New financial partnerships for film festivals and venues
- Do you want to attract new sponsors and partnerships?
- Do you want to better understand the value that your organisation can offer to potential sponsors?
- Would you like expert support as you develop your pitch?
- Would you like to get inspired with a Q&A from one of the world’s leading experts in international film festival sponsorship?
This new BFI FAN short course provides practical steps to help festivals and exhibitors to build a sponsorship strategy that can effectively build new financial partnerships.
Speakers include Jennifer Frees (Chief Business and Marketing Officer, Toronto International Film Festival), Catharine Des Forges (Director, ICO), Corrigan Lowe (Partnerships Manager, Sheffield DocFest), Rachel Caplan (Co-Founder & Festival Director, Montrose LandxSea Festival), and Duncan Carson (Projects and Business Manager, ICO).
This is a UK-wide opportunity open to BFI FAN members from all regional/national Film Hubs. Find your local film hub here.
Applications for the Developing Your Sponsorship Strategy course have now closed.
Course details
This course is designed to equip attendees with the tools to begin a journey of attracting new sources of funding from the commercial sector. Attendees will leave the course with a draft sponsorship deck, which will be tailored to their organisation’s scale and capacity. Participants will also have the opportunity to form connections with other BFI FAN members who share the same goals for securing new funding.
The course will be taught by industry professionals through case studies, practical workshops and peer discussion.
Session 1: Introduction to the key principles of sponsorship and fundraising
Tuesday 4 November 2025, 12:30 p.m. to 3.30 p.m. Online via Zoom.
In this session, we will be looking at understanding the most important element of fundraising – your organisation. This session features a Q&A with Jennifer Frees, Chief Business and Marketing Officer at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), who will discuss the key principles that you need to understand in order to develop a successful sponsorship and partnership strategy.
Session 2: Defining your value and creating your sponsorship deck
Thursday 6 November 2025, 9:30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. Online via Zoom.
This session will primarily focus on developing your own sponsorship deck. We will share templates and resources, and attendees will collaboratively set goals. Afterwards, you will receive the necessary tools to complete a draft of your deck before the next session. Additionally, the session will include case studies from industry experts to inspire your sponsorship strategy.
Session 3: Evaluating your deck and shared learnings
Wednesday 3 December 2025 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. In person in London.
Participants will share their progress, learnings, and challenges from putting together their sponsorship decks. Each delegate will have the opportunity to present their progress and receive feedback from the rest of the cohort, as well as industry experts. There will be break-out sessions with more bespoke discussions, so that learnings can be shared amongst delegates with similar challenges and goals.
Cost
The fee for attending Developing Your Sponsorship Strategy is £75 for each delegate. This includes all the course materials you’ll need, as well as lunch, tea and coffee for the in-person training day.
Bursary support
If you would like to apply for additional support to attend (whether towards the cost of the training, your travel, accommodation, childcare or other), you may be eligible for a bursary through your local film hub.
Who is this course for?
To take part in this course, applicants’ organisations must have been in operation for two years (in the case of film festivals, this should include having delivered two festival editions).
Applicants should also be in a role where they either:
have responsibility (or share responsibility) for pitching to sponsors and implementing an existing sponsorship/partnership strategy
OR
are the person within the organisation with responsibility (or shared responsibility) to develop a new sponsorship/partnership strategy that they intend to implement in the next 12 months.
Applications will be assessed based on where the training is likely to deliver the greatest benefit to the organisation and in advancing the strategic priorities of the BFI Film Audience Network, while also ensuring a good geographical spread of participants across the UK.
Speakers
Speakers include Jennifer Frees (Chief Business and Marketing Officer, Toronto International Film Festival), Catharine Des Forges (Director, ICO), Corrigan Lowe (Partnerships Manager, Sheffield DocFest), Rachel Caplan (Co-Founder & Festival Director, Montrose LandxSea Festival), and Duncan Carson (Projects and Business Manager, ICO).
Jennifer Frees
Chief Business and Marketing Officer, Toronto International Film Festival
Jennifer Frees has diverse revenue, marketing, CX and strategic partnership experience in private, public and non-profit sectors. Her innovative projects have won marketing and design awards for highly regarded international brands, as well as leading the generation of over $225M for her non-profit clients globally. Jennifer is an internationally sought-after business development speaker and workshop facilitator. She has provided executive commercial consulting services for an array of organizations in the creative sector in over 20 countries, and serves on several commercial and brand advisory boards. She currently serves as Chief Business and Marketing Officer at TIFF.
Catharine Des Forges
Director, Independent Cinema Office
Catharine is Director of the Independent Cinema Office. She founded it in 2003 and continues to lead on the overall strategy and development of the company. Prior to founding the ICO, she worked at the BBC, the BFI, Arts Council England, as a Senior Programmer at the National Film Theatre, programmed the Encounters Film Festival in Bristol and worked as a freelance film programmer both in the UK and internationally. She has an MA in Film & Television from the University of London, has lectured in film and media at a number of UK universities, and is an experienced moderator and Q&A host as well as a contributor to a number of UK newspapers and magazines. She sits on the Steering Group for London’s Screen Archives, is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, an advisory board member for Be the Business and a voting member of BAFTA.
Accessibility
Accessibility provision will depend on the access needs of the successful applicants. Within the application form, you will find questions on individual access requests, which will be submitted to the team at the ICO. If you wish to discuss any access needs further or in advance of your application, please get in touch with us at training@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk.
FAQS
What is included with the course fee?
The fee for attending Developing Your Sponsorship Strategy is £75 for each delegate. This includes all the course materials you’ll need, as well as lunch, tea and coffee for the in-person training day.
Do I need to have a sponsorship pitch deck already in order to take part?
You do not need a sponsorship pitch deck to take part in this course. The programme is designed to provide you with all the tools you will need to create your own from scratch. It will also be beneficial for any organisation that is currently in the process of developing the deck.
Who should I contact if I have any further questions?
If you have any further questions about the course, please get in touch with us via email at training@independentcinemaoffice.org.uk.
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