ESA News

The European Sponsorship Association (ESA), the membership body that seeks to inspire, unite and grow the sponsorship industry, held its AGM on Wednesday 10th July with the main order of business being the election of five new members to its 15-person Board of Directors. Board Directors Mike Hope-Milne of Pearl & Dean, Risto Oksanen of The Finnish Sponsorship and Events Association and Jenny Seymour of The British Paralympic Association were newly elected at ... read more

The European Sponsorship Association has released its annual ESA Sponsorship Market Overview for 2019. The report, produced in collaboration with ESA Member, Nielsen Sports, sees the European Sponsorship Market grow by a significant rate of 8.7% in 2018, with the most noticeable increase in the top markets e.g. Germany, the UK. One of the major factors in this development was the rising rights fees in kit supplier deals and jersey sponsorships of top European football clubs. ESA Chairman, ... read more

The sponsorship industry gathered in the heart of Europe at Docks Dome, Brussels on 28-29 March 2019, for the dedicated European sponsorship conference and awards event SponsorLive: The European Sponsorship Association Summit. Around 250 delegates came together from throughout Europe to attend the flagship conference, including representatives of national associations present from across the European Union. SponsorLive: The European Sponsorship Association Summit was opened by ESA ... read more

ESA is delighted to announce the formation of a European National Sponsorship Associations Workstream that will bring together representatives of sponsorship associations across Europe. Convening four times a year, the group will discuss the sponsorship issues and trends across Europe and how the industry can be driven forward; be a forum to share best practice and insights, including case studies that highlight the power of sponsorship; work to understand the needs of the members of ... read more

The European Sponsorship Association (ESA), the membership body that raises standards within the sponsorship profession, congratulates its first ESA Sponsorship Sales Certificate graduates of 2019. Under the guidance of Course Director, Catherine Hawkins, the January 2019 sponsorship sales cohort saw five students graduate, with one achieving the grade of Commendation. ESA Sales Certificate courses are held in January and June. Enrol now for the next ESA Sponsorship Sales ... read more

On the evening of Thursday 28th February 2019, the sponsorship industry came together to acknowledge and celebrate outstanding sponsorship marketing campaigns of 2018 at the 2019 ESA Awards. The glittery ceremony saw a plethora of UK and international winners crowned across 24 categories, including the ultimate kudos of winning ESA Best of Europe and ESA Sponsorship of the Year awards. Now in its 12th year, the ESA Awards was created by the European Sponsorship Association (ESA), the ... read more

On Friday 7th December 2018, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) played host to the seventh annual ESA Diploma Graduation ceremony, where we saw many of the 50 graduates presented with their diploma certificates by Jennie Price. Jennie Price, ex CEO of Sport England for 11 years, was appointed CBE for services to sport in 2017. Her CEO and non-executive roles span 20 years. Jennie is an expert in gender diversity, behaviour change and governance, leading the ... read more

The European Sponsorship Association (ESA), the sponsorship industry’s membership collective, has today announced the entries shortlisted for its coveted 2019 ESA Awards, to be held at Café de Paris, London on Thursday 28th February 2019. Now in its 12th year, the 2019 ESA Awards provides the springboard for agencies, brands and rights holders to enter their best in class campaigns to a judging panel comprising European senior sponsorship and engagement marketing professionals. The ... read more

On the 9th November 2018, the European Sponsorship Association (ESA), the not for profit organisation that works to improve standards across the sponsorship industry, announced a partnership with Cannes Lions, the International Festival of Creativity that celebrates the most creative branded communications from around the world. As part of this partnership, Cannes Lions will open its doors and digital platform, The Work, to inspire and educate ESA members. A series of events will also allow ESA ... read more

European Sponsorship Association (ESA) is proud to announce the results of this year’s ESA Diploma, the industry’s flagship qualification course for those aspiring to advance their careers in sponsorship. 50 students have successfully graduated with four achieving the prestigious status of Distinction (+75%) and a further 26 being Commended (+65%). A special mention is made to Elysa Hubbard who, in addition to being this year’s Top Student, also achieved jointly with Conor Mangan, the ... read more

The European Sponsorship Association (ESA), the sponsorship industry’s membership collective, has announced its 2019 ESA Awards partnership with with Sponsorium – the global standard in sponsorship software as a service.  Now in its 12th year, the ESA Awards were created by ESA, the membership body that seeks to inspire, unite and grow the sponsorship industry across rights holders, brands and agencies, to celebrate the best campaigns right across Europe.  Jackie Fast, Chairman of the ESA ... read more

