What you can do
- Build a campaign brief and get a matched shortlist across media, creators, properties and community; save shortlists and campaigns
- Browse the marketplace, post needs, request inventory and run each partnership in a deal room
- Track every opportunity in Pipeline and Opportunities; Decision Desk shows what needs your attention first
- Post kit, merch & co-branded needs to match athletes, creators and production partners — or propose a drop from any Offer
- Request quotes (RFQ) or post open tenders when you buy services, kit or production
- Keep a private Partner book (past deals · potential interest) that auto-matches new needs and briefs posted on Arena
- Submit a media brief that Arena routes to a media company, and ask the Arena Desk to review a brief (Premium)
- Sponsor telecasts and Arena Live strands; share read-only match narratives with your team (Premium)
- Fund athletes, teams or artists (CSR or private) against milestones; money moves offline
- Buy naming rights and multi-year partnerships with a year-by-year schedule
- Once a deal starts, track deliverables, share proof of delivery, raise disputes and plan renewals in the deal room.
Step-by-step guides for this role (7)
Must-haves before scoring
Free- In Brief Builder, tick the must-haves: dates, rights or geography.
- Listings that break a must-have, or already sell your category exclusively, are left out before anything is scored.
Decision Desk, Pipeline and shortlists
Free- Decision Desk shows what needs a decision: live supply, demand, matches and deals (rules-based, not AI).
- Pipeline and Opportunities track each partner from first contact to deal; Saved shortlists and Campaigns keep the briefs you built.
Media brief and Arena Desk review
Free + Premium- Submit a media brief (objective, market, audience, budget). Arena reviews it and routes it to a media company, which answers with a plan (Free).
- From Campaigns, ask the Arena Desk to review a brief before you send it (Premium).
Share a match narrative
Premium- On Your matches, press Share the story on any fit.
- Create a read-only link for your team. It expires in 30 days and you can revoke it. Contact details and private client books are never included; prices and exact scores show only if your plan shows them.
Partner book and auto-match
Free + Premium- Keep one private Partner book: past deals and potential interest (or both). Add domain, genre, markets and value band, or import a CSV.
- New needs and briefs posted on Arena match your book in two lanes (new offers are not matched to the book). Match counts are free; names, reasons and the weekly digest are Premium. Only your organisation sees your book.
Sponsor a telecast
Free- Open Broadcast bundles to see leagues and festivals that need sponsors to get on air.
- Reserve a slot (title, powered by, on-screen, ad spots). The owner confirms the sale. Money is settled offline.
Sponsor an Arena Live strand
Free- Pick a city strand: a regular broadcast slot for local sports and culture properties.
- Press Sponsor this strand. When the owner confirms, the strand shows Presented by your brand.
For everyone with an active deal (7)
Agreement terms and renewals
Free- On a deal, open Terms. Either side proposes value, dates, exclusivity, deliverables and payment terms.
- The other side presses Accept terms. Deliverables join the matrix and the exclusive category is protected.
- A renewal prompt goes to both sides 60 to 90 days before the renewal date, when Arena runs its scheduled reminders.
Deliverable alerts
Free- Deliverables with a due date alert the owning side 3 days before, and again every 3 days once overdue. These alerts are sent by a scheduled job, so they depend on Arena running it.
- Due and overdue chips always show on the deal's deliverables matrix.
My desk
Free- My desk shows one thing to do next, taken from your own deals, listings, bookings and strands.
- Below it: your event flow for the next 30 days and your audience totals. Nothing is invented.
Relationships
Free- See who you have worked with, from your published partners and your Arena deals, each with its source.
- Your private client book shows here for you only. It is never shown to anyone else.
Deliverable disputes, make-good and waivers
Free- On the deal's deliverables matrix, either side can dispute a line with a reason while the matrix is open.
- The delivering side proposes a make-good (the line goes back to proposed for both to confirm), or the buying side waives it. Each change is recorded on the deal.
Activation proof and measurement pack
Free- Each activation step takes proof; the other side acknowledges it or asks for changes.
- Agree measurement objectives, report results against them and confirm the pack. Log results on the deal's Results page and start a renewal from the deal.
Invite the Arena Desk
Free- Either side of a deal can invite an Arena Desk supervisor to keep it moving.
- The Desk can nudge, request changes and propose a make-good, and is released when the job is done.
How-tos for this role (9)
Build a brief with Brief Builder
- Open Brief Builder and fill in brand, campaign goal, category, audience, markets and budget.
- Add preferred sports, creator niches and the asset types you need.
- Optionally adjust the spend split across media, creators, properties and community.
- Review the matched plan and the budget fit, then save the brief to Campaigns.
Two-way smart matching (and Premium)
- Post a need (Workspace, Post a need) or publish an offer: matching runs both ways, for sports and culture.
- Your matches shows who can supply what you need and who needs what you offer, with each score explained factor by factor.
- Automatic need-fit alerts to matching suppliers and owners are Premium by default and only run when Arena has match alerts switched on. Tender alerts to eligible suppliers and RFQ invites are separate and always sent.
- Full match lists, exact scores and named counterparties are Premium (admin-managed, no payments on Arena); free accounts see the top 3 with score bands and type · city.
Request quotes (RFQ) and post open tenders
- Brands, agencies, properties, leagues, events, communities, media companies, tech creators, service partners and federations can request quotes; culture and tourism boards use open tenders.
- From a need, choose Request quotes to invite matched suppliers; compare itemised quotes side by side and award one.
- For open bidding, post a tender with a detailed spec, quality checklist, sample / inspection rules, budget ceiling, eligibility and sealed or open bids.
- Eligible suppliers are alerted and bid; ask clarifications on the message wall, run a revised round if needed, then award: the award opens a deal.
