Win exhibitors, convince sponsors

In short: You win exhibitors and convince sponsors by offering access to exactly the customers a company otherwise struggles to reach. Stand space and logo placements on their own hardly convince anyone any more. Once you understand that, you sell results instead of square metres. This roadmap from Vienna-based Maze & Friends shows how to sharpen your exhibitor profile, build sponsorship packages companies actually want and set up an acquisition process that works predictably.

Three months before your event, half the stand space is still open, two sponsors from last year have pulled out, and you’re sending the same email to the same companies for the fourth time.

When it comes to attendee marketing, most organisers know fairly well what to do: run ads, send newsletters, make the speakers visible. But the side that often carries the most money runs on the side: exhibitors and sponsors. Gut feeling, improvised anew every year, dependent on a few contacts and a lot of hope.

Winning exhibitors and sponsors can be set up as a process and repeated every year; luck has little to do with it. This roadmap shows you how, from the organiser’s point of view.

Exhibitors, sponsors, partners: what is the actual difference?

Before you sell, you should know what you’re selling. The three terms often get lumped together, but they mean different things:

• Exhibitors rent space and presence. With a stand, they show products and get talking to your attendees, to win leads and visibility with exactly your audience.
• Sponsors buy attention and association, paying to be linked with your event, a stage, a track or a programme item, often without a stand of their own.
• Partners contribute something in kind instead of money: reach, content, a venue, technology or access to a community. Media partnerships are the classic example.

In practice the lines blur; a large exhibitor is often a sponsor at the same time. Each role still needs its own offer and its own approach. If you treat exhibitors, sponsors and partners all the same, you sell equally badly to all of them.

Why has it become harder to win exhibitors?

Because every euro spent now has to be justified. Marketing and sales budgets are under scrutiny, and a stand booking competes internally with Google Ads, LinkedIn campaigns and the company’s own field sales team. So hardly anyone inside the company asks “Are we in?” any more; the question is “What exactly does it get us?”.

On top of that come three things you should factor in across the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). First, mid-sized companies often lock in their budgets for the following year in the last quarter, so if you ask in spring, you’re often already too late. Second, approvals are rarely down to one person; in industrial companies, marketing, sales and management all have a say. And third, more events than ever are competing for the same sponsorship pot.

That is exactly why the organisers who work cleanly and early win. An organiser with a clear offer and solid numbers immediately stands out from the mass of “We still have some stand space” emails.

What does an exhibitor really buy?

No company wants 6 square metres of carpet. It wants 30 good conversations with the right people. That’s where most acquisition approaches fail, because they sell stand size, a catalogue entry and logo placement, in other words features. But the exhibitor is buying a result: qualified access to their target audience.

So turn your argument around. Instead of “Stand B, 12 m², including an entry in the programme booklet”, you say: “Access to exactly the purchasing and technical decision-makers from your target industry you would otherwise spend months chasing for phone appointments.” The same space, a completely different value. Everything else in this roadmap builds on this one change of perspective.

How do you win exhibitors for your conference predictably?

Predictably means: instead of waiting for enquiries, you set up three steps that you repeat and improve every year.

1. Sharpen your exhibitor profile

Before you approach anyone, you define who fits in the first place. Which companies want to reach exactly your audience? Sort by industry, company size and offering. The more clearly you can describe your attendees by role, industry, seniority and decision-making authority, the easier the sale. “We had 600 visitors last year” is weak. “Two thirds of our visitors are decision-makers from manufacturing in the DACH region” is a sales argument.

2. Build an offer that promises results

Your profile becomes a fact sheet or a media kit page: who attends, in what numbers, in which roles. Only use real figures from your last edition; made-up reach gets found out by the second year at the latest. Add soundbites from satisfied exhibitors and one or two concrete success stories. Tier the terms with a genuine early-bird advantage so people book early, not in a panic three months beforehand.

