2017 ESA Diploma Graduate: Lucy Owen gives us the Insider Scoop
Following the largest ESA Diploma intake ever, 57 students successfully graduated in 2017. We interviewed 2017 ESA Diploma graduate Lucy Owen of London based CSM Sport and Entertainment:
How did the Diploma course meet, or exceed, your expectations?
The course content was incredibly extensive, enabling me to look beyond the immediate sports sponsorship environment in which I work and consider how sponsorship is applied to other spheres of entertainment to help brands achieve different marketing objectives.
Inspire our clients to look beyond the immediate assets to see how they can be leveraged in different ways.
And the speaker line up for each seminar proved hugely credible – a highlight being a visit to Havas Media to understand more about how we can be more creative in our sponsorship activation, and inspire our clients to look beyond the immediate assets to see how they can be leveraged in different ways. It therefore met my expectations in terms of the course material, but very much exceeded them with the inspirational speakers we had a chance to listen to and network with at each seminar.
What elements of the course have you incorporated into your day-to-day work?
Since I work within the sponsorship activation realm, I have been able to apply my learning to supporting new business pitches with some creative thinking inspired by the course content, and case studies discovered during my time on the diploma.
This has also fed through to my client work, with the confidence to approach new ways of working in delivering our sponsorship programmes on a global scale, and leading our respective project teams.
This has also fed through to my client work, with the confidence to approach new ways of working in delivering our sponsorship programmes on a global scale, and leading our respective project teams. Having spent quite a considerable time researching new sponsorship trends, including brand purpose, data and digital, I have been able to feed this back into the business to inspire peers and clients respectively.
What key advice could you pass onto the next students that study for the ESA Diploma?
Put the time in, and enjoy the learning experience! It’s a rare opportunity to venture outside your day-to-day work and a chance to be inspired by the amazing work our industry delivers year-on-year.
Take it on and view it as a chance to fast-track your career.
Take it on and view it as a chance to fast-track your career. You’ll be recognised by senior industry professionals, and you may pick up some great mentors along the way!
What was your favourite / most enlightening moment during the learning process?
Completing the course is of course a great feeling, but I’d say my favourite moments have been whilst sat in seminars and being totally blown away by the work our industry peers create, produce and deliver to phenomenally high standards.
I’ve felt most inspired and come away wanting to share all that I’ve learned with my peers back at the office!
Those are the moments where I’ve felt most inspired and come away wanting to share all that I’ve learned with my peers back at the office!
You can find Lucy at: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/lucyowen