Sponsors and Sponsorship
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324 – July/August, 2022
By Kory Kumar
A sponsorship is more than a donation of product or money. A sponsor, who gives something of themselves, is a partner. Within the horse show industry, we rely on these partnerships to maintain and grow our events. Sponsors are vital to event success for many reasons. They open location options that may have not previously been available. Sponsors add and provide value to exhibitor experiences. They generate bigger audiences and exhibitor bases for events. Sponsors can take an ordinary horse show and turn it into an extraordinary event!
There isn’t a single person involved in the production of a horse show who doesn’t feel a genuine passion for horses. That passion alone does not pay for the ever-increasing costs associated with putting on quality shows, however. Stephen Stephens, past president of the NSBA said it best, “This is a hobby industry and a passion industry. When you start looking at the money that goes out for big events, it is quite staggering.”
The work involved in planning and hosting a horse show is quite intensive and comes with large financial requirements. Sponsorships of all types are essential to the success of the event.
Recent economic changes aside, the inclusive costs associated with horse shows is very high. Those engaged in horse show planning look to sponsors to help them offset the costs, and to provide opportunities to give back to the exhibitors. Kathy Avolt, owner of An Equine Production, says, “Sponsorships are necessary in the sense that the cost of facilities, awards and exhibitor parties are high. The sponsors are really important at the show because they allow for a greater breadth of giving.”
Click here to read the complete article
324 – July/August, 2022
