Sponsorship Prospectus vs Proposal vs Deck
A sponsorship prospectus is your event's catalog for companies: it sets out the audience, the booths and sponsorship packages on offer, what each costs and how to buy. It is written once and sent to every prospect. Three related documents are often confused with it, and each has a different job.
| Document | Written for | Purpose | Typical format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sponsorship prospectus | Every prospective sponsor | Present all sponsorship opportunities and prices | PDF or web page |
| Exhibitor prospectus | Every prospective exhibitor | Present the floor plan, booth types, prices and deadlines | PDF or web page, often combined with the sponsorship prospectus |
| Sponsorship proposal | One company | Recommend specific items tied to that company's goals | Short document or email |
| Sponsorship deck | First meetings and calls | Make the case for the event in a few slides | Slides, often a shortened prospectus |
For trade shows and expos, a combined exhibitor and sponsorship prospectus is usually the right call: most sponsors also exhibit, and showing booths beside sponsorship levels makes upgrades easy to see.
Exhibitor and Sponsorship Prospectus Template
Use this exhibitor prospectus template as the outline for your document. Each heading is one page or one section of a web page. Drop the sections that do not apply to your event.
[EVENT NAME] [YEAR] EXHIBITOR & SPONSORSHIP PROSPECTUS [EVENT DATES] | [VENUE, CITY] 1. WELCOME A short note from [ORGANIZER / CHAIR NAME]: what the event is, who it serves and what is new this year. 2. WHY EXHIBIT AND SPONSOR - [REASON 1, e.g. Meet decision-makers from AUDIENCE SEGMENT in one place] - [REASON 2] - [REASON 3] 3. WHO ATTENDS Source: [YEAR] registration data, [NUMBER] registered attendees. - By job function: [BREAKDOWN] - By seniority: [BREAKDOWN] - By organization type: [BREAKDOWN] - By region: [BREAKDOWN] - Purchasing role: [BREAKDOWN FROM REGISTRATION QUESTION] 4. EVENT AT A GLANCE [DAY-BY-DAY OUTLINE: exhibit hall hours, sessions, receptions, networking] 5. FLOOR PLAN [FLOOR PLAN IMAGE] See live availability and book online: [FLOOR PLAN LINK] 6. BOOTH PACKAGES [BOOTH TYPE] | [SIZE] | [PRICE] | Includes: [ITEMS, e.g. pipe and drape, table, chairs, ID sign, NUMBER exhibitor passes] [BOOTH TYPE] | [SIZE] | [PRICE] | Includes: [ITEMS] Member / early pricing: [TERMS AND DEADLINE] 7. SPONSORSHIP LEVELS [LEVEL NAME] | [PRICE] | [QUANTITY AVAILABLE] | Benefits: [LIST] [LEVEL NAME] | [PRICE] | [QUANTITY AVAILABLE] | Benefits: [LIST] 8. A LA CARTE OPPORTUNITIES [ITEM] | [PRICE] | [QUANTITY] | [ONE-LINE DESCRIPTION] 9. DIGITAL OPPORTUNITIES [e.g. Mobile app banner ad | PRICE | QUANTITY] [e.g. Sponsored attendee email | PRICE | QUANTITY] 10. KEY DATES AND DEADLINES - Booth selection opens: [DATE] (returning exhibitors: [DATE]) - Early pricing ends: [DATE] - Sponsor logos and artwork due: [DATE] - Exhibitor move-in: [DATE AND TIME] 11. HOW TO BOOK [STEP 1: Choose a booth on the floor plan at LINK] [STEP 2: Add sponsorships and services at checkout] [STEP 3: Pay by card or request an invoice] Payment terms and cancellation policy: [SUMMARY OR LINK] 12. CONTACT [NAME], [TITLE] | [EMAIL] | [PHONE] Prices and availability as of [DATE]. Live availability: [FLOOR PLAN LINK]
What Audience Data to Include
The audience page is the one sponsors read most closely, and the one most often padded with guesses. Use your own registration data, say which year it comes from, and show breakdowns rather than one headline number. If you do not collect a field yet, add the question to this year's registration form rather than estimating it.