3. Set up a real acquisition pipeline

Trade fair exhibitor acquisition works like any B2B sales process; very few organisers just treat it that way. You have three sources, in this order:

1. Reactivate existing exhibitors. The cheapest revenue there is. Approach them about the next event during or straight after the current one, while the impression is still fresh.
2. Approach a defined target list in a focused way. Research companies that match your profile and make contact through permitted channels: a warm recommendation, mutual contacts from your organiser network or a personal conversation at industry events.
3. Inbound via a “Become an exhibitor” page. A dedicated landing page with the media kit, prices and a contact form, which all your channels point to.

A word on the legal side: in Austria, marketing calls and marketing emails without prior consent are prohibited under section 174 of the Austrian Telecommunications Act (TKG 2021) (in German), even towards businesses and even for a first contact; published contact details do not count as consent. In Germany, separate rules apply under the Act against Unfair Competition (UWG), and in both countries the GDPR applies on top. So rely on channels without cold outreach: existing contacts, recommendations, your organiser network, inbound through content and your “Become an exhibitor” page, and personal conversations at events. If in doubt, clarify the details with the Austrian Economic Chamber (WKO) or a legal adviser. And whatever the channel: manage your contacts in a CRM with clear stages. If you don’t measure, you’re prospecting blind.

How do you sell event sponsorship that companies actually want?

Selling event sponsorship almost always fails at the same point: what gets sold is a logo slot. Yet nobody has ever converted a logo on a website into revenue. Winning sponsors for events means offering three things that can be measured: qualified reach, positioning as a thought leader (for example a stage slot or a panel) and, where it’s legally sound, access to leads via opt-in.

Sponsorship packages that are more than a logo

Tier them in three levels so everyone finds a fit, from start-up to market leader:

Anchor your prices to reach and audience quality, not square metres. A title sponsorship can cost many times a basic package, provided you can prove the value in return. For the big names, a custom-built offer is also worth it instead of an off-the-peg package.

From price to value

The reflex question “What does it cost?” always comes. Your job is to steer the conversation towards value first: what is the sponsor’s goal? New customers, recruiting, brand building? Then you put the package together. A sponsor looking for skilled staff doesn’t want a stage slot; they want presence among the right talent. Get that right and you negotiate over benefit instead of price.

How do you market your conference so that exhibitors come to you?

The strongest acquisition is the kind where others approach you. If you want to market your conference, visibly address exhibitors and sponsors as well as attendees. Show publicly who comes to your event: visitor structure, photos and figures from the last edition, voices from exhibitors. This is exactly the proof most event websites lack, and exactly what makes the difference.

Here the two are connected: the better your attendee acquisition, the easier your exhibitor acquisition. A full, high-calibre audience is your best sales argument. We’ve described how to approach the attendee side in How to promote your conference and fill the seats; read it as a companion to this roadmap.

And specifically for Vienna and the DACH region: whether at the Austria Center Vienna, Messe Wien or an event venue in Vienna’s 7th district, exhibitors want to know whom they’ll meet on site. Make that answer impossible to miss on your website.

What should happen when? Your roadmap

Because budgets in the DACH region are fixed early, you win above all through timing. A rough guide for an annual cycle:

The most important block is at the very top: if you only start six months beforehand, you sell the remaining spaces at a discount. If you have a clean offer in hand a year beforehand, you sell at full price.

Sell results, start early

You win exhibitors and sponsors predictably when you sell access to a clearly described audience rather than space and logos, back up your offer with real figures and start around a year before the event. Whether the exhibition area fills up depends on how cleanly you apply this framework to your event: your audience, your figures, your target companies.

If you like, we can look at your case together: where are you in the cycle, how strong is your offer, and where are you currently leaving exhibitors and sponsors on the table? Our page on trade fair marketing shows how Maze & Friends supports organisers, with strategy and execution under one roof. Get in touch and we’ll work out your next step in an initial call.

From the studio: Vienna Region: RIZ UP GENIUS 2026 · Ghezzo Events: website film.

Frequently asked questions

What does an exhibitor do at a trade fair or conference?

