ESA News

Nick Johnson, Partner and Head of Advertising and Sponsorship Law at international legal practice Osborne Clarke, has been re-appointed to the Board of the European Sponsorship Association (ESA) for a further year. Johnson's appointment fills a casual vacancy caused by the resignation of a Board member, and has effect until the Association's next Annual General Meeting. He will continue during his tenure to help guide the Association on governance and regulatory issues, and to support William ... read more

Now in its 5th successful year, the ESA Diploma continues to go from strength to strength. It has firmly established itself as the qualification that provides candidates with the necessary skills and knowledge to forge a successful career in the sponsorship or sports marketing industries. The ESA Diploma is also the only training qualification which provides a fully rounded overview of all aspects of our multi-faceted industry, while highlighting many best practice methodologies as ... read more

The European Sponsorship Association today launched its prestigious 2016 Excellence Awards, complete with an increase in open categories, from 16 to 20, so as to take into account the developments within the industry over the past 12 months. A call for judges is also open as of today, and more information can be found at the end of this release. The Awards recognise successful sponsorship campaigns across all sectors – sport, culture, entertainment, media, community and corporate ... read more

The European Sponsorship Association (ESA), the membership body that raises standards within the sponsorship profession, held its AGM yesterday (Wednesday 6th July) with the main order of business being the election of new members to its 15-person Board of Directors. Five Board Directors were appointed at the AGM. Jackie Fast (Slingshot Sponsorship) and Toby Hester (Sponsorship Coach) were re-elected, while Matthew Leopold (British Gas), Sophie Morris (Millharbour Marketing) and Matt ... read more

"With regards to the vote for the UK to leave the EU, ESA has thought about the implications for our members and, at this stage, we can see no immediate changes that will occur. Still, we are monitoring the situation closely, both in the UK and through the ESA presence in Brussels. This presence includes tracking legislation, sponsorship market size across Europe, representing the industry amongst policy makers and giving facts and figures to the media. Our Brussels representation will now ... read more

The European Sponsorship Association (ESA), the membership body that raises standards within the sponsorship profession, today announced that the annual figure for the size of the European sponsorship industry in 2015 was EUR€25.70 billion, a drop of 2.8% from the 2014 figure of EUR€26.44 billion. The main factor associated with the overall drop in the total industry spend across Europe was due mainly to a decrease in the Russian Market, the Sochi Games having boosted the country’s figures in ... read more

The first year of the ESA Arts Sponsorship Certificate was met with universal praise, both from the graduates and the many stakeholders within the wider arts community to whom this essential learning opportunity applies.
 ESA is delighted to announce that enrolment is now open for its second iteration which starts on 2 September 2016. The concept behind the Certificate is similar to ESA’s much lauded Diploma, although the content has been finessed to incorporate learning specifically for the ... read more

The European Sponsorship Association (ESA) and charity and fundraising innovator Cause4, along with the Arts Council England-funded Arts Fundraising and Philanthropy Programme, are pleased to announce that the inaugural ESA Arts Sponsorship Certificate has just seen its first intake of students graduate, with some fantastic results. The 16-week, distance-learning certificate is a cost-effective course targeted towards those who either work currently within sector-specific marketing positions, ... read more

The Café de Paris in London became the centre of the sponsorship universe as the industry gathered to recognise those companies who made a difference in 2015 Last night, at the prestigious Café de Paris in London, the 9th annual ESA Excellence Awards took place. The ceremony saw a plethora of UK and international winners crowned across eighteen categories, including awarding the ultimate honour of Sponsorship of the Year. Organised by the European Sponsorship Association (ESA), the ... read more

Swedish entry crowned European gold medal winner in the face of some very stiff competition Last night, at the prestigious Café de Paris in London, the 9th annual ESA Excellence Awards took place. The ceremony saw a plethora of UK and international winners crowned across eighteen categories, including honouring the Best of Europe and the Sponsorship of the Year. Organised by the European Sponsorship Association (ESA), the Excellence Awards recognise the best campaigns across a multitude ... read more