The European Sponsorship Association (ESA), the sponsorship industry’s membership collective, has announced its 2019 ESA Awards partnership with POWA index – the data-driven, real-time sports sponsorship valuation engine.  Now in its 12th year, the ESA Awards were created by ESA, the membership body that seeks to inspire, unite and grow the sponsorship industry across rights holders, brands and agencies, to celebrate the best campaigns right across Europe.  Jackie Fast, Chairman of the ESA ... read more

The 2019 ESA Awards, sponsorship industry’s tent pole awards which showcases top European sponsorship campaigns from the past 18 months, has launched with new categories and a call for judges. The European Sponsorship Association (ESA), the membership body that works to inspire, unite and grow the sponsorship industry across rights holders, brands and agencies, is now accepting entries for its prestigious 2019 ESA Awards. The Awards will see industry professionals across Europe rewarded ... read more

The ESA Diploma is the only academic qualification designed specifically for the needs of the sponsorship industry The European Sponsorship Association (ESA), the membership body that raises standards within the sponsorship profession, has today opened up enrolment for the 2019 ESA Diploma. As a qualification that is tailored specifically to the needs of the sponsorship practitioner, the ESA Diploma has delivered knowledge and insight to over 300 graduates since 2012. The ESA Diploma has ... read more

ESA announces a new partnership in which it will support and promote the activities of newly formed sponsorship members' club, SPOT:ON Club in Denmark. SPOT:ON Club was created to bring together the sponsorship and event industry in Denmark with the aim of increasing the focus on brand activation and thereby obtain more powerful and effective sponsorships and commercial partnerships. The SPOT:ON Club will hold several exclusive member events each year, including seminars, foreign study trips ... read more

On the evening of Wednesday 7th February 2018, the Science Museum set the scene for the sponsorship industry’s renowned ESA Excellence Awards, where the industry’s finest gathered to acknowledge and celebrate campaigns that evoked emotion in 2017. The sparkling black tie ceremony saw a multitude of UK and international winners crowned across 24 categories, including the ultimate kudos of winning ESA Best of Europe Gold and ESA Sponsorship of the Year awards. Now in its 11th year, the ... read more

57 ESA Diploma Students Graduate from the Class of 2017 On Thursday 30th November, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) played host to the sixth annual ESA Diploma Graduation ceremony, where we saw the majority of the 57 graduates from across the UK, Germany, Ireland, Italy and Slovakia, presented with their diploma certificates by Tim Hollingsworth, OBE. Tim Hollingsworth is the Chief Executive of the British Paralympic Association, the National Paralympic Committee for ... read more

Frontier 2017 Report Marketers believe that sponsorship is now a vital ingredient in the marketing mix, achieving multiple objectives such as shifting brand perception and consideration, and playing an increasingly important role in employee engagement, according to a report published (today) by MKTG in association with Think! Sponsorship and the European Sponsorship Association. 'Frontier 2017' is a based on a survey of over 200 sponsorship professionals in the sports and entertainment ... read more

The European Sponsorship Association (ESA) is delighted to confirm the venue and date for the 11th ESA Excellence Awards, the sponsorship industry's most prestigious awards night celebrating the best campaigns across Europe. London's world-famous Science Museum, one of the city's major tourist attractions, will host the ceremony on Wednesday 7th February 2018, with awards to be handed out in 27 categories. Jackie Fast, Chairman of the ESA Excellence Awards, said: "Featuring a number of new ... read more

The ESA Arts Sponsorship Certificate has been warmly received by the arts & culture sectors, and today sees the launch of our third annual course. The European Sponsorship Association (ESA), the membership body that raises standards within the sponsorship profession, in partnership with social enterprise and certified B-corporation Cause4, via their Arts Council England funded Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy Programme, today launches enrolment for the ESA Arts Sponsorship ... read more

On Friday 18th November, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) played host to the 5th annual ESA Diploma Graduation ceremony, where we saw 53 students from across the UK, Switzerland, Ireland, Australia and South Africa presented with their diploma certificates by the ex-England and 2008 GB men’s hockey captain Ben Hawes. Ben is one of the most capped players in hockey history and was key to Team GB hockey in three Olympic games. Ben was joined by ESA Chairman Karen ... read more

The media briefing room at Wembley Stadium, scene of many historic meetings between press and former England managers, yesterday (Wednesday 28th September) became the centre of eSports learning and discussion as the final ESA Breakfast Briefing of 2016 was held in front of over 100 invited delegates. Our panel, moderated by Jim Dowling (Havas Sports & Entertainment), comprised of Spike Laurie (ESL), Michael Lister (Harbottle & Lewis), Darren Newnham (Fnatic), George Panayotopoulos ... read more