SPONSORSHIFT!
Build your sponsorship prospectus and pitch it live, in one afternoon.
A half-day workshop and live pitch event in Brisbane for people who personally carry the sponsorship target. Walk in with a draft, walk out with a prospectus, real feedback from brand-side decision-makers, and a room full of new contacts.
Tuesday 21 July 2026 | New Tricks, Albion | 1pm to 8pm
Reserve your seat | $349Who this is for?
This event is built for you if...
- You run a community festival, awards night, conference, or fundraising event and you personally need to bring sponsorship dollars in this year
- You work in a not-for-profit and sponsorship is one of the levers you're being asked to pull
- You produce events for clients and you want to add sponsorship strategy to what you offer
- You've been winging your sponsorship approach and you know it's costing you
If you've ever sent a prospectus into the void and heard nothing back, this afternoon is designed to fix that.
What you'll walk out with.
By 8pm you will have
- A drafted sponsorship prospectus structured the way decision-makers actually want to read it
- Your sponsorship asset list, properly named and valued
- A shortlist of 5 to 10 aligned sponsors with notes on warm intros
- A drafted outreach email ready to send Monday morning
- Live pitch feedback from brand-side decision-makers in the room
- Email swipe templates, a sponsorship agreement template, a 1-page MOU, and the 8-section sponsorship management and strategy checklist to take away
A workshop of this depth would normally run as a multi-day private engagement for a single organisation. SPONSORSHIFT compresses the methodology into one afternoon and adds the one thing private workshops can't: real-time feedback from the people you're trying to reach.
How the afternoon works.
The structure
1pm to 5pm | The workshop - We work through the prospectus framework together, using real case studies and behind-the-scenes examples. You build your own document in the room. This is not a lecture. You leave with a draft you can send by Friday.
5pm to 8pm | PitchFest and networking - You take your draft to the stage. You pitch it to a live audience of brand managers, marketers, and sponsorship decision-makers, plus your event peers. You get real feedback, in real time, from the people you're actually trying to reach. Catering and beverages included during the workshop; networking drinks pay as you go.
Who's in the room?
Who you're pitching to...
We're actively recruiting brand-side decision-makers from across Brisbane: marketing managers, sponsorship buyers, brand managers, and corporate community partnership leads. These are the people who sign off sponsorship spend. You'll pitch to them, hear what catches their attention, and leave with contacts you would not otherwise have access to.
Who's running it
Your hosts
Sally Porteous, Red Lanyard Sally has produced over 200 events across local government, corporate, and not-for-profit sectors since 2007, and works with clients on sponsorship strategy as part of her PCO practice. Sally has been in roles with local and state Government, as well as the private sector and education, managing sponsorship programs both incoming and outgoing. Sally is also actively working in the community event space, continuing to source sponsorship for clients. A passionate advocate for the audience experience, Sally's 20+ years experience in all aspects of the event industry keeps her connected and curious.
Stop guessing what sponsors want.
Ask them directly.
We've capped numbers to keep the room workable for live pitching and meaningful feedback. If sponsorship is on your plate this year, this is the most direct shortcut I can offer you.
Reserve your seat | $349
WHERE & WHEN
Where: New Tricks, 26 Collingwood St, Albion QLD 4010
When: Tuesday 21 July 2026
Time: Workshop 1pm to 5pm + PitchFest & Networking 5pm to 8pm
Includes: Catering and beverages during the workshop, pitch stage and feedback session, networking event. Networking beverages pay as you go.
Investment: $349
We promise, once you have been to an Event Managers Network event, you will never feel like you're creating your events alone again. You will always have a list of colleagues, suppliers, and supporters, ready to help you to produce your best event possible.
Built on a tested methodology
This isn't theory. It's a proven workshop, rebuilt for live pitching.
What you'll work through on the day:
- The mindset shift. Sponsorship is a value exchange, not a donation. Most prospectuses fail at this first step.
- Your assets, properly named. Most events undervalue access, credibility, and influence. We'll work through the seven types of assets you probably already own.
- The offer, built around sponsor goals. You'll learn to write in sponsor language: reach, engagement, brand lift, ESG alignment, recruitment outcomes. Not what you want them to hear, what they're actually buying.
