Lau Global Consulting (LGC) says it has developed what it describes as a revolutionary AI-enabled sponsorship dollar value and ROI calculator to assist sporting entities with seeking sponsorship.

This calculator uses AI (artificial intelligence) to help sporting bodies determine the value of their sponsorship opportunities and also demonstrates the potential return on investment (ROI) for prospective sponsors.

LGC Chief Executive Officer Sophia Harris says this is a formula for sponsorship success that the agency has fine-tuned over several years.

“Our proven methodology, honed over years of experience, empowers organisations to secure high-value, multi-year sponsorship deals both locally and internationally, driving sustainable partnerships and measurable impact,” she said.

With the need for funding for travel to various sporting events locally and internationally, as well as for equipment and development of infrastructure, most sporting bodies see sponsorship as crucial for income. However, the complaint that enough sponsorship does not exist is widely shared across the sporting landscape.

Harris says the issue is not necessarily that potential investors are not interested, but that they are not presented with clear proposals that suggest that investing in their brands is worthwhile. She says most clients who have contacted her have unorganised data prepared to pitch to sponsors, or none at all. She says this means that these sporting bodies have traditionally relied on sponsors to structure this data for them. However, modern practices mean these sporting bodies must change how they operate or be left behind.

“A lot of what happens is that clubs and associations go to sponsors with random figures — ‘We want $10 million for an event,’ — but there’s no justification or budget,” Harris said. “What this calculator does is allow you to justify how you came up with that figure based on what you’re offering, the value, and the fit with their organisation, and it also allows the sponsor to compare one party seeking sponsorship to the next.”

This, she says, is because most of these potential sponsors are also being approached by other sporting bodies, competing for limited funding. As many of these potential sponsors trade on the stock exchange, they are held accountable by financial audits, which examine every dollar they spend. This is why they ask for investment proposals from these sporting bodies.

“So, this is a tool that they can actually use to present data to accompany a proposal, even though the proposal itself is the meat of the matter,” she said. “Sponsors need data to package their value proposition in a way that’s data-centric and data-driven, especially today. So, without that, you’re not going to get far with sponsors.”

LGC says its calculator addresses this challenge in six ways — calculating unique sponsorship dollar values, demonstrating sponsor ROI, enabling sponsor comparison, generating data-backed proposals, bridging the funding gap, and by driving data-driven decision making.

“Aside from the value of what you have to offer, it takes your current figures and projects them based on industry standard,” Harris said. “We use AI to enable that part.”

The calculator and the first 60-minute consultation are free access but LGC also offers a more in-depth premium service. This it says includes customised sponsorship proposal development, strategic negotiation services, advanced sponsorship valuation models, general brand architecture and digital business development services, and digital transformation training.

Harris, a former Jamaica Football Federation director of marketing and business development, says she was motivated to create the calculator to enable more self-sufficiency across the sporting lands

“I aim to enable them to compete effectively for sponsorships both locally and internationally, as well as to attract and secure international strategic partnerships,” she said.

—Rachid Parchment