The decision taken by Adidas to end its association with the IAAF will not have been taken lightly. A sponsorship is always a two-way relationship and a breakdown such as this affects all parties involved. We have seen recently how pressure from top sponsors has helped drive positive change within FIFA.  Adidas' termination of its sponsorship further underlines how important it is for the IAAF to push through Lord Coe's reforms as a matter of urgency. --ENDS-- For more information, ... read more

The European Sponsorship Association’s (ESA) prestigious Excellence Awards ceremony on Thursday 11 February, 2016, at Café de Paris in London is almost sold out. “Despite capacity having grown by 50% on last year’s event, there are only a few tickets remaining”, said Jackie Fast, Chair of the Awards Committee and ESA Board Director. “This is hugely encouraging for ESA as we have refreshed the entire event – promising an amazing evening of entertainment” Responding to the high demand for ... read more

A record 59 students have received graduation diplomas from WADA President  Sir Craig Reedie at a lavish ceremony held in London’s Piccadilly. The European Sponsorship Association (ESA), the membership body that raises standards within the sponsorship profession, is proud to announce that a record number of students who undertook the 2015 ESA Diploma have graduated, and were presented with their graduation honors by the President of the World Anti-Doping Agency, Sir Craig Reedie, at a recent ... read more

Leading Russian sponsorship agency SponsorBuro joins the European Sponsorship Association The European Sponsorship Association (ESA), the membership body that raises standards within the sponsorship profession, is pleased to announce that Russian sponsorship agency SponsorBuro will become the Association’s first Russian member. Based in Moscow, SponsorBuro are looking to work with ESA to further develop their offering in their home territory, as well as promote the ideals and best practice ... read more

In advance of the 2016 course, ESA are holding a free taster session at the office of Sport England on 9th December You can never know too much, that’s why the ESA Diploma has been designed to deliver the learning and education that the sponsorship professional needs, no matter whether you’re just starting out or already established. In advance of the 2016 course (starting 15th January), there’s a free workshop in London on Wednesday 9th December (09:30 – 11:00), held at the offices of ... read more

Key European gambling and gaming associations work together with ESA to draw up guidelines for European sponsorship activity. The European Sponsorship Association (ESA) has worked closely with the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA), the Remote Gambling Association (RGA) and K&L Gates LLP in order to produce and publish a set of guidelines that cover sponsorship and official supplier arrangements for companies involved in offline or online gambling services. The guidelines ... read more

The European Sponsorship Association (ESA) today announced the entries short-listed for its prestigious 2015 Excellence Awards. With entries up by more than a third on last year, the competition was stiffer than ever for brands, agencies, rights holders and individual professionals to make it through to the Awards ceremony on Thursday 11 February, 2016, at Café de Paris in London. The newly assembled team of judges – crowd sourced from senior execs within brands and rights holders - will ... read more

The annual gathering of sponsorship and marketing professionals takes place at 1 Wimpole St, London on 18th November, hosted by PRWeek deputy editor John Harrington The European Sponsorship Association (ESA), the membership body that works to inspire better marketing across rights holders, brands and agencies, today announces the full Summit 2015 programme, speakers and panelists, and also reveals that the event will be hosted by respected PRWeek deputy editor, John Harrington. The 2015 ... read more

Students of the 2015 ESA Diploma received their marks today after successfully completing a 7-month online sponsorship course that runs annually from January to August. Since its creation in 2012, close to 200 candidates have now earned the ESA Diploma and the European Sponsorship Association (ESA) is delighted to announce that 57 students will be graduating this year. Of those, five have received Distinction, achieving over 75%. ESA wishes to thank its members for their tremendous support ... read more

The European Sponsorship Association (ESA) today issued a final call to agencies, brands and rights holders for entries to its 2015 Excellence Awards. With the deadline for submissions only a week away (Wednesday 30 September, 2015), ESA has been delighted with the quality, quantity and breadth of entries received to date as well as the overwhelming response to its call for judges – the first time it has openly invited industry experts to take part. Karen Earl, Chairman of the European ... read more

Submissions for the 9th annual Excellence Awards close on 30th September, with a glittering presentation ceremony taking place at London’s Café de Paris on February 11th 2016 The European Sponsorship Association (ESA), the membership body that works to inspire better marketing across rights holders, brands and agencies, is today inviting interested parties to submit their best work in order to be considered for a prestigious ESA Excellence Award. Now in its ninth year, the ESA Excellence ... read more

