Challenge

With tens of thousands of attendees and dozens of sponsors to manage, the LA Marathon team (led by The McCourt Foundation) sought a scalable, low-lift way to engage participants digitally, drive ROI for partners, and streamline sponsor logistics. They needed a solution that didn’t add more work to their plate.

Spark Sponsor Solution

1. Effortless Distribution at Scale
Spark Sponsor enabled the McCourt team to distribute the Virtual Goody Bag via pre & post race emails and on-site QR codes placed in high-touch locations like the registration area and expo floor. This omnichannel approach ensured the bag reached attendees before, during, and after race weekend - maximizing sponsor visibility.

2. Sponsor Self-Serve Setup
Instead of building out each promotion manually, the McCourt Foundation used Spark Sponsor’s invite system to let sponsors create their own promotions. This dramatically reduced back-and-forth communication and freed up staff to focus on high-priority race operations.

3. Flexible Monetization Strategy
Spark Sponsor helped the LA Marathon unlock three unique monetization streams:

• Free placements for top-tier sponsors like Optimum Nutrition and Turkish Airlines as added value.

• Discounted placements for existing expo exhibitors to drive additional visibility.

• Full-price virtual-only placements for brands that couldn’t attend in person but still wanted access to the marathon’s engaged community.

This model created value at all sponsorship tiers and enabled new revenue without additional overhead.

4. Actionable Analytics
Real-time engagement data allowed sponsors to see ROI: tracking promotion views, claims, and email leads. Some surprises? A free banana voucher saw more claims than a raffle for round-trip business class tickets to Europe! That kind of data helps sponsors optimize future activations with insights, not guesses.

Takeaways for Event Organizers

• High Impact, Low Effort: The self-serve and automated setup made execution seamless.

• Flexible Monetization: Spark Sponsor supports free, discounted, or premium sponsor tiers.

• Engagement That Converts: From on-site freebies to high-value raffles, the digital bag delivered on visibility and lead capture.

• Analytics That Matter: Real-time insights help quantify value and improve sponsor relationships.

Interested in trying Spark Sponsor for your event?

Book a demo talk about how to grow sponsor revenue and simplify operations.