An exhibitor books stand space at a trade fair or conference to present products or services and get into conversation with visitors.

Their actual goal is leads and visibility with exactly the audience the event attracts. No company wants six square metres of carpet; it wants 30 good conversations with the right people. For you as the organiser, this means you’re selling qualified access to an audience the exhibitor would otherwise struggle to reach. The space is only the means to that end. And that is exactly what they will use after the event to judge whether the booking paid off.

What is the difference between an exhibitor and a sponsor?

An exhibitor rents space and presence to win leads at their own stand. A sponsor buys attention and association with your event, often without any stand at all.

Sponsors pay to be linked with the event, a stage, a track or a programme item. Partners contribute something in kind instead of money, such as reach, content, a venue or technology; media partnerships are the classic example. In practice the lines blur, and large exhibitors are often sponsors at the same time. Even so, each role needs its own offer and its own approach, otherwise you sell equally badly to everyone.

What do exhibitors gain from taking part in a conference?

At a conference, exhibitors get direct access to many relevant decision-makers in one place, people they would otherwise spend months chasing for phone appointments.

Add to that personal conversations instead of cold contacts, visibility in their own industry and, depending on the package, a stage appearance or contacts from interested attendees who have consented to this. As an organiser, these benefits only become a sales argument if you can prove them: who attends, in which roles, from which industries? Add soundbites from satisfied exhibitors and concrete success stories. Without proof, your stand space competes internally with Google Ads, LinkedIn campaigns and the company’s own field sales team.

How do I find new exhibitors for my trade fair or conference?

You find new exhibitors through three sources: reactivating existing exhibitors, approaching a defined target list and winning enquiries via a “Become an exhibitor” page.

• Approach existing exhibitors about the next edition during or straight after the event
• The target list comes from your exhibitor profile: industry, company size, offering
• The “Become an exhibitor” page brings together the media kit, prices and a contact form

First contact works best through warm recommendations and personal conversations at industry events. Manage all contacts in a CRM with clear stages, because if you don’t measure, you’re prospecting blind.

How do I win sponsors for my event?

You win sponsors by offering measurable value instead of logo slots: qualified reach, positioning as a thought leader and contacts with attendees who have agreed to this.

First ask about the sponsor’s goal, whether that’s new customers, recruiting or brand building, and build the package around it. A sponsor looking for skilled staff wants presence among the right talent; a stage slot does little for them. Approach top sponsors around nine months before the event, with finished documents and real figures from the last edition. For the big names, a custom-built offer is worth it instead of an off-the-peg package.

Which sponsorship packages should I offer?

Offer sponsorship in three tiers, basic, premium and exclusive, so that everyone from start-up to market leader finds a fit.

• Basic: logo and mention, small stand, free tickets, for smaller providers and start-ups
• Premium: stage slot or panel seat, larger stand, content partnership, attendee leads with consent
• Exclusive: naming rights for a stage or track, keynote access, year-round partnership, preferred placement

Every tier has to be more than a logo, because nobody has ever converted a logo on a website into revenue. Describe the packages by the result for the sponsor, meaning contacts, visibility or positioning, rather than listing features.

How do I set prices for stand space and sponsorship?

You anchor prices for stand space and sponsorship to the value you can prove, in other words to reach and audience quality rather than square metres.

A title sponsorship can cost many times a basic package, provided you can prove the value with real figures. Tier the terms with a genuine early-bird advantage so people book early, not in a panic three months beforehand. Show prices openly on your “Become an exhibitor” page, with no hidden costs. If you have a clean offer in hand a year beforehand, you sell at full price; if you only start six months beforehand, you sell remaining spaces at a discount.

Which figures do exhibitors want to see before booking?

Before booking, exhibitors want to know who attends: how many visitors, in which roles, from which industries, with what seniority and decision-making authority.

