About ESA
The European Sponsorship Association (ESA) is the essential and inclusive community for all professionals working in sponsorship.
We inspire more successful sponsorships, drive confidence in decision making and grow a diverse community through world-leading education, events and resources, industry connections and recognition of excellence.
A not-for-profit membership association, ESA’s reach encompasses all types of sponsorship activity from sport, broadcast, education, charity, arts and culture to environment and the community. Its members include sponsors, rights holders, agencies and consultants, professional advisors and suppliers.
Joining ESA
You can join ESA for as little as €480 / £420 ex VAT (individual) or €660 / £580 ex VAT (company membership). Visit our Join ESA section for information about membership benefits, fees and a whole lot more.
If you’re not quite ready to sign up as an ESA Member, you can join our community as an ESA Associate for FREE. By signing up to our mailing list you will stay up-to-date with the latest industry news and events, plus you’ll receive access to selected ESA resources and best-practice case studies.
Our History
ESA was formed in October 2003 following a merger between two leading sponsorship bodies.
The European Sponsorship Consultants Association (ESCA) was founded in 1990 and became widely recognised as the independent objective and authoritative voice in Europe on all sponsorship matters.
ESCA was particularly effective in promoting the sponsorship industry across Europe including working with the European Commission to encourage the development of sponsorship across the EU. ESCA also championed a concerted attack on any issues and threats to the sponsorship business.
The Institute of Sports Sponsorship (ISS) was founded in 1988, with Prince Philip as its President, to be the representative voice of the sports sponsorship industry and to encourage the growth of sponsorship for the benefit of sport.
The ISS promoted best practice in sponsorship and worked closely with sports bodies, government and the media to improve understanding and skills; it also lobbied on behalf of its membership on key issues.
The ISS also promoted the development of sports sponsorship at grass roots and created Sports Match, the highly successful government-funded incentive scheme for grass-roots sport in England.