With the ESA Summit 2015 only a few months away the European Sponsorship Association are proud to be able to announce that Brand Republic Group is the new media partner for this year’s event. Brand Republic Group’s publications and websites include, amongst others, Marketing, Campaign, Media Week and PR Week which all service the needs of the wider marcomms industry. By having them as the media partner for the ESA Summit 2015, ESA will be able to reach out to more people in associated ... read more

The European Sponsorship Association (ESA), the membership body that works to inspire better marketing across rights holders, brands and agencies, today announced that the highly respected content marketing expert Tom Fishburne is to be the keynote speaker at the upcoming ESA Summit 2015, taking place at 1 Wimpole St, London on Wednesday 18th November. As a career marketer, and the founder of the content marketing company marketoonist, Tom Fishburne has helped companies such as Google, IBM ... read more

The European Sponsorship Association (ESA), the membership body that works to inspire better marketing across rights holders, brands and agencies, today announces that Repucom, the trusted advisor in sports and entertainment intelligence, is to partner with the ESA Summit 2015 providing the research and insight that will underpin the Summit theme of: Is official dead? As the insight partner of the ESA Summit, taking place on 18th November at the Royal College of Medicine in London, Repucom ... read more

Between July 21-23 in Birmingham, the Arts Marketing Association (AMA) conference brings together 650 marketers, fundraisers and leaders from across the arts sector to redefine, reimagine and reinvent the relationship between the arts and the public. This comes at a time of considerable financial pressure on arts organisations, and an increasing need to diversify their income streams. Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy is supporting the fundraising aspects of AMA conference 2015, and is ... read more

The European Sponsorship Association (ESA), the membership body that works to inspire better marketing across rights holders, brands and agencies, today launched its prestigious 2015 Excellence Awards with revamped award categories and an invitation to industry experts to join the judging panel. Following an overhaul of the Awards categories – to better reflect the way sponsorships are being conceived and then activated across Europe – the 2015 ESA Excellence Awards will feature 19 ... read more

ESA Board Member Andy Westlake has decided to step away from the role of Fast Track CEO as CSM goes into the next phase of its development. The ESA board member explains “After 13 years I’ve done so much, experienced so much and worked with so many amazing people. It’s been a pleasure to help build, grow and lead Fast Track, one of the most respected agencies in the business and the foundation stone of CSM. At the start of the next chapter for CSM the timing is perfect for me to now develop ... read more

The European Sponsorship Association (ESA) today announces the official launch of the 2015 ESA Summit, taking place on Wednesday 18th November at the Royal College of Medicine, 1 Wimpole Street, London. Early bird tickets are on sale as from today, priced at £425 (members) and £535 (non-members), with a special overseas early bird rate also available. The early bird discount will run until Friday 4th September 2015. The 2015 ESA Summit, supported by Repucom, will focus on the question of ... read more

The European Sponsorship Association (ESA) announced that the annual figure for the size of the European sponsorship industry in 2014 rose to €26.44 billion, an increase on 2013 of 1.5%. The Association reported that different market conditions led to variations by country - the UK, Scandinavia and Austria being notable for their growth. The overall rise is in line with European (western and central Europe) adspend growth in 2014 of 2.4% (source Zenith Optimedia). Karen Earl, Chairman of ... read more

Future Leaders Board to work alongside established leadership team in order to bring fresh direction and insight to leading professional membership association. ESA today announced the formation of a strategic junior board that will work alongside the main board in order to provide insight, and deliver strategic direction, from a different perspective. The Future Leaders Board (FLB) has been created so that ESA can be made more aware of, and rapidly act upon, new trends and viewpoints ... read more

The ESA Diploma continues to go from strength to strength. It has established itself as the qualification that provides candidates with the necessary skills and knowledge to forge a successful career in the sponsorship or sports marketing industries. It is also the only training qualification which provides a fully rounded overview of all aspects of our multi-faceted industry, while highlighting many best practice methodologies as demonstrated by several of the industry’s leading ... read more

