On public purpose, honest conversations, and what naming rights should mean
John Hessing
Sponsorship Sales Lead
As an organisation, what does London Stadium do and what is your approach to sponsorship and partnerships?
We are London’s Stage for World Class Events. A multi-purpose iconic Olympic venue, hosting elite sport and entertainment. Situated at the heart of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, one of the UK’s greatest sustainable transformations.
Due to being publicly owned, I’d say the approach to sponsorships and partnerships differs slightly from our privately owned counterparts and the impact runs deeper. Commercial partnerships not only move the business forward but reduce the London tax-payer burden. The phrase “purpose-driven” is more than positioning. We operate under a constraint that many venues don’t have, and we can use this to produce more meaningful sponsorships that unlocks business growth and tells a more powerful story for all parties.
We are curating a set of partners who are strategically integrated to positively impact what this stadium becomes next. That might mean insight, innovation, or helping us unlock the kind of physical transformation, such as societal programming that might be difficult to deliver as a public asset. All moving toward more memorable event experiences, pioneering sustainable operations and more impactful placemaking. In structural terms, we build partnerships around a foundational core and then layer flexible assets on top that can evolve as a partner’s focus changes.
What approach differentiates London Stadium and makes your sponsorship strategy unique?
Public ownership has its benefits, the economic impact I mentioned, but it also creates constraints on capital transformation. Being transparent about that is, I think, more compelling, a different type of conversation about genuine co-investments.
Beyond that, the stadium’s physical flexibility is almost totally unique. The largest stadium floor in Europe means we can host baseball that rectangular fields cannot, and put on concerts that have more of a festival feel. We can change shape and character depending on the event; football, athletics, concerts, community programming. That gives partners access to multiple distinct audiences and their passions under one roof.
Even more compelling is our place at the heart of a transformed Olympic Park, somewhere I live and use daily, and have seen change positively since moving here in 2015. Anchored by London 2012, still the UK’s favourite sporting moment and its legacy – still the most successful of all time!
The stadium is the main physical memory of that. For any brand that wants to start a relationship with audiences from a position of trust and familiarity, that is a solid foundation. I can’t think of an area in Europe which has this intersection density of sport and culture; BBC, V&A, Sadler’s Wells, top universities, Europe’s busiest shopping centre and within 15 minutes of one of the world’s leading financial centres.
We’re entering our next chapter. We’ve already navigated the transition from Olympic venue to multi-event stadium. Now we’re preparing for the evolution that ensures we can attract the biggest global events again, London’s bid for the 2029 World Athletics Championships as an example. The right naming-rights partner who understands that ambition becomes part of that story, not just a signage arrangement.
What do you see as the current trends within sponsorship, and how are they affecting how you work and how you deliver on strategy?
Maths vs Magic. This or That! Brand vs Performance. This is not unique to sponsorship; the wider marketing community is feeling the pinch on this too. Many conversations are so obsessed with the direct sales impact that the magic of sponsorship especially in live events is being overlooked. That said, we (the sponsorship industry) do need to get better at articulating and measuring how brands can align to this authentically (as the uninvited guest at the party, you best be sure to bring something good!) and what the benefits to them are.
Digital attention is plateauing; people are fatigued by passive media and assault of content 24-7. Live, shared experiences, where you’re physically present with masses of people, feeling something together, are becoming more valuable.
Naturally, stadiums (and arenas) are built for that. For brands trying to establish trust and credibility, associating with events, or a physical landmark, say like our stadium, offers something a digital campaign cannot. For example, I see the opportunity for the fast-growing digital-first sectors (AI, fintech, crypto etc), which often lack tangibility, to gain far greater traction in this space.
Our job is to tell this story and bring brands on the journey of what they’re buying into and find the most natural ways to show up at these experiences.
Finally, there is a need to be flexible. I touched upon it earlier in terms of the base rights which remain constant, but as a brand needs agility to react and pivot to changing priorities or ambitions, the partnership should have some ability to do the same.
How has sponsorship changed for London Stadium in recent years, and what predictions do you have for how it will change in future?
I haven’t been here that long, but looking ahead, we still aim to secure partners who will be genuinely transformational (that doesn’t have to be as grand as it sounds!). How we go about working with them has certainly developed in recent years, though – there is the need to have an open and honest conversation early on about what ‘purpose-driven’ means and costs.
For us, purpose has a price: it constrains how fast we can move, what deals we can do, and who we can partner with. We quite rightly must be diligent and careful when spending public money and so our approach is to be transparent with brands from the outset, on both the limitations and, importantly, the huge opportunities available.
More broadly, looking at the future, for me, I believe consistency will compound. Brands that show up in the same place, in meaningful ways, year after year, build something that cannot be replicated by short-term campaigns. Our partnership model is designed and will continue to be developed with that in mind. We want to remain open to integrating partners but to do so, ask them to think in years, not quarters.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Excuse the cliché, London Stadium is a one-of-a-kind proposition.
The combination of a globally recognised venue with an Olympic legacy that still inspires. The incredible, expanding setting of the cultural crossroads of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park ecosystem around us. A public ownership purpose mission that gives any partnership real depth and accountability.
We’re looking for organisations who want to help shape what the stadium becomes. To make their mark on improvements that genuinely add to the experience for attendees and event owners alike. Positively impacting the people who live alongside it – not just a badging exercise, adding their name to an albeit very impressive skyline. Partnerships are a way to unlock game-changing progress that public funding alone often cannot.
