Blogs

A force to be reckoned with 320 million eyes. That is the amount of exposure a brand could potentially gain through the sponsorship of eSports right now, with predictions of a £1bn market and audiences doubling to over 600m by 2020. The elite professional gaming industry is taking over the world at an ever-increasing rate. With the millennial generation becoming ever more influential, eSports currently taps into this demographic like no other, with an estimated core audience of 145 ... read more

SponServe, the Australia based company that offers rights holders and sponsors a new way to effectively manage their relationships, recently opened a UK office. We speak to Alex Hay (UK GM) and Mark Thompson (Founder & MD) about why this is such a key issue. Tell us a little bit about SponServe (and give some info about the UK market that you’ve recently entered) SponServe is a cloud based, sponsorship management platform which both rights holders and brands can use to gain complete ... read more

With the start of the ESA Arts Sponsorship Certificate only three months away, we asked Course Director, Peter Raymond to give us some background and an idea of what lies ahead for those thinking of taking the Certificate this year. What’s the origin of the Certificate? The ESA Arts Sponsorship Certificate was created because, despite the success of the ESA Diploma (now the sponsorship industry’s ‘right of passage’ qualification in its sixth year with over 300 industry practitioners ... read more

The ESA Arts Sponsorship Certificate began back in 2015, and, in this third year of running the course, we wanted to hear from some of our graduates about how this arts specific qualification has played a role in their career and ongoing activities to date. Jane Atherton, Business and Marketing Co-ordinator for Cheshire Dance, took some time to give us an insight into just how valuable her learning experience has been and what she's gained from it. What skills and knowledge, learnt from ... read more

With the first ESA Sales Certificate graduates now fully up to speed with the intricacies of modern sponsorship selling, we took some time to speak to Course Director, Cat Hawkins, about how the course was received and what key elements the students took away. What were the highlights of this inaugural course? The students that attended the first course came from a very diverse background. This cross section of skills, disciplines and experiences allowed for a really broad cross sharing of ... read more

Navigate is a measurement organisation based in Chicago. They've measured the impact and ROI of hundreds of sponsorship deals and have valued billions of dollars in sponsorship transactions on behalf of brands, properties, universities and agencies. We spoke to Tom Vriens, their European Managing Director, about the market and how things are changing. What is Navigate’s role within the sponsorship space? We provide brands, properties, and agencies with business intelligence to inform ... read more

Matthew Leopold Head of Sponsorship, British Gas www.britishgas.co.uk What’s your favourite ever sponsorship activation? Although I did not see it in action, I heard about Just Eat’s sponsorship of the Taste Festival in Dublin. Customers could order festival food through the Just Eat app and have it delivered to their picnic table. That was a brilliant example of how to bring a sponsorship to life by demonstrating the product whilst solving a real customer need. Such a simple way of ... read more

This is almost the holy grail of sponsorship questions, and ESA Board Director Sophie Morris recently put the question to some of the panellists at SportsPro Live. Phil Moore, VP of Southern and Northern Europe for Deezer, the music streaming service, and Dan Barnett, CCO of Americas Cup, were on stage to answer. The panel, titled 'Making the deal, or not: how do you identify the right partner?' had already discussed giving value to partners and working with them to measure their KPIs. A ... read more

ESA has just congratulated its first group of students to successfully complete the inaugural ESA Sales Certificate, and we took some time to speak to Tom Baynton-Williams to get his feedback and views on the course. How did the course meet, or exceed, your expectations? I was very pleased to see that ESA had created a sales course. As someone who has worked in this sector for a number of years, I think it’s well overdue. I thought the course was very good, clearly covering the key areas ... read more

With two major UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) professional bike races taking place in the UK every year, we speak to Alastair Grant, Commercial Director of SweetSpot Group, about how The Tour of Britain and the Women's Tour are delivering on the legacy of 2012. Give our members an overview of the proposition? We are proud to organise two of the world’s most prestigious cycle races, with The Tour of Britain in September a cornerstone of the British sporting calendar that attracts the ... read more

The newly launched ESA Negotiation Workshop kicks off on Wednesday 3rd May 2017 and Mike Davey, Course Director and MD of the Davey Partnership, gives a brief overview of the workshop and what it entails. What are the tangible benefits of doing the ESA Negotiation Workshop? This workshop gives you a chance to spend two days focused on the art and science of negotiation, and to really examine and understand how it fits in as part of the modern sponsorship executive’s tool kit. Alongside other ... read more

