Smart event planners know the real magic happens when you collaborate with your event speakers, sponsors, and venues and not just on logistics, but also on content. Done right, content partnerships can help you reach bigger audiences, boost brand visibility, and turn your event into the thing everyone’s talking about on Monday morning. Let’s break down how to get these collabs rolling so you can cultivate incredible partnerships that produce dividends for your event planning business long after the event itself.
1. Treat Speakers Like Influencers (Because…They Are)
Your keynote and guest speakers are walking content machines.
They’ve got followers. They’re sending LinkedIn newsletters. They’ve probably got strong opinions on AI, leadership trends, or whether coffee counts as a food group.
How to leverage them:
- Pre-Event Teasers: Have speakers record quick video teasers or write a short post about what they’ll cover. Tag your event’s social handles.
- Quotes & Thought Leadership: Pull snappy quotes from your speaker’s bio or interviews and use them for social graphics, emails, and blogs.
- Joint Livestreams: Host a casual IG Live, Google Go Live, or LinkedIn Live with your speaker. Keep it short, fun, and interactive.
Pro Tip: Make it stupidly easy for speakers to help promote your event. Draft sample posts, create graphics sized for different channels, and send them a calendar reminder to hit “post.”
2. Turn Sponsors Into Storytellers
Sponsors don’t just want a logo on your signage anymore. They want engagement. They’re looking for sponsorship love. They want…content.
How to collaborate:
- Co-Created Blog Posts: Work with sponsors to create educational articles tied to your event theme. (Think: “Top Trends in Sustainable Catering,” sponsored by your eco-friendly tableware partner.)
- Branded Video Content: Short interviews with sponsor reps talking trends, innovations, or behind-the-scenes peeks at how they support events like yours.
- Exclusive Offers or Downloads: Let sponsors create digital assets attendees can download—white papers, discount codes, or toolkits. Great lead-gen for them, value-add for your audience.
Word of warning: Keep the content useful, not salesy. There’s a fine line between a helpful sponsor piece…and a pitch deck disguised as a blog post.
3. Don’t Sleep on Your Venue
Too many planners treat venues like a pretty backdrop and nothing more. Big mistake. Venues have:
- Stunning visuals for your socials
- Established audiences who follow their accounts for event inspiration
- Insider knowledge about how to make your event shine
Ways to collaborate:
- Venue Spotlight Posts: Do a feature on your venue’s unique features or history. Share it on both your channels and theirs.
- Photo/Video Shoots: Ask your venue if you can stage photos or short video reels highlighting your event setup or décor inspiration.
- Cross-Promotion: Many venues will happily shout out your event on their socials, especially if you’re showcasing their space beautifully.
4. Create a Content Calendar for Your Collabs
Winging it won’t cut it. The easiest way to keep your partners engaged (and avoid a last-minute scramble) is a shared content calendar.
Include:
- Posting dates for each partner
- Types of content (video, quote graphic, blog post, email mention)
- Platforms to post on
- Deadlines for approvals
Bonus tip: Share performance metrics afterward. It makes partners feel invested and way more likely to collaborate again next time.
5. Highlight the Partnership On-Site and Post-Event
The collab doesn’t stop once guests walk through the doors. Capture photos and videos of your partners in action:
- Speakers onstage
- Sponsors engaging with attendees
- Venue beauty shots full of bustling crowds
Turn that into post-event content, like reels, highlight blogs, thank-you posts, or even a “Behind the Scenes” email. Not only does it keep your event alive longer online, it makes your partners look like rock stars.
Why Bother with All This Extra Work?
There’s always another gala, another conference, another brand activation vying for your audience’s attention.
Partnering on content lets you:
- Multiply your reach without multiplying your ad budget
- Look more legit (hey, social proof matters)
- Build deeper relationships with partners who’ll want to work with you again
- Keep your event top-of-mind before, during, and after showtime
It’s a little extra work, but in a city where “extra” is practically a lifestyle, it’s worth it.
Ready to learn even more ways to maximize your events? Connect with industry pros, speakers, and sponsors face-to-face at The Event Planner Expo. Let’s make your next collab your biggest success yet and it starts with a booth on the tradeshow floor. Be sure to book your space soon!
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