How to run a sponsorship inside a large organisation
Big brands love big stages. Sport, music, culture. They offer brilliant platforms for visibility, emotion and connection. But running a sponsorship activation from inside a large organisation is a different game altogether. From the inside it’s less glamour and more choreography.
Having worked on large-scale sponsorships across the US and Europe from both the agency and client sides, I've seen both the triumphs and the train wrecks. None of what follows refers to any one company or project, but to patterns that repeat themselves when the stakes get high and everyone wants a piece of the glory. Here's what I have learned, and what I now suggest to anyone about to take one on, some of it the hard way.
1. Ask the hard question: is this the right event to sponsor?
Just because something is high profile does not mean it's right for your brand. Before jumping into design sprints or logo placements, get clear on the why. What are you trying to achieve, and does this stage actually serve that purpose? A well-reasoned “no” is better than a high-profile misalignment. Know your audience, and know theirs.
2. Start with structure: define the team and their roles
Don't leave people guessing. Set up a core team with clear ownership and defined responsibilities. Decide who has the “D” (yes, another Bain link and I've been surprised how much other companies don't do this.) And I don't mean ten overlapping roles and four dotted lines. I mean: who is leading, who is creating, who is approving, and who needs to stay out of the way.
Choose people for what they bring, not for where they sit on the hierarchy or who they know. A good sponsorship team blends senior oversight with subject-matter expertise and the practical doers who can actually deliver. Be especially alert for team creep as visible milestones approach, as success has many parents and people will try to associate themselves with it.
3. Keep the team close to the action
You cannot deliver a meaningful local experience from a global ivory tower just because that's where the bigwigs are. Your campaign team should be physically close to the activation. Proximity breeds relevance, speed and a better grasp of nuance.
4. Prioritise subject matter depth, not just delivery
Every sponsorship has a technical or strategic heart such as science, sport, music or sustainability. Select team members who live and breathe the subject or at least understand it well, regardless of title. It'll save you from surface-level storytelling and open doors to unexpected creative depth.
5. Let the governance committee govern, not interfere
The role of a governance committee is to ensure oversight and strategic alignment, not to approve every design choice or micromanage logistics. Keep them informed and empowered to step in when needed, not at every turn. Otherwise, you'll spend more time in approval cycles than actually building something great. And yes, you will drive the team crazy. Just as with the core team, make sure the committee understands the subject matter. A lack of familiarity leads to vague feedback, overreach and delays.
6. Build trust and protect it
Trust is the oxygen of high-performing teams. Once you have agreed on the mission, let people do what they do best. Trust means not second-guessing every choice. It also means creating space for honest feedback and course correction.
7. Don't shuffle the deck mid game
Changing key personnel halfway through is a fast track to chaos. Continuity matters, especially in creative development and stakeholder relationships. If someone must leave, transition properly and with honesty. When changes happen suddenly, people fill the gaps with speculation, and that's when clarity and trust start to erode.
8. Resist the urge to “just tweak”
Sponsorship campaigns are high profile and attract opinions from all directions. Resist the impulse to endlessly revise the brand for internal optics. At some point, you have to lock it in and let the team execute. Protect the creative space.
9. Don't over index on measurement and internal reporting
Yes, results matter. But don't let dashboards and reporting cycles outweigh the real work. Decide what you're measuring, why it matters and who it's for. Keep internal updates tight, focused and relevant. Sponsorships are judged in public, not on PowerPoint.
10. Stay ethical, especially under pressure
It's tempting to cut corners when timelines are tight and visibility is high. But those are exactly the moments that matter most. Make sure the risks and compliance function is deeply embedded. Don't abuse any perk allocations. Stick to travel policies. Keep your RFP processes squeaky clean. Be transparent, be respectful and set the standard others can follow. Your brand’s credibility and your integrity depend on it, and they are worth far more than a logo on a wall. When the lights are this bright, the truth doesn’t stay backstage forever.
Great sponsorships aren't just about airtime or logos. They're about resonance, relationships and responsibility. The best ones feel effortless to the audience, but they're built with intention, trust and discipline behind the scenes.
And as a senior person on a European sponsorship told me - “if you’re not having fun then it’s not being done right.” And I’ve found that when the fundamentals are right, the enjoyment tends to follow.