Ahead of the 2016 ESA Excellence Awards in February we want to bring you some of our shortlisted nominees and have them tell you, in their own words, why being shortlisted for an ESA Excellence Award is so important. We're also sharing some great video content that has been kindly submitted by our shortlisted nominees to support their entries. You can read all about the nominees on our 2016 Shortlist page here. So, without further ado, let's take a look... Nominee: Fiat Chrysler ... read more

Ahead of the 2016 ESA Excellence Awards ceremony, taking place on Thursday 9th February in London, we’re asking each of our chair of judges to give some insight into their judging categories and highlight any trends or themes that are starting to appear. It’s the turn of Laura Sears, Head of Corporate Partnerships, Victoria and Albert Museum, who gives us an insight into the Live Music Partnership category. It’s clear that live music, and the sponsorship activity that takes place within ... read more

Ahead of the 2016 ESA Excellence Awards ceremony, taking place on Thursday 9th February in London, we’re asking each of our chair of judges to give some insight into their judging categories and highlight any trends or themes that are starting to appear. Here we’re speaking to Claire Ritchie, CEO of Sine Qua Non, who gives us an insight into the CSR Partnership category. Of the four categories I chaired I felt that CSR was very hotly contested, with a particularly high standard of ... read more

Having received a hockey stick as a christening present it was inevitable sport was going to play a large part of my life. Today, having just returned from FIFA HQ in Zurich, I realise to what extent I underestimated this. When you decide to pursue a career in the sports & entertainment sponsorship industry, you do so assuming your days of studying are over. The day I graduated from university was the day I vowed never to write an essay again. Fast forward four years and I’ve accepted my ... read more

Ahead of the 2016 ESA Excellence Awards ceremony, taking place on Thursday 9th February in London, we’re asking each of our chair of judges to give some insight into their judging categories and highlight any trends or themes that are starting to appear. In this first feature, Andy Westlake, CEO of Oaks Consulting, talks to us about the 'Best Use of Social Media' category. I’ve been really impressed by the number of solid entries we’ve had this year, and it’s clear that social media is now ... read more

Optimy are the developers of a software solution that helps brands and rights holders manage their sponsorship activities, from request management through to assessment and audit and compliance. They work with more than 150 organisations worldwide. We spoke to their MD, Kenneth Bérard, about how technology is streamlining all areas of the sponsorship and engagement marketing discipline. What’s your name and position within the organisation? Kenneth Bérard, CEO What benefit, to both brands ... read more

Laura has 15 years’ experience working in sponsorship roles for leading arts and cultural organisations including BAFTA, the Science Museum and the V&A where she has been Head of Corporate Partnerships since 2012.  Laura’s experience covers exhibition and event sponsorships, official suppliers and annual and educational partnerships. At the V&A, she has been responsible for securing and delivering major campaigns with MasterCard, Sky Arts, Harry Winston, Sennheiser and Swarovski, which ... read more

Steve Madincea is the Founder and Group Managing Director of PRISM (Public Relations & International Sports Marketing), a worldwide leader in the fields of sponsorship activation and content communications. From offices across four continents, PRISM works with international giants such as Ford, PUMA, Rolex, Johnson & Johnson, Infiniti, Coca-Cola, Shell, Aston Martin, Subway, Heineken, Samsung, Unilever and Red Bull, helping brands turn sports sponsorships into award-winning events and ... read more

Claire Ritchie is an international, commercially focused business leader with extensive senior level experience in telecommunications, high-tech and sports giving her a unique skill set for creating technology enabled sponsorships. Results driven, Claire has over 25 years experience in-house and agency side working in both the B2B and B2C worlds from product marketing, channel marketing, third party management, brand development through to digital strategy, web, social media marketing, VIP ... read more

  Chris Cooke is MD and Business Editor of CMU, which supports the music community through a news and information service, a training and consultancy business, and an education programme for future talent. For the music industry, brand partnerships are an ever more important part of the business, and the good news is that brands remain keen to utilise both live and recorded music, and artist alliances, to reach, engage and excite their target audiences. Though from the brand side, ... read more

