Event Partnership

What Event Partnership does

Event Partnership, LLC is a privately held sponsorship sales and services agency founded in 2001 by Brian Honebein and headquartered in Sacramento, California. The company operates as an intermediary between corporate brands seeking regional audience access and fair and festival organizations seeking to maximize sponsorship revenue. Its portfolio spans 9 events across California and Arizona, including the California State Fair, Arizona State Fair, Big Fresno Fair, Kern County Fair, Sonoma County Fair, Stanislaus County Fair, Sacramento County Fair, Silver Dollar Fair, and the Mountain Mandarin Festival, collectively reaching more than 4 million attendees annually. Named brand relationships include Toyota, Chevrolet, and Safeway Northern California Division, reflecting the company's positioning at the intersection of enterprise sponsors and public-sector event organizers.

The company delivers a single core service, Sponsorship Sales & Services, which encompasses deal development, customized sponsorship package design, sponsor activation planning, on-site logistics coordination, and post-event evaluation. There is no proprietary technology platform; the offering is relationship-driven and relies on the team's deep industry experience, including founder Brian Honebein's 25+ years in fair, festival, and live-event sponsorship and Senior Account Executive Gregg Dorr's prior client-side partnership roles at Carl's Jr., Panda Express, Jack in the Box, and PepsiCo.

Event Partnership generates revenue through commissions and professional services fees tied to sponsorship agreements facilitated on behalf of its fair and festival clients. Pricing is quote-based and customized per opportunity, with multi-year contract structures typical. The company is bootstrapped and family-controlled, with co-owner Kimberly Honebein handling contract administration, billing, and payments. The core team of 4 operates from Sacramento and serves events across the Western United States, with go-to-market executed through direct relationship selling and event-industry referrals rather than digital channels.

Name

Event Partnership

Legal name

Event Partnership, LLC

Website

https://eventpartnership.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Event Partnership is a Sacramento-based sponsorship sales and services agency that connects corporate brands with audiences at 9 fairs and festivals across California and Arizona, collectively reaching over 4 million attendees annually. Founded in 2001, it operates as a bootstrapped, family-owned boutique intermediary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Sponsorship Sales Services: The company earns revenue by facilitating sponsorship agreements between brands/corporations and event properties (fairs, festivals, concerts, sports events). They develop customized sponsorship packages, manage sponsor activations, and provide ongoing relationship management. Revenue is generated through sponsorship deal commissions or fees for service.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Event Partnership is a sponsorship sales and services agency that connects consumer brands and corporations with audiences at major fairs, festivals, concerts, and sports events across the Western United States. The company develops customized sponsorship packages, manages sponsor activations, coordinates on-site logistics, and provides post-event evaluation for fair organizations in California and Arizona. Revenue is generated through sponsorship deal commissions and service fees for the nine event properties the company represents, including the California State Fair and the Arizona State Fair.

Product overview

Event Partnership operates as a unified sponsorship sales and services agency offering a single core product: Sponsorship Sales & Services. The company specializes in connecting brands with audiences through partnerships at major fairs and events throughout the Western United States, providing revenue development, sponsor activations, and long-term brand alignments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sponsorship Sales & Services End-to-end sponsorship sales and representation service in which Event Partnership acts as the exclusive or preferred sponsorship representative for fair and festival organizations and develops customized sponsorship packages, manages sponsor activations, and coordinates on-site logistics for brands seeking access to regional audiences in California and Arizona.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% deliverable fulfillment for major brand sponsors
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Sacramento County FaircoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvent Partnership serves as the sponsorship sales representative for the Sacramento County Fair. The fair is held annually at Cal Expo with estimated attendance of 100,000+. Partnership involves developing sponsor relationships, managing logistics, and maximizing revenue potential.
• Silver Dollar FaircoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvent Partnership manages sponsorship opportunities for the Silver Dollar Fair in Chico, California. Annual event held May 21-25, 2026 with estimated attendance of 63,000+. Focus on connecting brands with Northern California audiences.
• Stanislaus County FaircoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the largest community event in the Tri-Counties area. Held July 10-19, 2026 in Turlock, CA with estimated attendance of 249,000+. Features agricultural showcases, concerts, and motorsports.
• California State FairflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPremier partnership with California's largest state fair held at Cal Expo, Sacramento, July 17 - August 2, 2026. Estimated attendance 700,000+. Major sponsorship tier offering maximum brand visibility.
• Sonoma County FaircoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership serving the annual fair in Santa Rosa, California, August 7-16, 2026. Estimated attendance 300,000+. Located in wine country, offers unique agricultural and lifestyle audience demographics.
• Kern County FaircoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual fair in Bakersfield, California, September 23 - October 4, 2026. Estimated attendance 450,000+. Strong Central Valley market presence with deep agricultural heritage connection.
• Arizona State FaircoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLargest event in Event Partnership's portfolio with 1,300,000+ attendance. Held at Arizona Exposition & State Fair in Phoenix, September-October 2026. Provides Southwest market reach.
• Big Fresno FaircoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished partnership with one of California's largest fairs, October 7-18, 2026 in Fresno. Est. 1884 with 600,000+ attendance. Includes concerts, carnival, and agricultural exhibitions.
• Mountain Mandarin FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the Mountain Mandarin Festival in Roseville, CA, November 20-22, 2026. Estimated attendance 30,000+. Niche agricultural festival celebrating Placer County mandarin oranges.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Premier Partnerships: California-based sponsorship sales agency that represents fairs, festivals, and events across the Western US — the closest comparable business model and geographic footprint to Event Partnership, with the same dual-sided sponsor broker value proposition.
• Front Row Marketing Services: Experiential marketing and sponsorship agency focused on sports and entertainment properties. Comparable as a mid-sized sponsorship sales and activation agency serving event organizers and brand clients with similar GTM motion.
• ISP Sports: Multi-property sponsorship sales and marketing company representing collegiate and professional sports properties. Comparable as a multi-property sponsorship sales intermediary with similar relationship-driven model targeting regional and event-based audiences.
• Leverage Agency: Sponsorship activation and sales agency representing brands and properties in sports and entertainment. Comparable as a specialized sponsorship intermediary with similar relationship-driven sales motion targeting brand clients and event rights holders.

Broad incumbents

• Octagon: Global sports marketing and sponsorship agency owned by Interpublic Group. Operates broadly across rights holder representation, brand consulting, and event activation — overlapping with Event Partnership's sponsorship sales model but at much larger scale and with a sports-centric focus.
• IMG (now part of TKO Group): Global sports and entertainment marketing agency representing rights holders, brands, and events. Comparable as an established sponsorship sales and activation intermediary with broader event portfolio and international reach than Event Partnership.
• Endeavor (WME): Major entertainment and sports marketing holding company with sponsorship sales, brand partnerships, and event representation arms. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the sponsorship intermediary space with significantly larger scale and diversified event portfolio.
• Van Wagner Sports & Entertainment: Sports marketing, sponsorship sales, and venue signage company serving leagues, teams, colleges, and events. Comparable as a sponsorship sales and activation intermediary, though focused on higher-tier professional and collegiate properties rather than fairs.
• CSM Sport & Entertainment: Global sponsorship and sport consultancy with rights holder representation and brand consulting arms. Operates as a comparable agency model for event sponsorship sales at international scale.
• MKTG (Dentsu Sports): Experiential marketing and sponsorship agency within the Dentsu network. Comparable as a sponsorship sales and activation intermediary serving brands and event properties at global scale.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/event-partnership-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Event Partnership