Event Sponsorship Packages

🏀 The Future of Sports Partnerships: Less Logo Slaps, More Impact 🚀 Not long ago, sports sponsorships were all about logo placements—billboards, jerseys, static signage. But in today’s world, brand partnerships need to do more than just “show up.” They need to resonate. The best sponsorships aren’t just transactions; they’re strategic integrations that drive real impact for brands, teams, and fans alike. 🔹 The Shift: Brands are moving from passive visibility to active engagement—think interactive activations, digital integrations, and immersive fan experiences. 🔹 The Opportunity: The right partnership can’t just exist; it needs to enhance the game-day experience, tell a compelling story, and build emotional connections. 🔹 The Challenge: How do we create sponsorships that feel authentic instead of forced? 💡 Here’s what I’ve learned from negotiating partnerships at the Minnesota Timberwolves & Lynx: 1️⃣ Innovation Wins – The most successful partnerships are the ones that create new categories and unlock untapped revenue streams. If it’s never been done before, that’s the opportunity. 2️⃣ Cultural Relevance Matters – Fans don’t just love sports; they love the culture around it. The best sponsorships tap into local pride, viral moments, and emerging trends. 3️⃣ ROI is More Than Impressions – Brands aren’t just looking for visibility anymore; they want measurable engagement, data-driven insights, and proof that their investment drives results. At the end of the day, the best deals aren’t just signed—they’re built. They’re the result of deep conversations, creative problem-solving, and a commitment to aligning brand objectives with fan passion. 🔥 What’s the most creative or unexpected sports partnership you’ve seen recently? Drop your thoughts below—I’d love to hear! 👇 #SportsSponsorships #BrandPartnerships #SportsMarketing #FanEngagement #RevenueGrowth

The NFL and NBA have taken opposite approaches to international team sponsorships. Why does this matter? Team sponsorships make up ~10% of revenue for both leagues. And as the leagues grow more global, more international brands are expressing interest in sponsorships. But the leagues have taken two different strategies... 🏈 NFL's "Global Markets Program" grants teams the rights to sell the sponsorships in specific countries. For example, the Eagles are the only teams allowed to sell sponsorships in Ghana. (See the full map below). 🏀 NBA's "International Team Marketing Plan" gives teams the option to sell up to 10 sponsorships anywhere outside the US & Canada. Here's my opinion... -I see the NFL approach winning out. -Selling & activating sponsorship requires boots on the ground. Without being designated France, the Saints wouldn't staff up local operators. Without local operators, the Saints wouldn't sell & activate partnerships effectively. -NBA's flexible approach does allow teams to follow wherever the dollars are. But if the goal is to grow the league's overall international presence, the NFL's targeted approach will allocate team staffing resources more efficiently. -I could be wrong! Either way these programs are less than 5 years old, and I'd expect the NFL and NBA to eventually converge around whichever strategy works best.

Too many strategic alliances with Global System Integrators (GSIs) fail to deliver promised revenue. The #1 reason? They skip the basics — and then scale chaos. 👇 Here’s how to do it right. If you’re partnering with GSIs like Accenture, Capgemini, TCS, or Infosys, you already know they’re powerful growth channels — but only if your alliance is strategically designed, operationally aligned, and commercially activated. At Alliance Best Practice, we’ve studied over 800 high-tech alliances and found that commercial success with GSIs isn’t magic — it’s method. The most successful partnerships follow a repeatable pattern across three critical stages: 🔹 Initiation: Get the Foundation Right Secure real executive sponsorship (not lip service). Co-create a joint value proposition that solves real customer problems. Build a 12–24 month joint business plan with targets, priorities, and a shared “why now.” 🔹 Activation: Make It Real Launch field enablement with role-based playbooks, demos, and deal support. Identify 10–50 strategic accounts for joint pursuit. Share pipeline, assign pursuit leads, and celebrate early wins publicly. 🔹 Acceleration: Scale What Works Invest in repeatable, co-branded solution offerings. Launch joint marketing campaigns and track sourced/influenced revenue. Embed governance, metrics, and incentives that make the alliance sustainable. 💬 As one alliance leader told us: "If you can’t describe how the GSI makes money with you, they won’t put you in front of a client.” If you're building or rebooting a GSI alliance and want a proven roadmap — ✅ Read our latest article: Best Practices in GSI Alliances 📍 Now live on the Alliance Best Practice site: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eJaHMXE #alliances #partnerships #GSI #channelstrategy #cosell #strategicalliances #growth #b2bpartnerships #alliancemanagement #hightech