Rob started his career at The Works London, initially supporting Canon, Sun Microsystems and SAP, who were all sponsors of the McLaren F1 team. He later lead all the marcoms and production for Canon’s sponsorship of UEFA EURO 2004™ in Portugal before joining ABN AMRO, as Global Sponsorship Manager, to plan and integrate the brand’s Volvo Ocean Race sponsorship across their investment banking unit in all markets globally. Soon afterwards he became the Head of Sponsorship at Experience ... read more

Karen is a highly respected veteran of the Sponsorship industry and has amassed a wealth of knowledge and contacts over the past 30 years. Karen started Karen Earl Sponsorship in 1984, and continued on as Chairman after its name change to Synergy in 2008 until stepping down in April 2012. As Chairman of the European Sponsorship Association, Karen continues to lead the from the front and steer the organisation which aims to protect and promote the industry, raise standards within it and offer ... read more

Sophie Morris Strategic Marketing & Sponsorship Consultant Millharbour Marketing What’s your favourite ever sponsorship activation? Can I have two? Firstly it would be MasterCard’s 23rd Man as part of their sponsorship of the Barbarian’s rugby team. I was leading sponsorship of another Barbarian sponsor at the time and got to meet the lucky 23rd man and see what a wonderful experience it was. The other would be 02’s activation of their England Rugby sponsorship, particularly ... read more

The ESA Excellence Awards aren't just about recognising the best examples of sponsorship and activation across Europe. They're also the perfect excuse for our industry to let their collective hair down, meet up with old and new friends and enjoy a great evening of entertainment. And what a line up we've got for the 2015 Awards!! Pierre Novellie Pierre Novellie was born in Johannesburg in South Africa but moved to the Isle of Man when he was a boy. He is one of the best up-and-coming comedians ... read more

British Canoeing (BC) is the national governing body for paddlesports in the UK. Formerly known as the British Canoe Union, Canoe England and GB Canoeing, BC now bring together the Scottish, NI and Welsh bodies into a unified umbrella. We spoke to Mark Taffler about what they’ve learnt since 2012, and where they’re going. What’s your name and position within the organisation? Mark Taffler – Commercial Manager Tell us about British Canoeing and how it’s evolved since it was the ... read more

Member Spotlight: SSE plc is one of the UK’s leading energy companies, involved in the generation, distribution and supply of electricity and in the extraction, storage, distribution and supply of gas. Its core purpose is to provide the energy people need in a reliable and sustainable way. It supplies energy to around 8.58 million energy and home services customers throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland. SSE has a strong pedigree in sport and entertainment sponsorships, and has ... read more

Career Top Tips: Edd Hood is Director, Communications, at JMI, the world’s largest motorsports agency. ESA Future Leaders Board member, Lizzie Isherwood, spoke to Edd about his role, how he got to where he is today and the highlights of his career to date. In a nutshell, what does your role as Director, Communications entail? In a nutshell? {laughs} I guess the core of my role is developing and managing the communications output of all JMI’s clients that are associated with the London ... read more

Member Spotlight: RTR Sports Marketing is based between Bologna, Italy, and London, UK. Founded in 1999 by Riccardo Tafa, the company has worked with clients from across the sporting spectrum, with activities ranging from sponsorship to licensing and from hospitality services to digital activations. They’re currently working extensively in the arenas of F1 and MotoGP, where RTR have ongoing relationships with most of the teams as well as the rights holder itself, Dorna. The agency’s main ... read more

Member Spotlight:   Diageo is a world leader in beverage alcohol and owns brands that include, amongst others, Johnnie Walker, Baileys, Smirnoff and Guinness. As a global company, Diageo employs more than 28,000 talented people, and their products are sold in more than 180 countries around the world. Diageo brand Guinness is the #1 stout in the world and sells over 90 million litres per year. Guinness is also inextricably linked with the sport of rugby and Rory Sheridan, Diageo Head ... read more

Member Spotlight: Dorna Sports is an international sports management, marketing and media company that was founded in 1988. With its HQ in Madrid, and further branch offices and/or subsidiaries in Barcelona, Rome, Amsterdam and Tokyo, Dorna has been the exclusive commercial and television rights holder for the FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix (MotoGP™) since 1992. MotoGP™ is the world’s premier motorcycling championship, comprising 18-rounds across 15 different countries. ... read more