Guide, published 11 November 2026
To get sponsors for an event, list the companies that already pay to reach your audience at other events. Rank them by what your attendees want to buy. Then sell each one a single result, and prove that result after the event.
Published by the Sena team
Sponsors ask what your attendees want. Sena finds out before the event, on WhatsApp.
See what Sena shows your sponsorsKey takeaways
Your best prospects already sponsor or exhibit at events with your audience. Those companies hold a budget for events, and a person who owns it.
Collect the names from four places, then remove your current sponsors.
Swipe the table to see every column
| Source | What it shows | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Sponsor pages of nearby events | Who pays to reach a similar audience | Last year's list can be out of date |
| Exhibitor lists at sector trade shows | Who holds a budget for booths | Large lists need a filter for fit |
| The employers of your speakers | Who already cares about your program | A speaker rarely owns the budget |
| The employers of your past attendees | Who sends staff to your event | Check your privacy terms before you use this list |
16
companies appear on both lists: the 133 sponsors of FOST Paris 2025 and the 2,996 exhibitor listings of VivaTech 2026. Two large tech events in one city share few names, so a neighbor's list is mostly new to you.
Source: FOST Paris 2025 and VivaTech 2026, matched by company name.
A sponsor pays to meet people who can buy, so rank each company by how many of your attendees need what it sells.
Job titles on a registration form give a rough answer, and a stated goal gives a better one. At Les Entrepreneurs Haute-Garonne 2026, 41 of 128 profiled attendees said they sought a service or solution. No registration field showed that.
Attendees also ask about sponsors without a prompt. At FOST London 2026, 98 of 268 conversations with the event's agent touched sponsors or exhibitors.
Sena collects those goals in a WhatsApp conversation with each attendee. See how Sena works at an event.
Ask each prospect for one goal: leads, meetings, brand or recruitment. Then sell the package that serves that goal.
Each goal needs a different audience. At FOST London 2026, 26 attendees said they came to find a job, which gives a sponsor with open jobs a reason to buy. A sales goal needs the buyers instead.
Our guide to event sponsorship packages shows real tiers and what each item costs.
Send a short note to the person who owns the event budget. Say who comes, what they want, the result you offer, the price range and a date to talk.
[Number] [job titles] attend [event] on [date], and [share] of them told us they want [what your prospect sells].
We offer you [one result], and packages for this start at [price].
Can we talk for 15 minutes on [date]?
Fill each bracket with a real figure from your own event. A message with no number reads like every other request in that inbox.
Start at least six months before the event, the figure Zoho gives in its sponsorship guide.
A late start puts the event budget at risk. Converve's 2026 budget template puts realistic sponsorship at 20% to 40% of total event cost.
A sponsor renews on evidence of who it met and why, so send each sponsor a short report after the event.
At FOST London 2026, 30 of 33 sponsors received at least one attendee recommendation. The other three had no description in their profile, which is a fix for the next edition.
Read how to prove sponsor ROI beyond badge scans. See a post-event report template filled in with a real conference.
Sena is a WhatsApp agent that talks with each of your attendees before and during the event. You learn what they want, and your sponsors see who asked for them.
Sena does not find sponsor contacts or run your sales calls. Your team owns the pitch, and Sena costs from €3,000 per event.
Companies that sell to your attendees. Start with the sponsors of nearby events and the exhibitors at trade shows in your sector. A company that already pays to reach your audience is an easier first call than a stranger.
Sell the audience you can name. With no past attendance, show the speakers, the partner groups and the job titles on early registrations. Offer one small package, and ask for a second year if it works.
Start at least six months before the event, the figure Zoho gives in its sponsorship guide.
Sponsors want access to people who can buy. Ask each sponsor for one goal: leads, meetings, brand or recruitment. Then sell the package that serves that goal, and report on it after the event.
Published packages run from $1,422 at a state association to $165,000 at a national medical congress. Price each item first, then build your tiers from those prices.
Tell us about your next event. In 20 minutes, we show you the report your sales team gets and what it takes to run Sena.
Book 20 minutes with us