“We had 600 visitors last year” is weak. “Two thirds of our visitors are decision-makers from manufacturing in the DACH region” is a sales argument. Summarise this information in a fact sheet or media kit, and add soundbites from satisfied exhibitors plus one or two concrete success stories. Only use real figures from your last edition. Made-up reach gets found out by the second year at the latest and costs you your existing exhibitors, your cheapest revenue.

What belongs on a “Become an exhibitor” page?

A “Become an exhibitor” page needs a media kit on the audience, the packages with prices, voices from previous exhibitors and a simple way to enquire or book.

This page is the destination of your inbound acquisition, meaning the enquiries that come in by themselves. All channels should point to it: event website, newsletter, LinkedIn, email signatures. Show publicly there who comes to your event, with visitor structure, photos and figures from the last edition. This is exactly the proof many event websites lack. Keep the form short and reply to enquiries quickly, because more events than ever are competing for the same budgets.

When should I start acquiring exhibitors?

Ideally, you start acquiring exhibitors twelve months before the event, and nine months beforehand at the latest.

Mid-sized companies in the DACH region often fix their marketing budgets for the following year in the last quarter; if you only ask in spring, you’re competing for leftover budgets. On top of that, approvals rarely rest with one person: marketing, sales and management often have a say. A rough roadmap: twelve months before, profile, prices and packages; nine months before, documents and first sponsor talks; six months before, active outreach via network and recommendations plus early-bird terms; three months before, follow-up and remaining spaces. Approach existing exhibitors during the current edition.

Can I simply contact potential exhibitors by email or phone?

Not without further ado: in Austria, the Telecommunications Act only allows marketing emails and marketing calls with prior consent as a rule, even towards businesses.

In Germany, the Unfair Competition Act (UWG) sets the limits, also with a consent requirement for marketing emails; in both countries the GDPR applies on top. There are narrow exceptions for existing customer relationships, such as existing exhibitors. Safer routes to new exhibitors are personal recommendations, conversations at industry events, LinkedIn content that brings prospects to you and enquiries via your “Become an exhibitor” page. If you do outbound systematically, have your approach checked by a lawyer in advance.

How do I win back sponsors who pulled out last year?

First ask sponsors who pulled out openly for the reason; usually a provable benefit was missing, and that is exactly what your next offer has to deliver.

Come back with concrete figures from the last edition and a package that pays into the sponsor’s actual goal, such as leads or recruiting. A custom-built offer has more impact than a flat discount on the old package, because it shows you listened. Voices from other sponsors or exhibitors who show what taking part achieved also help. And plan the conversation early, before the budget for the following year is allocated.

Do small conferences need sponsors at all?

Not necessarily, but even one or two well-matched partners can significantly lower the costs of a small conference and give it extra credibility.

With small formats, quality beats quantity: one partner who matches your audience exactly is worth more than five who only want to place a logo. Instead of money, a partner can also contribute something in kind, such as a venue, technology, reach or content. A small, clearly defined specialist audience can be more attractive to the right sponsor than a large, mixed one.

How do I help exhibitors succeed at my event?

You help exhibitors by involving them early in your attendee marketing, briefing them well before the event and describing the audience to them precisely in advance.

Around three months beforehand, you make exhibitors visible in your channels so attendees know whom they’ll meet before the event. About a month beforehand comes onboarding, with logistics and tips on how to prepare conversations. The better your audience, the more successful the exhibitors and the more likely they are to book again. Collect their feedback and soundbites after the event, because they are your strongest argument for the next edition and the basis for reactivating existing exhibitors early.

What mistakes do organisers make in exhibitor acquisition?

The most common mistake is selling features like stand size and logo slots instead of the result exhibitors are looking for: qualified access to their target audience.

Add to that starting too late, when budgets have already been allocated, sending the same email to the same companies for the fourth time, and treating exhibitors, sponsors and partners all the same. Many organisers improvise their acquisition anew every year instead of setting up a fixed process and improving it. Without a CRM with clear stages, you don’t know where conversations get stuck. And if you inflate visitor numbers, you lose exhibitors’ trust by the second year at the latest.