Finding Middle Ground on an Olympic Sponsorship Budget
CEFR: B2
Read/Listen first
Yesterday I met a colleague to review our sponsorship plan for the next international sports event. We have invested heavily in visibility before, and the brand has gained real momentum in Europe. However, the proposed budget is high, and the return on investment is still hard to quantify. Although the event will be replayed worldwide, we don’t want to throw money at billboards and hope for the best. We agreed that, while a premium package would look impressive, we could cap the budget and target a few strategic corporate events. If we invite prospective clients early, they will be able to block time in their calendars, and our local team will handle the logistics. We also decided that we would track engagement and leads, so we can defend the decision with facts. By the end of the meeting, I had drafted a compromise proposal: keep the sponsorship for credibility, but shift the effort toward measurable partnerships.⚡ Learning goals
- Can argue for a sponsorship strategy while keeping the discussion factual.
- Can propose a workable compromise on budget and priorities without sounding defensive.
- Can plan outreach to prospective clients and agree next steps in writing.
✨ Key language
- find some middle ground “Let’s find some middle ground on the budget.”
- cap the budget “We can cap the budget and still stay visible.”
- defend the decision with facts “We’ll defend the decision with facts, not opinions.”
⚙️ Rules & Grammar — 4 Structures
1️⃣ Present perfect for results so far
Rule: Use have/has + past participle to talk about results up to now (often with so far, before, already).Examples: We have invested heavily in visibility before.; The brand has gained momentum in Europe.; We have never quantified the ROI properly.
Common pitfall + fix: Using past simple for an unfinished time period — Use present perfect when the time frame includes now (e.g., so far)..
Choose the best option: We ___ heavily in visibility before, and it has helped our brand.
Tip: Use present perfect for results up to now.
Fill with the best answer:
The brand ___ real momentum in Europe.Tip: Use has + past participle with a singular subject.
2️⃣ Past simple for finished decisions and meetings
Rule: Use the past simple for completed events at a finished time (yesterday, last week, in 2024).Examples: Yesterday I met a colleague to review the plan.; We decided to track engagement and leads.; I drafted a compromise proposal by the end of the meeting.
Common pitfall + fix: Overusing present perfect when the time is finished — If the time is finished (yesterday), use past simple..
Choose the best option: By the end of the meeting, I ___ a compromise proposal.
Tip: The time is finished (end of the meeting), so use past simple.
Fill with the best answer:
We ___ to track engagement and leads.Tip: Regular verb: add -ed.
3️⃣ Conditionals and modals for negotiating options
Rule: Use could to suggest options and would to describe the consequence or a polite position.Examples: We could cap the budget and focus on corporate events.; It would look impressive, but it’s expensive.; If we invite clients early, they will be able to attend.
Common pitfall + fix: Sounding too direct (“We must do X”) — Use could/would to soften and negotiate..
Choose the best option: We ___ limit the spend and still stay credible.
Tip: Use could to propose a compromise.
Fill with the best answer:
A premium package ___ impressive, but it may not be worth it.Tip: Use would for a polite evaluation.
4️⃣ Concessive clauses with although / while
Rule: Use although and while to contrast two ideas in one sentence.Examples: Although the event will be replayed worldwide, ROI is hard to quantify.; We agreed that, while a premium package would look impressive, we should cap the budget.; Although we want visibility, we need measurable partnerships.
Common pitfall + fix: Using but twice (“Although…, but…”) — Use although without but in the same sentence..
Choose the best option: ___ the event will be replayed worldwide, we want measurable results.
Tip: Use although to show contrast.
Fill with the best answer:
We agreed that, ___ a premium package would look impressive, we could cap the budget.Tip: Use while to contrast inside a longer sentence.
✍️ Vocabulary
sponsorship
Meaning: financial support for an event in exchange for brand exposure.Synonyms: backing, funding, patronage
Chunk/Idiom: renew a sponsorship
Example: We renewed the sponsorship to keep credibility.
Morphology: noun: sponsorship | verb: sponsor | adj.: sponsored | adv.: —
Self-practice: Write one sentence about a sponsorship your company would accept.
visibility
Meaning: how easily people notice your brand or message.Synonyms: exposure, prominence, awareness
Chunk/Idiom: gain visibility
Example: The campaign gained visibility in Europe.