- Tier design and pricing. Menu versus package, where flexibility increases conversions, and how to stop pricing from your budget rather than from value.
- The conversation, not the cold pitch. A warm outreach approach that opens doors instead of closing them, with templates you can adapt.
- The prospectus structure. What, Who, How, Why - then The Offer, The ROI, The Detail - then Origin Story, FAQs, Close. A complete framework you'll start building in the room.
- Activation beyond logo placement. How to show sponsors you can bring their involvement to life.
- The PitchFest. You take your draft to the stage and pitch to a live audience including brand managers, marketers, and corporate sponsorship buyers. You hear what lands and what doesn't, from the people who actually sign cheques.
The framework at the heart of a successful sponsorship strategy.
Most sponsorship pitches fail because they sell one piece of this picture and ignore the rest. A compelling prospectus sits in the middle of all four: assets named in sponsor language, mapped to what the sponsor is trying to achieve, activated beyond logo placement, and delivering a measurable return.
This is the framework we'll work through on the day.
Sponsorship PitchFest
A half-day workshop and live pitch event in Brisbane for people who personally carry the sponsorship target. Walk in with a draft, walk out with a prospectus, real feedback from brand-side decision-makers, and a room full of new contacts.
Reserve your seat | $34900
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Fantastic event Sally, lovely to see such a broad group of people networking, from sales to event planners to firework companies, you had it all in a one stop shop. It was a brilliant evening of connecting with totally new audience I'd never met before. Looking forward to the next event.
Nyla - PA Network, Brisbane
It was such a fun few hours that went by so quickly. Great conversations happening everywhere, what a wonderful mix of diverse event people. There was such a good vibe.
Antoinette - Leading Vocational Teacher Event Management TAFE Queensland
BIG CONGRATS to Sally Porteous on a brilliant launch of her The Event Managers Network mixer last night at the Princess Theatre in Brisbane (sweet venue).
Leanne - Thought Breeder. Author: The 2 Hour Workshop Blueprint
Sally's workshop on sponsorship for our members was really insightful and informative, providing real tools they could take away and use in their organisations. Sally is very knowledgeable in this area and was able to use her experience to provide so much information and useful tips.
Kim Cairns - Student Experience Network
New Tricks, Albion
New Tricks Albion is a rustic cellar door and gin distillery, brimming with farm-style character, right in the heart of Albion. With its rustic charm, leather couches and warm lighting, you will feel right at home, whether it's catching up with friends, watching a show and participating in a workshop.
Serving house-made & local spirits, beers from Brisbane breweries, & tasty wines from their very own winery on the Granite Belt, there is something for everyone. Conveniently located in Albion, they are ready to host your next event or function! With a range of packages to suit all, from birthday parties to weddings and corporate events.
About the Organiser
Hi, I'm Sally. I've been producing events and shaping sponsorship strategy for nearly two decades.
Since 2007 I've produced over 250 events across local government, corporate, and not-for-profit sectors. Sponsorship has been a thread through most of them. Writing prospectuses, negotiating with brand managers, building activation plans that go beyond logo placement, and acquitting partnerships at the other end.
I built the SPONSORSHIFT methodology because I kept watching good events undersell themselves to sponsors, or chase the wrong ones entirely. The framework has been delivered most recently as a two-part workshop series for the Student Experience Network in Australia, and the participant feedback consistently lands on the same point: people walk in unsure what they have to offer, and walk out with a structured prospectus and a clear ask.
SPONSORSHIFT takes that workshop content and adds something I've never been able to offer in a private session. Live feedback from brand-side decision-makers in the room.
Alongside Red Lanyard, my event production company, I founded the Event Managers Network, a community of around 1,500 event professionals. I host The Event Show podcast and speak regularly on sponsorship design and AI for events, including at AIME 2026.
Looking forward to meeting you in the room.
Reserve your seat | $349
Click here to join us.
We promise, once you have been to an Event Managers Network event, you will never feel like you're creating your events alone again. You will always have a list of colleagues, suppliers, and supporters, ready to help you to produce your best event possible.
Reserve your seat | $349