How the tariffs may impact the largest-spending industry in sponsorships... $1 in $14 dollars spent in sponsorships come from the automotive industry (7.1%), per SponsorUnited. Of that, approximately 63% of those dollars are contractually locked in per our internal user search data, but even that remaining 37% is so large that it represents 2.5% of ALL new and renewed revenue captured in any given year. With production costs likely causing near-term disruption, the trickle down effect is auto brands hitting pause on renewals and new deals - playing the waiting game on if changes will be made to tariff policy. So how might sponsorship leaders navigate this? It's eerily similar to Covid in that in the early days, no one knew how long these challenges would last. First, it's another reminder of the value of a diversified portfolio: Relying on any one client or industry puts any rights holder at a significant risk as their will eventually be disruption in any industry. Second, it's important to connect with your auto partners early to gauge their future plans, anticipate budget shifts and even proactively develop alternative plans that will potentially help decrease pressure on their end, but also will be appreciated that they're not the ones that have to make the first move. One option is playing the long game: I connected with a Chief Revenue Officer that took this approach during Covid, making an offer before a major client came to them, to move payments back and decrease the amount the client was obligated to pay by a significant amount (7-figures). It was likely quite hard to do something like that, but in the long run, not only was this immensely appreciated versus other rights holders playing hardball, but the loyalty built, and value returned over the next few years by the client was significantly more than they would have received had they not done that. Just as teams hope for sponsor loyalty during tough times (controversies, firings, performance slumps), they should reciprocate by working through sponsors' challenges as a team. If you're going to call it a "Partnership", then you have to legitimately share in the upside and the downside. #Sponsorship #Automotive #Marketing #BusinessInsights

From my new Harvard Business Review article, here’s how to create the second of four pillars that innovative organizations need – capability to forge strategic partnerships: You don’t have to contain yourself to your team or the organization when it comes to innovation. Great innovations can come from collaborations with suppliers, customers, universities, startups, or companies using relevant technology in a totally different way. For example, the jeans company Levi Strauss has been collaborating with Google to figure out what “smart” clothing might accomplish for users like truckers. But doing so needs focused and dedicated work. That means you need to find people within the team to do the long-term work of building those relationships, having speculative conversations, and hunting for partner capabilities which may not be immediately apparent. You don’t want to be Yahoo, which declined to engage with an ambitious early-stage company boasting a different business model: Google. What to do instead? Put specialists in strategic technology partnerships on the lookout. Have them work in collaboration with core business teams who can use these partnerships to make innovation happen. For example, many pharma companies have these types of partnership offices near MIT, and it’s an approach that can be replicated by a broad range of industries. Johnson & Johnson’s university collaborations not only facilitate investments and research partnerships, but through JLabs they also provide lab space and support services for promising start-ups without requiring an equity stake. This can give Johnson & Johnson an inside track with the start-up when the timing is ripe. The fruits of the program have been substantial — as of 2023, 840 incubations of companies in this network had yielded more than 290 deals or partnerships with J&J. (Have you used other methods to forge strategic partnerships? Please add them in the comments!)

As I meet more people, especially budding tech founders, a recurring question is about leveraging partnerships as a revenue channel. One key aspect that often stands out in these discussions is identifying the right partner. The right partnership can provide up to 80% leverage in your ROI by aligning perfectly with your goals and capabilities. Consider the example of a health tech startup partnering with a large hospital chain. By integrating their cutting-edge telemedicine platform with the hospital's extensive network, the startup was able to provide virtual health services to a vast number of patients. This partnership enabled the startup to scale rapidly and gain credibility in the healthcare market, while the hospital chain could offer innovative services to their patients without developing the technology in-house. To help identify the right partner, I recommend using a simple framework like the "PARTNER" scoring model: - 'P'urpose Alignment: Do your missions and goals align? - 'A'ccess to Market: Can they help you reach new or larger markets? - 'R'esource Complementarity: Do they offer resources you lack and vice versa? - 'T'rust and Reliability: Can you trust them to deliver consistently? - 'N'etwork Synergy: Do their connections and networks benefit you? - 'E'conomic Benefit: Is the partnership financially advantageous? - 'R'eputation: Does partnering with them enhance your brand image? By scoring potential partners on these criteria, you can identify the one that offers the best strategic fit and highest potential for ROI. #B2BPartnerships #TechFounders #BusinessGrowth #StrategicAlliances image - courtesy to Freepik