As part of its ongoing work to raise standards across the industry, ESA launches new outreach programme that seeks to cultivate expertise at grass roots level. The European Sponsorship Association (ESA), the membership body that raises standards within the sponsorship profession, has today launched a brand new initiative which sees them offering guidance and support to new entrants into the sponsorship industry via the ESA careers portal. The brand new careers and job section within the ... read more

ESA Knowledge Workshop takes place on Thursday 16th April and aims to encourage attendees to look outside of the social norms. The European Sponsorship Association (ESA), the membership body that raises standards within the sponsorship profession, will be holding a knowledge event on the evening of Thursday 16th April entitled Lighting up the dark–harnessing the power of consumer connections. The event will educate attendees on how to use digital social activity that falls outside of the ... read more

Award winning, and highly commended, campaign case studies from 2014 ESA Excellence Awards are now available exclusively to members. The European Sponsorship Association (ESA), the membership body that raises standards within the sponsorship profession, is very pleased to announce that the winning and highly commended campaigns from the 2014 ESA Excellence Awards, held recently in London, are being made available exclusively to ESA members. These case studies, which include work from ... read more

ESA knowledge event seeks to educate members on Dark Social, taking place in London on the evening of 16th April 2015. The European Sponsorship Association (ESA), the membership body that raises standards within the sponsorship profession, will be holding a knowledge event on Thursday 16th April entitled Lighting up the dark – harnessing the power of consumer connections that will educate and inform members on how Dark Social, and the data that it generates, can be used. Dark Social is a ... read more

Wednesday 18th November 2015 is the date set for this year’s annual sponsorship gathering, where the state of the industry will be discussed. The European Sponsorship Association (ESA), the membership body that raises standards within the sponsorship profession, today announces that the 2015 summit, the annual gathering of sponsorship and marketing professionals, will be taking place in London on Wednesday 18th November 2015, and will ask the question: Is official dead? The theme of The ... read more

Global and national brands AG BARR, An Post, Citroën and Jaguar and were among those crowned winners at the prestigious 2014 ESA Excellence Awards held in London this evening, 29th January. Organised by the European Sponsorship Association (ESA), the Awards Ceremony took place at 155 Bishopsgate and was hosted by Oli Barrett MBE. The event attracted guests from across the Continent, Ireland and the UK. The Award entries were received from many countries and these were assessed by an ... read more

As part of the European Sponsorship Association’s aims to inspire, educate and raise standards, ESA is pleased to announce that a new 14-page guide on Product Placement is available exclusively to members. The new publication builds on the ESA introductory guide (April 2013) and shows how product placement, within the realms of sponsorship and partnership marketing, can amplify the existing associations between content and brands. The guide provides helpful case studies and also ... read more

The European Sponsorship Association (ESA) is recruiting a Content and Marcomms Manager to help deliver its exciting and challenging future vision. The successful candidate will have a good understanding of the sponsorship industry and allied marketing disciplines, as well as trends in technology, changing customer behaviour and the subsequent shifts in the needs of the wider business community. This will be a 3-day per week role to begin with, with the possibility of it becoming a ... read more

The 2014 ESA Excellence Awards shortlist has been released, following a wealth of entries received from sponsorship professionals across Europe. The organiser, the European Sponsorship Association (ESA), is delighted to report a tremendously high quality of entries have been received with many campaigns’ scores positioned neck to neck. A 15% increase in entries has further boosted the Awards’ standing. The shortlist includes a range of national and global brands including Barclays, ... read more

Winner of last month’s 2014 SponsorRingen’s Awards will compete against other European 2014 national award winners at the ESA Excellence Awards to be held in London on 29 January, 2015. The winning campaign from KPN will be judged alongside other national campaigns from across Europe including Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Sweden, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia and the UK, in a special category, the ‘Best of Europe’ Award. The nominated campaign has been specially invited by ESA, having been ... read more

Remaining relevant is key for any industry association. In order to ensure that the sponsorship industry remains so, the European Sponsorship Association is launching a new Board to help drive and direct the future of its industry. The ESA Future Leaders Board will be open for all sponsorship professionals aged 26 and under who will be responsible for helping to shape ESA’s mentoring, education and career development programme through execution of events and strategic communications. The ... read more