*** Please note that a wait list for this event is now in operation; click on the button to register for the wait list and contact us for more information ***
Amid a transformative era for arts & culture sponsorship, many organisations are offering more and more sophisticated and lucrative commercial partnerships.
Join us in the heart of London’s West End on 16 September to discover why brands view the arts as an increasingly compelling route to meaningful customer engagement.
This event is free for ESA Members, who can reserve two places per organisation. Non-members are welcome to purchase tickets with a limit of one per organisation.
In 2024 LW Theatres partnered with Cathay Pacific to create the largest brand partnership in West End history. Both the sponsor and the rights holder will appear on the panel at this very special ESA Breakfast to kick off the autumn season – hosted by LW Theatres (owned by the Lloyd Webber family) at Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
Another partnership that has made waves in the arts and culture scene is Aviva’s £35million investment in Manchester’s Aviva Studios, and the insurance company will also be represented on the panel at this event (see speaker details below).
The expert panel, moderated by ESA Board Director Martin Prendergast, will discuss such landmark deals in the context of what is a declining public funding environment in some markets, while looking at the anatomy of various partnerships to seek parallels and unique distinctions between arts & culture and other sponsored properties.
Matt Delaney, Director of Content & Data at Pearlfinders, will also provide a scene-setter.
Click here to read more about LW Theatres’ partnership with Cathay Pacific.
Click here to watch an ESA Masterclass on the Aviva Studios deal.
Tee Barnes
Director of Commercial Operations and Partnerships, LW Theatres
Tee is a seasoned professional with over 30 years of experience in partnership strategy, sales and activation. Throughout her career, Tee has navigated complex partnerships across a breadth of live entertainment venues and rightsholders such as AEG and Formula E. She has a steadfast commitment to forging partnerships that deliver tangible value and positively impact businesses. In her current role, Tee delivers partnerships that drive authentic brand and business alignment and create meaningful benefits for customers, identifying partnership opportunities that align with LW Theatres’ overall vision of ‘Staging the Extraordinary!’
Lisa Delaney
Regional Head of Marketing & Lifestyle – Europe, Cathay Pacific
Lisa heads up Marketing and Lifestyle for Europe at Cathay Pacific. She is responsible for all aspects of marketing spanning the travel, cargo and lifestyle business units. Her dual role includes building the Cathay loyalty business across Europe. Prior to this, Lisa was at Qatar Airways leading marketing and digital sales in roles covering the Americas and 31 countries across Europe. She began her career agency-side at J Walter Thompson for the Middle East markets working on De Beers, Motorola, Braun and Ford, and joined several smaller integrated agencies before moving client-side. Lisa, who initiated the European Women’s Mentorship programme at Cathay Pacific, has an Executive MBA from Bayes Business School and is an Honorary Visiting Fellow. She is also a Marketing Academy Fellow alumna and is on the board of Cancer Support UK.
Abby Stanworth
Head of Partnership Development, LW Theatres
Abby is a seasoned partnership specialist with over 17 years of experience across the media and entertainment industries. She has held numerous roles at leading organisations including ITV, Starcom and mSix&Partners, and is currently Head of Partnership Development at LW Theatres, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s West End theatre group. In this role she leads the strategic development and sourcing of brand partnerships across six iconic London venues, including The London Palladium and Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
Tom Whiteside
Head of Group Sponsorship, Aviva
Tom is currently Group Head of Sponsorship at Aviva, where he has developed the new venue-led group sponsorship strategy, which includes Dublin’s Aviva Stadium and Manchester’s new landmark new arts, culture and music venue, Aviva Studios. He joined Aviva in 2022 from Toyota GB, where he oversaw three Olympic and Paralympic Games. Prior to this, Tom worked at sports marketing agency Synergy as Consultancy Lead for clients such as Martini, BMW and RBS.