Merch & co-branded drops
- Post a Kit, merch & co-branded need (in Workspace, choose Post a need) so matching finds athletes, creators, properties and kit/print partners — or open a listing and choose Propose merch / co-branded. Every business role except tech creators can do this.
- Agree terms: royalty, revenue share, flat licence fee, or barter / co-branding; set products, units, launch window and channels.
- Both sides confirm. The partner then shares designs for the rights holder to approve, followed by production, launch and sales reports. The IP and merchandise licensing template is on the collaboration.
Naming rights and long-term partnerships
- On a stadium, league, festival or venue listing, choose Propose naming rights / multi-year.
- Set the start year, number of years, year-1 fee and annual escalation %: Arena builds the year-by-year schedule.
- Add the renewal date, right-of-first-refusal deadline and reminder window. Renewal reminders to both sides come from a scheduled job, so they arrive when Arena runs it.
- The rights holder accepts to open the deal; track each year as delivered with reach, activations and attendance.
Sponsorship and funding applications
- Athletes, creators, properties and leagues, events and communities apply under Funding applications: private sponsorship, CSR grant or scholarship, with amount, purpose, achievements, documents, sponsor benefits and CSR impact.
- Arena verifies documents (federation registration, NGO, 80G, CSR-1). Brands, agencies, federations and culture or tourism boards set a funder profile and are alerted when an application fits.
- Funders shortlist, ask questions on the message wall and approve full or partial amounts; several funders can co-fund.
- Each approval opens a deal with milestones; the applicant uploads proof per milestone and the funder accepts it.
From request to deal
- Request: a brand or agency asks for specific inventory.
- Response: the owner accepts, declines, asks for more information or sends a proposal.
- Deal: accepting creates a deal. Both sides confirm the deliverables.
- Contract signed, then Live: once confirmed, the deal status moves to Contract signed, then Live.
- Proof and reporting: the owner shares proof of delivery and results; disputed lines end in a make-good or a waiver.
Deal next-step guide
- Every deal shows its stage, whose turn it is (per side and team role) and the one action that moves it forward.
- Agreement templates (sponsorship, naming rights, supply, CSR grant, merch licensing and more) are generated from the deal.
- Stalled-deal nudges are sent by a scheduled job, so they arrive only when Arena runs it. Money is always settled offline between the parties.
Analytics
- Analytics shows spend and earnings, deal wins, request-to-deal conversion, response times and listing views.
- Multi-year partnerships roll up contracted vs delivered value and reach by year.
- Funders get an ROI / impact report: committed and released amounts, proofs, beneficiaries and cost per beneficiary.
Questions for this role (12)
Where do I start as a brand?
Open Brief Builder or Post a need (including kit/merch & co-branded), then review Your matches. Add past partners and interest targets in Partner book: when a new need or brief on Arena fits one of them, it shows as a private match.
Do other brands see my Partner book?
No. Only your organisation sees it. Match badges on needs and briefs are private to you.
Does Arena take payment for sponsorships?
No. Fees are settled offline. Arena runs the brief, match, deal stages and proof.
How do I get Premium?
Open Upgrade (or any locked feature) and press Request Premium. It is arranged with the Arena team; there is no card payment in the app.
What does Arena charge on a deal?
Each deal records an Arena commission rate (5% by default; admins can set rules by domain, category, owner role and tier). Team members allowed to see money see it on the deal with the owner's net payout; it comes out of the owner's side and is never added to the brand's price. Arena does not collect it in the app: there is no invoice or payment step, and money is settled offline between the parties.
Does Arena take payments or offer live chat?
No. Arena has a message wall on every request and deal, and money (sponsorship fees, grants, quotes, commission) is settled offline between the parties. There is no live chat, WhatsApp integration or payment collection.
How does two-way matching work, and what does Premium add?
Every need is matched against offers and every offer against needs, for sports and culture, with the score explained. Premium unlocks full match lists, exact scores, named counterparties and automatic need-fit alerts; Arena admins manage Premium and there are no payments on Arena.
What is free and what is Premium?
Free (defaults): listings, deal-making, matching tease (top 3 matches with score bands; names as type · city), must-have filters, readiness, agreement terms, media evidence, outreach log, deal check-ins, universal Client / Partner book capture, CSV import and past · interest match counts for every commercial role, experts, broadcast bundles, Arena Live, My desk and relationships. Premium: full match lists, exact scores, counterparty names, automatic need-fit alerts, shareable match narratives, unit pricing and packages in briefs, Sponsor book prospecting, supplier scores on quotes, client-book match details and digest, client media plans with versions, Prospect Radar, pitch drafts, Arena Desk brief review, and MIS with export. Arena admins can flip any key Free or Premium, or turn Client book off per organisation. Request Premium from Upgrade; it is arranged with the Arena team and there are no payments on Arena.
Who can see my client book?
Only your organisation. Every commercial role (brands, media, agencies, properties, talent, federations, boards) can keep one private book with past deal and potential interest. It feeds your own auto-match and Relationships page. It never appears on public pages, to other organisations, or in shared match narratives.
How do location and match scores work?
A match score summarises how well a listing fits a brief: audience, category, sport, location, assets and budget. Listings in the brief's city or state score higher, regional and national reach score a little lower, and far-away listings lower still. Missing details in a brief are treated as neutral. Only strong matches are used to build plans.
What is the budget split and what happens to unused budget?
The split divides the budget across media, creators, properties and community. If one area cannot use its share, the plan shows how much is unused and lets you choose: keep it for the best lines in any area, move it to a specific area, or leave it unspent.
Who sees the agency margin?
Only the agency or media company building the plan, and Arena admins. Clients see a single price per line. Owners see their own rate card, the commission and their payout.
Questions that apply to every role are in the Shared FAQ, and general step-by-step help is in How-tos for everyone.