At the other end of the scale, properties may not know what they really have to offer that may be of value to your organization. The Partnership Group has this expertise to negotiate a true sponsorship agreement that will result in success and a profitable ROI.
In many cases, companies do not have this expertise internally as they may only engage in limited sponsorship agreements. Thus, they enter into the negotiations at a disadvantage. You would not send your tax lawyer to civil suit litigation. Why would you send an inexperienced sponsorship or marketing person into a negotiation with seasoned professionals with a property?
Based on the intricacy of the negotiation, this service can range from $25,000 to $85,000+. It can also be accessed through hourly services at $375 per hour. GST and applicable travel expenses are additional fees.
Fulfillment Delivery
The Partnership Group will manage a corporation’s sponsorship investments and assist in activating and leveraging the corporation’s investment within an agreed upon budget. The Partnership Group ensures that the client receives all of the benefits bought, as well as leveraging these benefits effectively to deliver a strong activation of the investment.
Based on the complexity of the organization as well as the number of properties and products, fulfillment services can deliver a large range in annual investment. All services in this area are for a minimum of three years and can range in annual fees from $95,000 to $350,000+ per year. GST and applicable travel expenses are additional fees.
Activation Consultation
Leverage and activation are the keys to a successful ROI on a sponsorship investment. The Partnership Group works with sponsors to review, evaluate, and advise on leverage and activation tactics for a single sponsorship or an entire sponsorship program. We ensure consistency and cohesive plan development through this process so sponsors can generate the best value for their investment.
This service ranges from $25,000 to $65,000+ depending on the number of sponsorships reviewed and the intricacy of the sponsorships. GST and applicable travel expenses are additional fees.
Measurement & ROI
As ROI becomes a more important evaluation tool for sponsor renewals, it is essential to have measurement tools in place to effectively determine the success of the investment. So often the “failure” of a sponsorship lies with the sponsor, though the blame most often falls with the property. A sponsor who fails to have effective measurement tools in place cannot truly evaluate their investment.
Was the sponsorship first brought forward by the marketing department? Was the plan to build brand loyalty, create an image, generate leads, build employee morale, and demonstrate community commitment? If so, the evaluation methods need to be developed to determined and evaluate the success of each of these objectives, not just the sales component. If no leads were developed, was it a failure? Not necessarily! Perhaps the community recognition was extremely heightened and brand loyalty sky-rocketed. And, as a result, employee moral rose. With these results, the program could be determined highly successful even though the sales objective may not have been met.
The Partnership Group provides the metrics and measurement tools for their clients to effectively and efficiently evaluate sponsorships. Based on the number of sponsorships being reviewed will determine the investment level which ranges from $35,000 to $95,000+. GST and applicable travel expenses are additional fees.
Training and Mentoring
In many cases, the internal sponsorship person has been “posted” in this position. Or sponsorship responsibilities are assigned to a marketing professional. Often, individuals may not been trained or have a solid understanding of their role and responsibilities. They may want to enhance their knowledge of the practices and tools to succeed in their position.
Training – Public
The Partnership Group – Sponsorship Specialists™ is the presenting sponsor of the Western Sponsorship Congress™, an annual two-day networking professional development conference that brings together 250+ professionals in the sponsorship industry from across Canada. It is the largest two-day event designed specifically for sponsorship professionals (properties and sponsors) in western Canada.
Visit www.sponsorshipcongress.ca for more details on delegates, presenters, keynotes, and panel sessions. Learn the GOLDEN RULES OF SPONSORSHIP by attending the Western Sponsorship Congress™!
Training – Private
The Partnership Group delivers private sponsorship training and workshop modules for both sponsors and properties. These sessions range from half-day to two full-day sessions that assist teams or individuals with specific elements in sponsorship.
Topics have ranged from “Selling Sponsorships – Discovery to Fulfillment” to “Leveraging Your Sponsorship Investment”. Each session is customized to meet the objectives of the client and content is applicable to the client’s industry.
Depending on specific services and the complexity of the organization, services range from $10,000 to $25,000. GST and applicable travel expenses are additional fees.
Other Training Services
The Partnership Group is often retained to deliver sponsorship workshops ranging from thirty minutes to full-day sessions. These engagements are often held as workshops at a conference (e.g., educational conference, Annual General Meeting, development/sales conference).
In other circumstances, these sessions have been lunch speaker deliveries, or plenary sessions at an event or conference. Organizations who have hired the Partnership Group to deliver such sessions have been Chambers of Commerce, Boards of Trade, Tourism Conferences, Alberta Association of Agricultural Societies, Federation of Canadian Municipalities, Canadian Association of Fairs and Exhibitions, Alberta Association of Fundraising Executives, Association of Fundraising Professionals, International Council of Shopping Centers, Alberta Sport and Recreation Council, Tourism Regina, Calgary Economic Development, MS Society of Canada, Festivals and Events Ontario, and Marketing and Communicators Conferences.
This service ranges from $5,000 to $15,000 depending on the specific service and the complexity of the delivery. GST and applicable travel expenses are additional fees.
Summit Organization
As properties become savvier in their programs, they are beginning to understand the important value of sponsor retreats and sponsor summits. These events will result in stronger sponsor-to-property and sponsor-to-sponsor relationships ensuring long term partnerships for the property. They do not have to be costly or extravagant, just results-oriented.
This service of planning and delivering a summit ranges, depending on objectives and estimated time of preparation and facilitation, from $25,000 to $125,000+. GST and applicable travel expenses are additional fees. This investment is for services provided by the Partnership Group and does not include venue rental, food and beverage, additional speaker costs, or overnight accommodations, if applicable.
Mentoring Services
The Partnership Group assists sponsors to build internal capacity by working in a group training scenario or one-on-one mentoring approach in areas such as measurement, fulfillment, property searches, proposal review, negotiation, and overall sponsorship. These services can be bundled into a package depending on the objectives, the intricacy of the training, and the number of hours needed. Services can range from $15,000 to $85,000+. Alternatively, hourly services can be delivered at a rate of $375.00 per hour. GST and applicable travel expenses are additional fees.