Easy Sponsors

Getting businesses to sponsor a Disc Golf tournament is a daunting task for most TDs.  The main reason, in my opinion, is mostly to do with face to face cold call selling isn't easy for most.  It's not even that easy for seasoned sales reps.  I've been selling and doing cold calling for the last ten years and I speak from first hand experience.

What is a TD to do?  Start with a business or businesses that are easier to sell.  Restaurants.  Restaurants are one of the easiest businesses to sell sponsorship.  You can break the restaurants into three categories.  Lunch time, player party time and awards time.

Get a list of all the fast food and quick and easy lunch spots that surround you tournament location.  The places that players will go to between the morning and afternoon rounds of the tournament.  Set up a meeting with a manager or owner of these restaurants.  Tell them about the tournament and that you'll have up to 90 players at your event.  If they're willing to sponsor the tournament for $25 or $50 (hole sponsorship) you'll include directions to their restaurant in the players info and at the players meeting you'll plug their restaurants.  Most disc golf players are more than happy to visit businesses that help support their sport.  A success rate of about 50 percent is what I've experienced when I've done this very thing.

If you're having a two-day event.  Get a restaurant to agree to hosting a players-party.  Ask for a $100 or more sponsorship for the players party.  Work in some drink specials and food specials and include in the players pack directions and a start time for the party.  Make sure you include some putting comps or mini tournament as part of the players party.  When I've done this with for my two-day events, I've averaged about 70% of the players attend and I'm always surprised at how many out of town players bring spouses and children with them.  A restaurant that was our players party sponsored recently for $100 ended up have a $2,000 night due to the players.  Most if all wouldn't have been there that night if it wasn't for sponsoring the tournament.  You can bet that restaurant will always support our tournaments in the future.

Awards.  Find a restaurant that is close by the course, serves quickly and has an inexpensive menu.  A lot of players travel a long way to play your event and they want to get on the road.  You don't want them to go anywhere that has slow service or an expensive menu.  When you get to the restaurant you want to make sure you're ready to go...some players will only be there to collect their winnings while others will stay and enjoy dinner.

The above approaches might not bring in tons of money for your event but it does add some creditability to your event and it also gets those businesses seeing the impact that Disc Golf can have on a community.