Congratulations to all our 2016 ESA Excellence Awards winners!
The winners of the award categories marked with an asterisk were entered into the Sponsorship of the Year Award – see details at the end of the shortlist **
#ESAawards
Sector-focused awards
*Arts & Culture Sponsorship Award
– WINNER: Hilton Presents Udderbelly at London Southbank & Edinburgh Fringe Festival
*B2B Activation Award
– WINNER: Vodafone Ready Business Britain
*Community Sponsorship Award
– WINNER: The Lloyds Bank and Bank of Scotland Social Entrepreneurs Programme
*CSR Partnership Award
– HIGHLY COMMENDED: Electric Ireland’s ‘Darkness into Light’ Sponsorship
– WINNER: Scope – End the Awkward
*Live Music Sponsorship Award sponsored by CMU
– WINNER: O2 Academy Venue Sponsorship
*Mass Participation Sponsorship Award sponsored by Kru Talent
– WINNER: Prudential RideLondon 2016
*Media Sponsorship Award
– HIGHLY COMMENDED: Aunt Bessie’s and I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!
– WINNER: Colgate Expert White Toothbrush Plus Whitening Pen and Britain’s Next Top Model
Rights Holder Award
– HIGHLY COMMENDED: AEG Europe – Three cities, three venues, three unique naming rights deals
– WINNER: Snowboxx Music Festival Sponsorship Acquisition
Sport Sponsorship Award < €750,000
– HIGHLY COMMENDED: Electric Ireland’s sponsorship of Team Ireland for the Rio Olympics #ThePowerWithin
– WINNER: Lidl’s Sponsorship of Ladies Gaelic Football
Sport Sponsorship Award between €750,000 and €2million
– WINNER: evian #wimblewatch Takes Centre Court in 2016
Sport Sponsorship Award > €2million sponsored by Sportcal
– HIGHLY COMMENDED: DHL Formula E Sponsorship
– HIGHLY COMMENDED: Mars #Believe
– WINNER: O2 ‘Wear the Rose’ for England Rugby
Sport Sponsorship Award sponsored by Kru Live
– WINNER: Lidl’s Sponsorship of Ladies Gaelic Football
Discipline-focused awards
Best Newcomer to Sponsorship
– WINNER: Lidl’s Sponsorship of Ladies Gaelic Football
Best Use of Digital sponsored by The Bosco
– evian #wimblewatch Takes Centre Court in 2016
Employee Engagement Award
– HIGHLY COMMENDED: Lloyds Banking Group’s Principal Partnership of BBC Children in Need
– WINNER: McDonald’s EURO Cup 2016
Best Use of Hospitality Activation sponsored by Just Displays
– WINNER: DHL Hospitality at Rugby World Cup 2015
Best Use of Innovation in Sponsorship sponsored by Infinite360
– HIGHLY COMMENDED: DHL Formula E Sponsorship
– WINNER: Fitness First & Team GB – The Sport Profiler
Best Use of PR
– HIGHLY COMMENDED: Fiat Professional Tradesman Trials
– WINNER: Electric Ireland’s sponsorship of Team Ireland for the Rio Olympics #ThePowerWithin
Best Use of Social Media sponsored by Pictures Experience
– HIGHLY COMMENDED: Using Social Media as the lead channel for Nissan’s Rio 2016 Campaign
– WINNER: AIB Backing Club & County #TheToughest
*Best Use of Sponsorship across Multiple Markets
– HIGHLY COMMENDED: PepsiCo & UEFA Champions League
– WINNER: McDonald’s Player Escort Diaries
Special Categories
ESA Best Professional Development Programme
– WINNER: Optimising PRISM Talent
ESA Best of Europe Bronze Award
– WINNER: Croatia – SPORTO Awards (SPORTO Conference & Slovenian Marketing Association)
Allianz – The missing piece
ESA Best of Europe Silver Award
– WINNER: UK – UK Sponsorship Awards
O2 Wear the Rose
ESA Best of Europe Gold Award sponsored by SPORTO Magazine
– WINNER: Sweden – Gyllene Hjulet (Swedish Event & Sponsorship Awards)
McDonald’s – a little too proud sponsor
ESA Sponsorship of the Year Award
– WINNER: Lidl’s Sponsorship of Ladies Gaelic Football
Shortlist
To view the 2016 ESA Best of Europe Award nominees – 2016 national sponsorship winners representing 11 countries – visit here.
The winners of the award categories marked with an asterisk were entered into the Sponsorship of the Year Award – see details at the end of the shortlist **
Sector-focused awards
*Arts & Culture Sponsorship Award
– Bord Gáis Energy Student Theatre Awards (BGESTA)
– Hilton Presents Udderbelly at London Southbank & Edinburgh Fringe Festival
– Pimm’s and The Patron’s Lunch
– The Cross Sports Book Awards
*B2B Activation Award
– AIG, proud sponsor of the All Blacks
– DHL & Rugby World Cup 2015
– Vodafone Ready Business Britain
*Community Sponsorship Award
– Churchill Lollipoppers
– McDonald’s Community Football Days
– SUBWAY® Helping Hearts Family 5K series with Heart Research UK
– The Lloyds Bank and Bank of Scotland Social Entrepreneurs Programme
– Yorkshire Bank Bike Libraries
*CSR Partnership Award
– Boots Soltan Sun Ready
– Churchill Lollipoppers
– Electric Ireland’s ‘Darkness into Light’ Sponsorship
– ING Players Escort
– Lloyds Banking Group’s Principal Partnership of BBC Children in Need
– O2 and War Child Present ‘Passport to BRITs Week’
– Scope – End the Awkward
*Live Music Sponsorship Award sponsored by CMU
– first direct and the first direct arena
– O2 Academy Venue Sponsorship
– Rockstar Energy Drink The Ultimate VIP Experience
– SSE Presents…The Who Hits 50!
