How To Get A Sponsor

Knowing how to get a sponsor can mean success for your event. Arranging an event, like a fashion show, may be quite challenging, especially for those starting out in this field. Though some fashion shows may be aimed at raising funds, expenses such as those incurred on the location, tickets, food and promotional campaigns have to be paid from your own pocket. People involved in a fashion show aimed at fundraising are still busy with some additional tasks even after the schedule and plan has been decided. Learning to get some sponsors for your fashion show is not a very complicated task and is actually a good experience.

Things you'll need to get a sponsor:

• Space at the venue
• Some multipurpose paper
• Computer system
• Desktop publishing software

1. Get a program booklet published. The booklet should provide information on products being showcased during the fashion show. This program booklet will be more like a brochure to attract small business owners wanting to promote their services or company. You will also be able to get some sponsors for your fashion show when you sell advertisements in your program booklet. Roughly evaluate the number of people likely to attend the fashion show while seeking the sponsors. Get some advertisements of the size of a printed business card to be distributed on small scale. You can offer full page space or some premium placements in the program booklets at higher rates. These books are a great way to get a sponsor for your event.
2. Go to retailers involved in selling accessories and fabric and offer them a proposal which gives them some exposure during the fashion show in exchange for some amount. The exposure for such businesses may be in the form logos, banners, flyers or ad placements during your fashion show. You can also get a website made to promote the event. You can then offer links to the sponsor’s online store or banner advertisements on your website. Stores into jewelry retailing or selling fabrics are closely related to the fashion industry and are good sources for sponsoring the event. Another way of getting some sponsors for your fashion show is to ask them to share a portion of their sales made due to the ads placed during the fashion show instead of a one-time lump sum money.
3. Charge fees to the fashion designers showcasing their work during your fashion show. This is a great way of getting some fashion show sponsors rather than exhibiting the clothes for free. You can charge the fees in several ways, such as "per unit" or a flat rate fee. The format used for collecting the fees from the fashion designers will be decided based on your requirements and preference. Another great idea is to set aside some vending space for ten to fifteen artists, such as hair stylists or designers, for them to sell their merchandise. This can be done by creating a mini-mall at the venue itself. You can then charge some amount as a vending fee for each table or stall to get some more sponsors.
4. Go to T-shirt companies and propose promoting their products. You will find hundreds of such companies looking to promote their designs such as T-shirts with funny statements and airbrushed prints. Many such companies also have online stores and are always looking for ways to promote their business. Apart from advertising, you can also propose co-sponsoring the event to the T-shirt companies. This would not only give them additional publicity, but also allow them to get the name of their company, say "Spring Fashion Show sponsored by XYZ T-Shirts." Following these tips you will get a sponsor to your show every year!