Sponsorship Recruiter — Knitting Cruise Event

Leatherback Travel (https://leatherbacktravel.com/) runs immersive, small-group craft retreats around the world. The include a ceramics retreat in Sicily and a knitting retreat in Provence . We were among Australia's fastest-growing businesses in 2025 (http://afr.com/companies/retail/living-out-of-a-suitcase-while-building-adventures-for-travellers-20251110-p5n921), and we're now launching our first knitting cruise. We will charter a European river cruise ship for 7 days in late 2027, with 150–170 guests on board. Most of our retreats and trips sell out, and if this one does, we will run future cruises at a faster clip, multiple times per year. This is our first time considering recruiting sponsors for an event. We know the value is there (a full-ship, captive, highly engaged niche audience for a full week), but we don't yet have the experience or relationships to go after it well. We're looking for someone who has actually landed event sponsorships before, ideally for something in a similar world: knitting or other craft/hobbyist events, niche travel experiences, or comparable engaged-audience gatherings - multi-day charter events or festivals are a strong bonus given our scale. What you'll do: * Identify and build a target list of potential sponsors that make sense for a 150–170 person knitting cruise audience — think yarn brands, knitting needle makers, knitting pattern designers and publishers, wool and craft supply companies, and adjacent lifestyle or travel brands * Research and pitch these prospects, explaining the value of sponsoring our cruise (a full week of exclusive access to a captive, highly engaged niche audience, onboard branding opportunities, and exclusivity as the only sponsors present) * Manage outreach and follow-up to build a real pipeline of interested sponsors * Advise us on what a fair, standard sponsorship package and deal structure actually looks like for an event of this size (tiers, pricing, deliverables, exclusivity terms) — since we're new to this, we're relying on you to help us not underprice or overpromise * Potentially handle negotiations and closing - and if not - handing off warm, qualified sponsor conversations to our team, who will handle final negotiation and closing. Either way, your guidance on what "reasonable terms" look like going in is valued and expected What we're looking for: * Demonstrated experience securing sponsors for events - bonus points heavily for knitting or other craft/maker events, niche hobby communities, boutique travel/cruise charters, or similarly engaged, multi-day audiences (rather than large mainstream conferences unrelated to our niche) * Comfortable working with a company that is brand new to sponsorships - you'll be teaching us alongside executing * Strong outreach and pitching skills - cold outreach, relationship-building, and follow-through * Able to translate "what's normal in this industry" into practical advice (typical sponsorship tiers, price points, what sponsors expect in return) * Comfortable with an international, remote team To apply, please include: 1. Examples of event sponsorships you've secured, especially for knitting, craft/hobby, niche travel, or similarly engaged, multi-day events (names optional if confidential, but describe the event and sponsor type) 2. Roughly what a sponsorship package/tier structure might look like for an event like ours (full charter, 150–170 guests, 7 days, knitting-only audience) - just a rough sense of your thinking, not a full proposal 3. Your general approach to prospecting and pitching sponsors from scratch 4. Confirmation you're comfortable working hourly and reporting on hours/progress regularly