Kieran Morris
Global Head of Partnerships
In brief, what does Intelligence Squared do, and what is your approach to sponsorship and partnerships?
Intelligence Squared is a global platform for live events, discussions and podcasts featuring some of the world’s leading thinkers and cultural voices, from Mustafa Suleyman (Microsoft AI CEO), Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn Founder) and Malala Yousafzai (Nobel Peace Prize Winner) to Sir Keir Starmer, Rory Stewart and Emily Maitlis.
We cover a broad range of topics, from politics and economics to technology, business and the arts, delivering high-quality content to an affluent and intellectually engaged audience. We operate at the intersection of media, ideas and influence, ensuring that each partnership delivers both brand value and intellectual impact.
Our approach is to work with brands that want to move beyond traditional sponsorship and immerse themselves in important, thought-provoking conversations. We don’t do surface-level soundbites, our content is deep and designed to showcase thought leadership while authentically integrating brand messaging.
Every partnership is collaborative, designed around our partner’s strategic objectives, whether that’s thought leadership, audience engagement, brand positioning or deeper influence. We aim to create long-term, value-aligned partnerships where content, community and credibility converge.
What approach differentiates Intelligence Squared and makes your sponsorship strategy unique?
Our differentiation lies in the calibre of our speakers, the integrity and quality of our content and the seniority and influence of our global audience. We attract a highly engaged network of business leaders, affluent individuals, opinion formers and culturally curious individuals. For partners, this means far more than visibility – it’s about relevance, authority and association with intelligent, ideas-driven content.
We never use a one-size-fits-all model. Each partnership is co-developed to reflect a brand’s values while delivering tangible outcomes, from live events and exclusive roundtables to podcast series and high-performing digital content. With full control over our production and distribution, we offer both creative flexibility and strategic alignment.
What do you see as current trends within sponsorship, and how are they affecting how you work and how you deliver on strategy?
We’re seeing three key trends.
First, audiences are seeking authentic, in-person experiences. There’s a growing hunger for live, meaningful interactions, whether that’s at major festivals or more intimate events like our live debates. Brands increasingly want to be part of the conversation, not just visible around it. They want to amplify the ideas being shared in a way that’s additive, not intrusive.
Second, the podcast sector is booming. Brands are coming to us to either improve their existing shows, looking for more sophisticated production and better audience targeting, or to launch fresh, unique formats. Audio remains a high-engagement, low-barrier channel that offers enormous value when done well.
Third, there’s a broader shift from traditional, broad-based media platforms to more targeted, integrated environments. Brands are increasingly focused on reducing audience wastage and ensuring their message lands with the right people. This aligns with our strength in producing bespoke, multi-platform content with a clear strategic purpose.
There’s also a rising demand for robust measurement. Our partners want to understand impact, not just reach, but how content affects perception, credibility and intent. We’ve invested in better reporting and post-campaign analysis to meet this demand.
How has sponsorship changed for Intelligence Squared over the past five years, and what predictions can you make about how it’s going to change in the next five years?
Sponsorship has shifted significantly for us. Pre-pandemic, most deals were event-led and transactional. Now they’re longer-term, more strategic, and increasingly content-driven.
The pandemic accelerated our digital transformation, growing our global audience and enabling us to offer hybrid formats that provide more value and flexibility for partners. We’ve also expanded into membership models, creating more curated and consistent touchpoints for partner engagement.
Looking ahead, the dominant force is undoubtedly AI. Just as we saw with crypto, brands in the AI space are racing to claim leadership. We expect an increase in AI- or tech-focused partnerships from businesses looking to shape the conversation around AI, innovation and workforce transformation.
We also anticipate a bigger focus on community-building, not just one-off activations, but partnerships that help brands build trusted, long-term relationships with influential audiences.
Lastly, as AI-generated content becomes more common, we expect a resurgence in the demand for real, human experiences. You can’t fake the feeling of a live performance or a candid, in-person conversation. People will increasingly seek spaces where they can connect, feel and think. We believe in the enduring value of live, unfiltered conversation, and our platform is uniquely placed to meet that need.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
At Intelligence Squared, we believe in the power of conversation to shape culture, business and society. In a noisy and fragmented world, we offer a platform where substance matters. For our partners, it’s an opportunity to stand out, not by speaking louder, but by speaking more intelligently to the audiences that matter.