CROs and CDMOs are finally figuring out what biotechs have been trying to tell them for years: we don't want vendors, we want partners. The shift is unmistakable. Emerging biotechs are looking for strategic allies who can navigate regulatory complexity, co-create adaptive trial designs, and share the risk of bringing breakthrough therapies to market. Here's what's driving this: Small biotech teams are stretched thin. They need partners who don't just follow protocols but help write them. Who don't just manage sites but anticipate roadblocks. Who don't just deliver data but provide strategic guidance on what it means. The partners winning these engagements aren't competing on price or capacity. They're proving they can be an extension of the sponsor's team. Co-authored whitepapers. Shared IP development. Executive alignment at the C-suite level. When a CRO or CDMO can point to genuine strategic partnerships - not just satisfied clients - it signals operational maturity that emerging biotechs desperately need. The transactional model is dead. Strategic partnership is the new competitive advantage.

🌍 Want to work abroad? Aim for companies that are already global. One of the smartest ways to land an international job — especially with relocation support — is by targeting multinational companies. Think Google, Amazon, Siemens, SAP, Microsoft, and many more. Why it works: ✅ These companies have offices around the world ✅ Many offer visa sponsorship and relocation packages ✅ Internal mobility is encouraged — so you could start locally and transfer globally ✅ They’re often more experienced in hiring international talent 💡 Pro Tip: Use filters like “relocation,” “visa sponsorship,” or “global mobility” when searching their career pages or job boards. Also, check if they run: 🔹 Graduate programs with global tracks 🔹 Remote roles with future relocation opportunities 🔹 Internal transfer programs for existing employees 📌 Bonus: Multinationals tend to have structured onboarding, cross-cultural teams, and strong support systems — great if you're moving to a new country for the first time. The world gets smaller when you get strategic. Start global from day one. 🌐💼 Are you targeting any multinational companies in your job search? Let’s talk about it below Sandeep Khaira⬇️

Working in partnerships teaches you that strategy looks very different depending on where you’re standing. At American Express, partnerships were all about being selective and strategic. With Amex’s brand reputation, we attracted a steady stream of potential partners. But every opportunity was rigorously evaluated to ensure it aligned with our brand’s high standards and operational scale. Partnerships with major retailers and airlines was about keeping pace and elevating the brand’s value across multiple customer segments. Now contrast that with my time at SumAll, a scrappy startup trying to make a name for itself. The challenge wasn’t filtering through partner interest, it was generating it. I vividly remember the hustle it took to position ourselves as an indispensable partner to industry leaders like Square. Success wasn’t about being a household name, it was about aligning OUR solution to THEIR customers’ needs, like helping small businesses measure the impact of social media on their sales. In both cases, the foundation of partnerships is the same: Deeply understanding your partner’s needs and finding ways to create mutual value. Whether you’re at a global giant or a nimble startup, building partnerships requires adaptability, creativity, and a relentless focus on solving problems for your partner. Start by creating a simple “Partner Value Map.” List your potential partner’s goals and pain points, then align your strengths to how you can help them succeed. This clarity will make your outreach and partnership conversations more compelling and strategic.

Cross-border payments firms are betting big on Premier League sponsorships Cross-border #payments companies are increasingly betting on football to expand their global reach, with the English #PremierLeague emerging as their prime stage. This summer alone, Sokin signed a multi-year partnership with Manchester United, while OFX partnered with Burnley Football Club. Airwallex and Ebury struck sponsorship deals with Arsenal F.C and Aston Villa Football Club, and Corpay extended its long-standing relationship with West Ham United FC, first inked in 2018. These collaborations go far beyond branding. Premier League clubs have complex international payment needs—covering everything from scouting expenses and global tours to player transfers—and sponsors are integrating their platforms into clubs’ financial operations. With 65% of Premier League clubs now partnered with at least one cross-border #payments sponsor, and 60% specifically linked to B2B providers, the sector is embedding itself at the very heart of football finance. Legacy deals like Standard Chartered with Liverpool Football Club and American Express with Brighton show the longevity of financial brands in football. Yet, the new wave of fintech-driven partnerships underscores how payments players are leveraging sport to build credibility and scale adoption. As football becomes a proving ground for #fintech visibility and utility, could the Premier League become the ultimate showcase for how payments brands transition from back-office enablers to global consumer-facing names? The article on FXC Intelligence in the first comment.