For music, food, film and arts festivals
Sponsors for every stage of your festival
A festival's sponsors range from the presenting partner to the coffee cart, each with an activation to plan and a deadline to hit. Sponsor Trove keeps every deal in one place, from the first pitch deck to load-in.
What festival sponsors buy
Festival sponsorships are about being part of the experience, not just a logo.
Presenting sponsor
The festival is "presented by" them, with branding across the grounds, tickets and marketing.
Stage naming
A stage named for the sponsor, seen in every set time and schedule.
Activations
Space on the grounds for the sponsor's own experience: sampling, games, photo moments or lounges.
VIP and hospitality
Sponsored VIP areas, plus passes for the sponsor's clients and staff.
Category partners
The festival's official beer, spirit, water, bank or ride-share, with exclusivity in that category.
Wristbands, cups and merch
Logos on items every attendee holds or takes home.
Who sponsors festivals
Festival sponsors want to reach a crowd in a good mood. Typical sponsors include:
- Beer, wine, spirits and beverage brands
- Consumer brands that want sampling and activations
- Banks, credit unions and telecom companies
- Tourism boards, hotels and local government
- Car dealerships and ride-share services
- Local restaurants, venues and retailers
The festival sponsorship calendar
Big sponsors plan activations and budgets long before the lineup is announced.
- 9–12 months out: Renew presenting and category partners, ideally right after this year's festival.
- 6–9 months out: Pitch new sponsors, using the lineup announcement and ticket sales as momentum.
- 2–3 months out: Activation plans, site layout and signage deadlines. Confirm what each sponsor brings.
- After the festival: Send recaps with attendance and photos, and start next year's renewal.
How Sponsor Trove helps
Every stage, tent and partner in one pipeline
Each sponsor is a deal tagged with what they're buying, from the main stage to the coffee cart. Set the festival's goal and watch it fill up.
- Package, amount and owner on every deal
- A goal for each festival
- Your whole partnerships team on one board
See who's reading your sponsorship deck
Share your deck as a link. You'll see which brands opened it and came back, and every reader becomes a deal automatically.
- See who opened it and when they came back
- Each reader becomes a deal automatically
- Your festival's logo and colors on the link
Know which sponsors need you today
Each deal gets an AI summary with what to do next, and quiet or at-risk deals are flagged. Ask "Who should I follow up with this week?" and get a list with links to each deal.
- Summaries refresh as deals change
- Flags deals that have gone quiet
- Answers with links straight to the deal
Sponsor emails, on the deal
Connect Gmail and every email with a brand or its agency lands on the deal, so your team can see where every activation stands.
- Read-only, and only emails with your sponsors
- Everyone at a sponsor's company is matched
- See who's waiting on a reply
Questions
What should a festival sponsorship deck include?
Who attends (age, location, interests), how many people come, what each package includes, examples of past activations, and deadlines. Brands buy the audience and the experience, so photos and specifics help.
When should we start selling festival sponsorships?
Renewals right after this year's festival, and new sponsors six to twelve months out. Large brands set budgets early, while local businesses often decide closer to the date.
Can we track category exclusivity?
Add a property such as "Category" to your deals, and it shows on every card, so you can see at a glance which categories are taken.
Can you move our sponsor list over?
Yes. We'll bring your current sponsors and prospects into Sponsor Trove for you, free.
Related guides: What to include in a prospectus · Sponsorship prospectus tracking