- Records broken as entries rise 55% year on year
- New social and environmental purpose categories prove popular
- ESA Chair Sophie Morris salutes sponsorship’s ‘vibrant role in enriching lives’
Europe’s most prestigious sponsorship awards is destined to be a celebration of purpose-driven impact when industry leaders gather for the 2024 ESA Awards ceremony in London on Thursday 7 March.
A surge of entries in two new, purpose-based categories, Sponsorship with a Social Purpose and Environmentally Sustainable Sponsorship, has contributed to a record-breaking entry and set the tone for what promises to be an unforgettable evening.
A shortlist of entries has been announced, putting brands, rights holders and agencies from France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK in the running for recognition – with the ESA Best of Europe nominees still to come.
The ceremony will again take place at The Brewery venue and tables and tickets can now be purchased with an early bird discount available until 5 January 2024.
The annual ESA Awards provides a panoramic view of the sponsorship industry and demonstrates the power of partnerships in delivering on business objectives. Recognising a strong sponsorship trend for supporting causes and initiatives with a wider societal benefit, ESA created two new categories for 2024 – and the response has been emphatic.
- A 55% increase in entries for the 2024 ESA Awards compared with 2023
- 58 industry sectors represented with entries from eight countries shortlisted
- 21 entries shortlisted for Sponsorship with a Social Purpose – more than any other category.
ESA Chair Sophie Morris said: “The sponsorship industry is embracing a more purpose-driven model and the evidence of the 2024 ESA Awards entries suggests many companies now feel well-equipped to demonstrate the wider positive impact of their partnerships.
“The scope and range of work on the shortlist is indicative of outstanding creativity and innovation in sponsorship across arts and culture, entertainment and sport. It has been a busy year for each of these sectors as audiences rekindled their passion not only for major events but also for smaller community activities that offer companies a platform to achieve meaningful connection with their customers.
“Sponsorship is an agile discipline that is playing an increasingly vibrant role in enriching lives, and I am certain that the 2024 ESA Awards ceremony will be a powerful celebration of that. ESA is the essential and inclusive community for all professionals working in sponsorship and many of them can expect to earn a prestigious reward for their hard work when we gather in London in March.”
The ESA Awards is renowned for its rigorous judging, and more than 100 senior sponsorship and marketing professionals from 19 countries met across 12 groups this week to discuss the merits of the various entries.
Matthew Leopold, Chair of the ESA Awards Committee, added: “A record-breaking entry to the 2024 ESA Awards suggests renewed strength in depth within the industry and this has been borne out by the intensive discussions shared by our judges this week.
“It has been thrilling to hear the feedback from judges about the quality and range of entries, and a mere glance at the shortlist betrays the diversity of sectors represented. It’s clear that the ESA Awards is going from strength to strength and I’m grateful to the huge number of sponsorship experts who put their hands up to judge this year’s entries.”
ESA would like to thank the event sponsors whose contribution is vital to the delivery of the 2024 ESA Awards: Sponsorium, caytoo, CSM Live, datapowa, Sponsorworks and SPORTO.
For sponsorship opportunities please contact us at opportunity@sponsorship.org.
-ENDS-
About ESA
A not-for-profit membership association, the European Sponsorship Association (ESA) is the essential and inclusive community for all professionals working in sponsorship. ESA supports the industry through education, guidance, representation, the recognition of excellence and the sharing of best practice and performance.
ESA’s reach encompasses all types of sponsorship activity from sport, broadcast, education, charity, the arts and culture, to environment and the community. Its members include sponsors, rights holders, agencies and consultants, professional advisors and suppliers. Visit sponsorship.org for more information.
For media queries, please contact:
Jonathan Coates | ESA Marketing, Communications and Events Manager
marketing@sponsorship.org | +44 (0) 7788 352219