– SSE: The Energy Behind Great Entertainment
*Mass Participation Sponsorship Award sponsored by Kru Talent
– Prudential RideLondon 2016
– SUBWAY® Helping Hearts Family 5K series with Heart Research UK
– Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon 2016
*Media Sponsorship Award
– Aunt Bessie’s and I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!
– Colgate Expert White Toothbrush Plus Whitening Pen and Britain’s Next Top Model
– ‘Love Your Car’ with Shell V Power & The Telegraph
Rights Holder Award
– AEG Europe – Three cities, three venues, three unique naming rights deals
– Rugby Football League: Integrated Partnership Evaluation and Development
– Snowboxx Music Festival Sponsorship Acquisition
Sport Sponsorship Award < €750,000
– “How Football Works” by Indeed
– Electric Ireland’s sponsorship of Team Ireland for the Rio Olympics #ThePowerWithin
– ING #Ready4France
– ING Players Escort
– Lidl’s Sponsorship of Ladies Gaelic Football
– Nissan GB’s partnership with the British Olympic Association and British Paralympic Association
Sport Sponsorship Award between €750,000 and €2million
– AIB Backing Club & County #TheToughest
– AIG and Dublin Gaelic Athletic Association (Dublin GAA) 2015 Season
– evian #wimblewatch Takes Centre Court in 2016
– Jaguar – #FeelWimbledon
– SUBWAY®, Official Partner of Liverpool FC
– Gjensidige, The insurance company for the whole of the Norwegian sports community
Sport Sponsorship Award > €2million sponsored by Sportcal
– Barclays Premier League 2015/16 Trophy Presentation
– DHL & Rugby World Cup 2015
– DHL Formula E Sponsorship
– Mars #Believe
– McDonald’s Player Escorts at UEFA EURO 2016
– O2 ‘Wear the Rose’ for England Rugby
Sport Sponsorship Award sponsored by Kru Live
Discipline-focused awards
Best Newcomer to Sponsorship
– Arla Protein & Hearst Partnership
– Aston Martin – ‘AM-RB 001’
– Colgate Expert White Toothbrush Plus Whitening Pen and Britain’s Next Top Model
– Dacia and Rugby League: Made of the same stuff
– Invesco Perpetual’s sponsorship of Leander Club and City Regatta
– Lidl’s Sponsorship of Ladies Gaelic Football
– Make Your Debut – SOCAR’s Euro 2016 Campaign
Best Use of Digital sponsored by The Bosco
– AIG Haka360° Experience
– Barclays Premier League 2015/16 Trophy Presentation
– Canon RWC 2015
– Europcar’s Three Men in a Hire Car
– evian #wimblewatch Takes Centre Court in 2016
– McDonald’s Player Escort Diaries
– O2 ‘Rose on the Roof’ for England Rugby
Employee Engagement Award
– DHL Cirque du Soleil
– Inspiring Nissan GB through the Rio 2016 Games
– Lloyds Banking Group’s Principal Partnership of BBC Children in Need
– McDonald’s EURO Cup 2016
Best Use of Hospitality Activation sponsored by Just Displays
– DHL Hospitality at Rugby World Cup 2015
– UCL Final 2016 – Mastercard Madness or Priceless
Best Use of Innovation in Sponsorship sponsored by Infinite360
– DHL Formula E Sponsorship
– Fitness First & Team GB – The Sport Profiler
– Global Celebrity Index
– Tata Communications Formula 1 Connectivity Innovation Prize
Best Use of PR
– AIB Backing Club & County #TheToughest
– AIG Fenway Hurling Classic
– An Post’s Sponsorship of Cycling in Ireland
– Barclays Premier League 2015/16 Trophy Presentation
– Electric Ireland’s sponsorship of Team Ireland for the Rio Olympics #ThePowerWithin
– Fiat Professional Tradesman Trials
– Glenmorangie x Finlay & Co. “Beyond the Cask” brand partnership
Best Use of Social Media sponsored by Pictures Experience
– AIB Backing Club & County #TheToughest
– Electric Picnic Throwback Party – Facebook Live Ticket Giveaway
– Fitness First & Team GB #WinTogether
– Mastercard at The 145th Open – #TheHoleStory
– McDonald’s Player Escort Diaries
– Using Social Media as the lead channel for Nissan’s Rio 2016 Campaign
– Vodafone’s Sponsorship of Capital’s Summertime Ball
*Best Use of Sponsorship across Multiple Markets
– DHL & Rugby World Cup 2015
– DHL Formula E Sponsorship
– INFINITI Engineering Academy
– McDonald’s Player Escort Diaries
– PepsiCo & UEFA Champions League
Special Categories
ESA Best Professional Development Programme
– Material_UK’s commitment to Professional Development
– Optimising PRISM Talent
ESA Best of Europe Award
Gold sponsored by SPORTO Magazine
See the nominees here
**The ESA Sponsorship of the Year Award brings the winners of nine eligible categories (see asterisk) together to be judged again by the expert panel of judges and one campaign that is regarded as the very best amongst these winners is crowned ‘ESA Sponsorship of the Year’.