Renewal season tends to arrive with the same question from the sponsor's side of the table: what did we actually get for this? A property that answers with a headcount and a logo count is answering a question the sponsor stopped asking some time ago.
This guide looks at what sponsors say they want, based on Canadian and North American industry research, why exposure numbers are losing their grip, and what practical audience evidence a venue, golf course, fair or screen network can bring to the meeting. It is also honest about what that evidence cannot prove.
What the research says sponsors want
Proof, more than ever
The Canadian Sponsorship Landscape Study, run by T1 with industry partners, has surveyed Canadian brands, properties and agencies every year for two decades. Its findings on measurement have been consistent.
- ROI is the top worry. In most years since 2012, demonstrating ROI or measurement has been the leading concern across respondents. In the other years it still ranked in the top three 1. The 20th edition, released in August 2026, says ROI remains the top issue for brands, properties and agencies 2.
- Brands are paying to evaluate. In the 19th edition (November 2025, covering 2024), sponsors spent an average of 14.3% of rights fees on evaluation, the highest level the study had recorded. Only 6.4% spent nothing on it 1. The 20th edition reports that brands are spending more on evaluation, and on evaluating deals before they sign, than at any point in the study's history 2.
- Properties feel it too. In the 19th edition's open-ended answers, properties named measurement as a key worry, including how to show partners a deal is worth renewing 1.
Better servicing
The 19th edition found that sponsors' expectations were higher than the service properties delivered on every measure, though the gap had narrowed from earlier years 1. The 20th edition reports that property servicing slipped again and fell short of brand expectations 2. Reporting is part of servicing. A clear, credible renewal report is one of the most direct ways to close that gap.
Audience data
North American research points the same way. In the IEG/ESP Properties 2016 Sponsorship Decision-Makers Survey, about a third of sponsors rated access to audience data a 9 or 10 out of 10 in value 3. The same survey found 22% of sponsors did not know whether their return had gone up, down or stayed the same 3.
That survey is from 2016, but the Canadian study shows the direction has held: sponsors want proof of value, and that starts with knowing who the audience is, not just how many.
Why attendance and impressions no longer settle it
Attendance and impressions still matter. They describe the size of the inventory. But they do not answer the questions a sponsor's own leadership asks:
- Are these people our customers, or people we want as customers?
- Is this audience better for our category than the alternatives?
- Is it holding up year over year?
Exposure-based valuation is still common. In the 19th Canadian study, half of the agencies surveyed said they rely on media valuation and impressions-based measurement 1. That leaves room for a property to stand out by bringing something else: evidence about audience behaviour.
Why sponsors do not renew
There is no single cause. A 2019 study of ended sponsorships in Dutch professional football, published in the International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, identified ten disruptors. They included changes in the sponsor's marketing strategy or finances, objectives already achieved, poor sports results, negative publicity, and insufficient value created by the relationship. The authors noted that most endings involve a mix of reasons 4.
Some of those are outside your control. Value is not. When a sponsor cannot show its own leadership what the deal delivered, the deal is exposed at every budget review. In the 2016 IEG/ESP survey, 45% of sponsors said they were considering dropping out of at least one of their current deals, not only at renewal 3.
The evidence a property can bring
Privacy-compliant mobile location data shows where an audience goes before and after it visits your property. It is aggregated and anonymized, contains no personal information, and describes patterns at scale, never individuals. Here is the kind of evidence it supports.
Category affinity indexes
An index compares your audience with a baseline, usually the average Canadian. An index of 100 means your audience visits a category at the average rate. An index of 150 would mean it is 1.5 times as likely to visit. With 76+ brand categories tracked, from auto dealers and banks to grocery, fuel and quick service, you can show each sponsor category where your audience over-indexes.
This is the most useful single piece of evidence for renewal, because it speaks the sponsor's language. A bank cares less about how many people walked past its sign than whether your audience banks at branches like theirs.
Audience origin
Where your visitors live, by postal code area. Sponsors with a regional footprint can see whether your audience lives in their trade areas. A dealer group or a grocery chain can check the overlap with its own locations.
Benchmarks against other venues
Your visitation indexed against competing venues. This answers the "why you, not them" question directly. A digital screen network in community sports venues used this to show a 1.8x visitation index against competing venues, and won a mid six-figure commitment from a first-time national advertiser. See the screen network case study.
Season-over-season tracking
The same measures, the same method, across seasons. Historical data goes back up to 24 months, so you can often show last season against this one without having planned for it. A steady or rising index is a strong renewal argument. A falling one is an early warning you would rather have than not.
An evidence page per sponsor category
Pull the above together into one page for each priority category: the index, what it means, and the case for the price. An Ontario golf property group took this approach after selling on attendance and gut feel, with several renewals at risk. It closed 5 new sponsorship deals and re-signed 3 at-risk renewals in the same cycle, and reports program value in the multiple six figures. See the golf case study.
Reaching the audience after the event
Some sponsors want more than a report. Audiences like yours can be reached through programmatic, connected TV and out-of-home campaigns, and through mobile ad IDs on social platforms such as Meta and TikTok. Your audience data is never sold or handed over.
What this evidence cannot do
Be honest in the meeting. It builds trust.
- It is not attendance. The data covers a large sample of devices, never everyone. You report indexes and shares, not counts. Keep your own attendance figures for that.
- It does not show purchases. It shows that devices visited a category of location, not what anyone bought. An affinity index shows fit, not sales caused by the sponsorship.
- It does not replace brand research. Recall, sentiment and purchase intent still need surveys or the sponsor's own tracking.
- Demographics are not standard. Census-based demographic and income profiles for the areas your audience lives in are an optional add-on. If a sponsor needs them, ask up front.
Used well, behavioural evidence sits beside exposure numbers and brand research. It answers the question they leave open: who is this audience, and why are they worth more to this category?
A simple renewal checklist
- Agree with each sponsor, at signing, what evidence you will bring at renewal.
- Build a category affinity index for each sponsor's category.
- Add audience origin and a benchmark against competing venues.
- Repeat each season with the same method.
- Bring one page per sponsor, with the method stated.
Our Sponsorship Valuation service is built around these steps.
FAQ
Can you tell sponsors how many people attended?
No. We measure a large sample of devices, never everyone, so we report indexes and shares. Use your own ticket or gate figures for attendance.
Which sponsor categories can be measured?
Any of the 76+ brand categories tracked, including auto dealers, banks, grocery, fuel and quick service.
Does an affinity index prove the sponsorship drove sales?
No. It shows that your audience is a strong fit for the category. Proving sales impact needs the sponsor's own data or a separate measurement study.
Can we compare this season with last?
Yes. Data goes back up to 24 months, and the same method is used each season.
Is the data privacy compliant?
It is aggregated and anonymized, with no personal information, and the method follows PIPEDA and provincial privacy rules. Get your own advice on your obligations as a property.
How long does it take?
A first analysis usually takes 2 to 3 weeks.
Next step
Walk into your next renewal with evidence. Request a Sample Insight on your venue. It is complimentary and takes about a week.