| Data point | Where it comes from | How to present it |
|---|---|---|
| Registered attendees | Registration or ticketing records | Total, plus the year it refers to |
| Job function and seniority | Registration questions | Share of attendees by group, in a simple bar chart |
| Organization type and size | Registration questions | Groups that match how sponsors segment their market |
| Region | Billing or organization address | Top regions, or a map |
| Purchasing role | A question such as: What is your role in purchasing decisions? | Share who recommend, approve or influence purchases |
| Engagement | Session check-ins, app and website views | Only figures you measured, labeled with their source |
Report audience data in aggregate only, and check that your registration privacy notice covers using it this way. For a first-time event with no history, describe the audience you are recruiting and how, such as member lists, partner associations and targeted campaigns, and say plainly that figures will follow after the event. Sponsors accept honest uncertainty far more readily than numbers that turn out to be wrong.
Writing Each Section
- 1
Welcome
Keep it to a few sentences. Say who the event is for, what is new this year, and one reason this edition matters to exhibitors and sponsors.
- 2
Why Exhibit and Sponsor
Lead with outcomes companies care about, such as meeting buyers or launching products to a defined audience, rather than describing the event's history.
- 3
Event at a Glance
Show exhibit hall hours and the moments when attendees are on the floor, such as breaks and receptions. Exhibitors plan staffing from this page.
- 4
Booth Packages
List each booth type with its size, price and what is included. Our guide to trade show booth sizes covers common dimensions and types.
- 5
Sponsorship Levels
Show levels side by side with quantities available. Build the ladder first using our guide to event sponsorship levels.
- 6
A La Carte and Digital
Group a la carte and digital items by type, each with a price, a quantity and one line on what the sponsor gets.
- 7
Key Dates
List every date a buyer has to act on, including returning exhibitor priority windows and artwork deadlines, so nothing in the sales conversation comes as a surprise.
- 8
How to Book
End with the exact steps to buy and a named contact. A prospectus that ends with email us to discuss leaves money on the table.
Keeping the Prospectus in Sync With Live Inventory
The weakness of every PDF prospectus is that it is wrong as soon as something sells. Prospects call about sold booths, two sponsors are offered the same exclusive item, and your team spends time on corrections instead of sales. The fix is to separate what changes rarely, such as package contents, prices and deadlines, from what changes daily, which is availability, and to publish each in the place best suited to it.
- Show prices and what is included in the PDF, but send buyers to a live floor plan for availability
- Print an as-of date on every page that mentions availability
- Mark sold-out levels and items in each new version rather than removing them; sold-out items show demand
- Keep one inventory list, used by sales, the website and the prospectus, so they never disagree
- Re-issue the PDF on a fixed schedule, such as monthly, and replace the file at the same link
- Put the prospectus itself where buyers book, so the document and the checkout sit side by side
Selling booths from an interactive floor plan that updates as booths sell, as booth sales software does, removes most of this work. Your prospectus describes the options, and the event floor plan shows what is left.
Formats and Distribution
- Keep the PDF small enough to email, and host it at a stable link you can update
- Make a 6–10 slide sponsorship deck from the same content for first meetings
- Publish a web version so prospects can find it in search and share it internally
- Use the same level names, prices and dates in every format
- Keep logistics, such as move-in rules and shipping, for the exhibitor manual, not the prospectus
The sponsorship deck deserves its own attention. It is usually the first thing a prospect sees on a call, so keep it to the audience, two or three photos of the event, the sponsorship levels at a glance and one slide on how to buy. Leave the full benefit lists and booth packages to the prospectus, and send that afterwards with a short note recommending the options that fit the conversation.
