Is your sponsorship program keeping pace? Today, sponsors’ and attendees’ expectations have expanded well beyond logos and banners towards collaborative partnerships, data- driven engagement and ever bigger and better activations. “Everyone wants to see their brand come alive,” says Dawne Eisenberg, founder and creative director of Toronto’s Pop! Events Group. “At a lot of events, if there’s a sponsorship, they’re not just like slapping their logo onto stuff.” “The sector is always evolving,” agrees Tracy Blyth, association manager for the Canadian Society of Professional Event Planners (CanSPEP). Yet as they’re dreaming up new ways to showcase sponsors, Blyth also thinks planners should keep one constant in mind. “ROI is always the same for the suppliers, in that they want to make connections, and they want to do business. That’s not changed.” She adds, “My goal always is to have the sponsors walk away feeling, ‘You know, that was worth my time, it was worth my money. It was worth my attention.’” For event professionals looking to elevate their sponsorship programs, here are some key trends to consider: ACTIVATIONS ARE A BIGGER PART OF SPONSORSHIP PROGRAMS Increasingly today for event professionals, there’s an onus to feature unique activations in IGNITE YOUR... their sponsorship programs. So how to deliver and bring sponsors and attendees together in fresh ways? Blyth shares one example, recalling an activation she helped deliver last June for the 2025 CanSPEP National Conference in Kingston, ON, which embraced an unexpected element—fashion. Working with Orest Gawdyda, manager of business development for Events Regina, Blyth says Gawdyda, a “gold level” sponsor, wanted to do a lunch and consulted her for ideas on how to promote Regina as a location for CanSPEP 2026. Taking her cue from Gawdyda’s personal brand—he’s a passionate devotee of local fashion— Blyth suggested a runway show. Gawdyda loved the idea. Ultimately, the lunchtime event saw designer Dean Renwick flown in from Saskatchewan, along with a slew of couture pieces. Conference attendees, old hands and newcomers alike, were enlisted as models. “The members, they camped it up a bit. They were having fun with it,” says Blyth, adding that a warm atmosphere allowed participants to relax and engage enjoyably with the Regina brand. How to elevate the experience for attendees and supporters alike by Connie Jeske Crane → EVENT SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM Good to Know B R I G H T I D E A S , N O TA B L E N E W S , C O O L T R E N D S Watch a video of Events Regina’s fashion show. Scan the QR code or visit ignitemag.ca “My goal always is to have the sponsors walk away feeling, ‘You know, that was worth my time, it was worth my money. It was worth my attention.’” EVENTS REGINA FASHION SHOW AT THE CANSPEP CONFERENCE Winter 2025 | Ignitemag.ca | 11
