What’s involved?
The Class of ’24 will be able to take part in knowledge-enhancing assignments and a long-term project involving a real-life sponsorship challenge. There will be a series of digital class seminars, with presentations from industry luminaries, as well as some in-person social gatherings in London for additional networking.
When and where will the Seminars take place?
The 2024 course seminars will be held digitally via Zoom – speakers will be announced during the Induction Seminar, please see our course dates for further details.
Who is the ESA Diploma aimed at?
The ESA Diploma covers such a wide range of territory that it is suitable for candidates from a wide range of experience. It’s just as appropriate for middle/senior management who wish to test and expand their existing knowledge as it is for those aspiring to gain entry to the sponsorship industry.
Ever since its inception, the ESA Diploma has attracted candidates from across the industry – sponsors, rights holders, agencies, suppliers and post-graduates – from around Europe and beyond. The 2024 intake will be the 13th iteration of the course, which has qualified more than 650 practitioners.
There are no prerequisites to studying the ESA Diploma – all you need is a desire to improve your industry knowledge and your level of practical capability in order to propel your career.
How heavy is the workload?
The ESA Diploma is designed in the knowledge that the majority of candidates are likely to be in full-time employment. Care is taken to ensure that, while the Diploma course is deliberately challenging, it does not jeopardise an acceptable work-life balance. The 2024 course is being planned to ensure that the assessment process is fair and equitable. Irrespective of this, the key to completing the course satisfactorily is planning and adhering to the set deadlines which are intended to mimic the scenario of a normal working environment in our industry. It is estimated that the work requirement can be accomplished by studying for one weekday evening per week and one full weekend day per month throughout the course.
What will I gain from doing the ESA Diploma?
The ESA Diploma has established itself as a basic requirement for practitioners wishing to operate in the sponsorship industry. It is now an extremely valued and highly-regarded qualification which greatly increases the knowledge and confidence of everyone who successfully completes the course, as well as enhancing personal marketability. Ultimately, it’s a cast-iron investment in your future.
For employers, it’s an investment in your staff and their level of performance. You are raising standards within the industry, building employee confidence and capability and improving the on-the-job performance of your workforce.
How is the course assessed?
The marks accrued from the assignments and the Set Brief are added up at the end of the course and students will either Fail (0-49%), Pass (50-64%), be Commended (65-69%), be Highly Commended (70-74%), or receive a Distinction (75%+). We trust our independent marking process implicitly and do not enter into any correspondence about the marks awarded for any piece of work submitted.
It is important to note that, while the ESA Diploma has a formal assessment process, feedback on individual work submissions is limited. We do mark the first few pieces of work submitted, provided they are handed in before a pre-designated deadline. This is intended to give students a feel for the standard and some hints about how work can be improved. However, it is important to note that we do not have the resources (or budget) to provide comments on every piece of work submitted.
Can I receive a course report about my performance?
If requested by a student’s mentor, we do offer a Student Performance Review at the end of the course, but this is not an assessment of each piece of work submitted, rather a summary of the overall performance.
Is the ESA Diploma an accredited qualification?
The ESA Diploma is accredited by the sponsorship industry and, as such, is allowed to award successful candidates with the letters ‘Dip ESA’ after their names in perpetuity.
What is the role of the mentor?
All employers who enter their staff on the ESA Diploma are encouraged to appoint an internal ‘mentor’ to oversee the smooth running of each student’s training and, as such, lend them active support throughout the course. Those who pay for their own training may request the appointment of a tutor to help offer advice and assistance throughout the course, and we will do our best to fulfil this requirement.
Can I take part in the ESA Diploma if I live outside Europe?
Yes, very definitely! We have graduates from all over the world, including Australia, India, New Zealand, South Africa the Middle East, the USA and most European countries.
Who is the Course Director?
Peter Raymond
With over 30 years’ experience, Peter’s track record includes the first-ever major football sponsorships in the UK – the Milk Cup and the Canon League; managing the sponsorship of the Australian Cricket Team by Castlemaine XXXX; directing the British Athletics sponsorship portfolio; managing the sponsorship programme for the London Marathon, including securing title sponsorship partnerships with both NutraSweet and Flora.
His career culminated as Head of International Sponsorship for Orange where he ran the company’s highly acclaimed popular arts portfolio including projects in film, music and literature. He was solely responsible for the creation and implementation of Orange Wednesdays and also ran the ‘Orange Arrows’ F1 programme.
In addition to creating and running the ESA Diploma programme, he runs a small, strategic consultancy whose clients have included Panasonic, OneTel, Michelin, Camelot, Blackberry and BAFTA, amongst many others.
Are you based outside the UK?
The ESA Diploma is offered 100% online.
Enquiries about the course
Please contact us with any queries.
Who runs the course?
The course is run by the European Sponsorship Association (ESA) – a trade body promoting and protecting the sponsorship industry – in conjunction with Course Director, Peter Raymond.
As a not-for-profit membership organisation, we look after the interests of our members who represent all those working within sponsorship – from sponsors, rights holders and professional advisors, to suppliers and agencies (sponsorship, marketing, PR, events).
If you’re interested in finding out more about the Association or becoming an ESA member, please visit the membership section of our wesbite, or contact us.