Sponsorship Glossary

Sponsorship

Sponsorship is an investment in an event, organization, person or other "property" or "asset" in return for access to a portion of the commercial potential associated with that property.

Sponsor

The buyer of a portion of the commercial value associated with a property. A sponsor is typically a brand or agency.

Sponsorship Opportunity Owner

The creator of an event, property or other sponsorable asset who handles the sales and execution of a sponsorship.

Property

An event, celebrity, athlete, venue or other entity that sells the rights to a portion of its commercial value to a sponsor.

Sponsorship package

A sponsorship package is a combination of benefits (assets) that a property owner groups together and sells to a sponsor.

Category Exclusivity

A guarantee by the owner of a sponsorship opportunity to a sponsor that only the sponsor will be able to market through the property within a certain product or sector category. For example, if Ford purchases category exclusivity at a state fair, only Ford will be permitted to be an automotive sponsor of the fair.

Activation

An activation is when a sponsor utilizes the assets purchased as part of the sponsorship package to create a marketing platform.

Naming Rights

The right to name a venue or program after a sponsor.

Hospitality

Hospitality is a way to activate a sponsorship that entails hosting a group of people-- often VIP clients, employees etc. Sponsorship assets like tickets, VIP access and celebrity memorabilia can enable a hospitality activation.

Licensing

The right to use a slogan or terminology to market or promote a sponsor's affiliation.

In-Kind Sponsorship

When a property accepts products or services, rather than cash, as a form of payment for a sponsorship.

Venue

A place where an event or other sponsorship opportunity takes place.