A Creative Way to Pay for Your Bandwango License Through Ad Space and Sponsorships

Many DMOs are using Bandwango’s Experience Builder to create curated passes that attract and retain visitors. Some are taking it a step further by using their Bandwango passes to generate revenue.  

Organizations such as Experience Columbus, the Alabama Tourism Department, and Visit Tampa Bay have launched paid attractions passes that generate revenue for their partners and/or the DMO. Others, including the Keuka Lake Wine Trail and the Calistoga Chamber of Commerce, have created paid tasting passes that drive direct income.

But paid passes aren’t the only option. Even free passes can generate revenue through in-pass advertising and sponsorship integrations. 

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Using In-Pass Advertising to Offset Platform Costs 

Some Bandwango plans include built-in advertising options that can create an additional revenue stream. Even if you don’t have a paid pass that you sell to consumers, you can sell ads to be placed within your passes. 

Carole Fergusson is the Executive Director of Keep Waco Beautiful, and she explained how she used ad space to pay for her Bandwango license. When talking about the sponsorship opportunity that she sold on her recent Waco Restaurant Week Passport, she said, “That helped me leverage the Bandwango partnership with my board.” 

Bandwango’s in-pass ads allowed them to sell a sponsorship to a new sponsor they had never worked with – Uber Eats. Passholders were shown the ads whenever they opened their pass and interacted with it. The first ad built awareness, while the second one had a call to action encouraging passholders to use the food delivery service. “They ran a promo where you could get 50% off of your next two purchases,” Fergusson said. “And people loved that! I had several people reach out to thank me for that. It was such a unique way to engage with the local community from their perspective.”

By selling the ads, Keep Waco Beautiful was able to cover the cost of its new technology platform. Fergusson shared, “That ad space was such a great asset for us. And being able to use it for this sponsor paid for our Bandwango license. It was definitely worth the investment.” 

She has even higher goals for sponsorship sales for the second year of her Bandwango partnership, saying,  “I think this next year, we'll see a better turnout for more ad opportunities. And now that we've seen it work, and we have metrics, I think people are going to be more willing to buy into the ad space options.”

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Available Advertising Opportunities

Bandwango offers two ad placement options within supported plans:

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In-Pass Display Ads

• Unlimited rotating ads
• Each ad can link to a unique URL
• Visible every time a passholder interacts with the pass
• Ad image(s) sized at 448x60 pixels must be supplied to Bandwango 

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Email Confirmation Ad 

• One consistent ad placement within confirmation emails
• Links to a single URL
• Appears in all signup confirmation emails
• Ad image sized at 448x60 pixels must be supplied to Bandwango 

Bandwango’s Customer Success Team offers one-on-one assistance to ensure proper setup. To utilize ad space, organizations can contact success@bandwango.com. 

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Integrating Sponsors Into the Pass Brand to Generate Revenue

If you’re looking for ways to help pay for your Bandwango license, advertising placements aren’t the only sponsorship option. Visit Dublin Ohio took a different creative approach by integrating a corporate sponsor directly into the branding of its Dublin Parks Pass. 

OhioHealth became the presenting sponsor, with co-branded logo placement, social visibility, and recognition on the pass landing page and website. Former Marketing Director Sara Blatnik explained: “They are a paid corporate sponsor, and the Parks Pass is essentially the fulfillment of their corporate sponsorship. We co-branded the pass logo together, and they’re always tagged and mentioned in any mention of the Parks Pass. They get a lot of social visibility”

The partnership aligned naturally with OhioHealth’s wellness mission. “Health and wellness, parks, and getting outdoors were a seamless fit, and something that they thought made sense for their brand and for their goals. To be able to provide that resource to the community on behalf of OhioHealth, was a perfect fit for them.” 

They also partnered with their sponsor on the prize for this check-in challenge: a belt bag and bottle of sunscreen. Blatnik said, “During spring and summer, a big part of their messaging is encouraging people to wear sunscreen while you're outside. So we've also included a card about sun care, and incorporated real healthcare messaging within the prize pack.”

Blatnik emphasized the importance of sponsor collaboration. “Plan ahead. Make sure you're running things past them, because these people have strict brand guidelines,” she said. “We're always sure that if anything's going out that has their logo or their name, in any shape, way, or form, that they're seeing it first.” Regular reporting is also recommended. “I normally send a quarterly update of how we've promoted the pass and show how many people have redeemed,” said Blatnik. “I think that that's appreciated.”

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Best Practices for Generating Revenue Through In-Pass Ads and Sponsorships

If you're considering monetizing your pass, check out these best practices that have worked for our partners. 

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• Create a Sponsorship One-Sheet

Clearly outline deliverables, ad placements, branding opportunities, and pricing. Your organization collects payment directly and retains 100% of sponsorship revenue. You can then use those funds to pay for your Bandwango license or help pay for the marketing of your pass. 

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• Think Beyond Traditional Tourism Sponsors

Brands outside the tourism industry may align perfectly with your pass theme — as seen with Uber Eats and OhioHealth.

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• Sell Multiple Ad Placements

Offer rotating in-pass ads and email placements to maximize your revenue opportunities. 

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• Expand Sponsorship Assets

Consider logo inclusion with the pass logo, landing page recognition, co-branded creative, and prize integration. 

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• Use Reporting to Demonstrate ROI

Use Bandwango’s reporting data to access the “Mobile Ads” report to see unique users, views, and clicks for the ads that you’re running. These are powerful tools when renewing sponsors or securing new ones.

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Learn How You Can Make Your Marketing Budget Go Further 

Visitor engagement tools don’t have to be pure expenses. With strategic advertising, sponsorship sales, and creative brand integrations, your Bandwango pass can become a revenue-generating asset that supports your broader marketing goals.

If you’re trying to make the most of your marketing budget and want to explore new revenue streams, we encourage you to set up a free consultation with our team to learn how in-pass advertising and sponsorships can work for your organization.