Morphology: noun: visibility | adj.: visible | adv.: visibly | verb: —
Self-practice: Replace ‘visibility’ with a synonym in your own sentence.
return on investment
Meaning: the measurable benefit you get compared with what you spend.Synonyms: ROI, payoff, yield
Chunk/Idiom: quantify the ROI
Example: We can’t quantify the ROI yet.
Morphology: noun: return on investment | verb: invest | adj.: profitable | adv.: profitably
Self-practice: Say how you would measure ROI in one line.
momentum
Meaning: continued progress that becomes easier to sustain over time.Synonyms: drive, traction, pace
Chunk/Idiom: lose momentum
Example: If we stop, we may lose momentum.
Morphology: noun: momentum | verb: — | adj.: ongoing | adv.: steadily
Self-practice: Describe one action that builds momentum for a brand.
legitimacy
Meaning: the feeling that your claim or position is credible and acceptable.Synonyms: credibility, validity, authority
Chunk/Idiom: brand legitimacy
Example: The sponsorship increased brand legitimacy.
Morphology: noun: legitimacy | adj.: legitimate | adv.: legitimately | verb: legitimize
Self-practice: Complete: ‘This will improve our legitimacy because…’
compromise
Meaning: an agreement where both sides accept less than they wanted.Synonyms: middle ground, settlement, trade-off
Chunk/Idiom: reach a compromise
Example: We reached a compromise on the budget.
Morphology: noun: compromise | verb: compromise | adj.: compromising | adv.: —
Self-practice: Write a compromise sentence using ‘could’ and ‘although’.
☁️ Examples (+ audio)
Although the budget is high, we still need credibility in the U.S. market.
We could invite prospective clients early and host a focused meet-and-greet.
We have invested in visibility before, but we still need measurable partnerships.
By the end of the meeting, I drafted a proposal we can defend with facts.
✏️ Exercises
Grammar
Choose the best option: We ___ in visibility before, so we know it can work.
Tip: Present perfect links past actions to results now.
Choose the best option: Yesterday we ___ to cap the budget.
Tip: Use past simple with finished time words like ‘yesterday’.
Fill with the best answer:
Although the event will be replayed worldwide, we ____ measurable results.Tip: Use a strong verb to express priority.
Fill with the best answer:
We could ____ the budget and still stay visible.Tip: Use the verb from the mini-text: ‘cap the budget’.
Vocabulary & Comprehension
What does ‘return on investment’ mean in the text?
Tip: ROI compares spending with measurable results.
In the text, ‘momentum’ is closest to…
Tip: Momentum is progress that keeps building.
Fill with the best answer:
We reached a ____ on the sponsorship budget.Tip: It means both sides accept less than they wanted.
Fill with the best answer:
The sponsorship helped our brand’s ____ in Europe.Tip: It’s about being seen and noticed.
✅ Guided practice
Mini-dialogue:
A: I understand your concern about the ROI, but we can’t disappear during the Games.B: Agreed. Although the premium package looks impressive, we could cap the budget and target corporate events.
A: If we invite prospective clients early, they’ll block time and our U.S. team can set it up.
Why this matters:
This kind of compromise keeps your brand credible while controlling spend. It also shifts the focus from advertising to measurable partnerships. That makes it easier to defend decisions with facts.Verb & Adjective Pack:
cap the budget — We can cap the budget without losing momentum.defend with facts — I’ll defend the decision with facts, not feelings.
gain visibility — We’ve gained visibility, but we need ROI.
Try & compare:
Fill with the best answer: We agreed that, while a premium package would look impressive, we could ____ the budget.
Tip: Use the verb from the mini-text: ‘cap the budget’.
Self-correction: Fix the sentence: Although the event will be replayed worldwide, but we can’t quantify the ROI.
Tip: Don’t use ‘although’ and ‘but’ together.
Practice aloud: Listen, repeat, then type the sentence.
We have invested in visibility before, but we need measurable partnerships.
Tip: Listen for present perfect: ‘have invested’.