While COVID-19 has caused the day-to-day operations of sport and entertainment organisations to change drastically, it has also revealed the true strength of Europe’s sponsorship industry.
Faced with a global crisis, many ESA members have responded to adversity with inspiring, diverse and creative approaches – from individuals such as ESA Board Director Matthew Leopold, who is volunteering as duty tactical commander at the new NHS Nightingale Hospital, to multiple organisations pivoting production to manufacture much-needed protective gear for health workers.
Read on to find out just some of the amazing initiatives ESA members are involved in:
Has your organisation been helping community causes or devoting time towards the common good? We’ll be updating this blog throughout the ongoing health crisis and will continue to champion members doing amazing things – we want to hear from you, so please get in touch with any good news stories – marketing@esaadmin.org.
The O2 Arena to open as NHS training facility
London’s O2 Arena, owned and operated by ESA member AEG Europe, has opened its doors to the National Health Service and will be converted to a healthcare training facility until at least the end of June.
In order to help support the NHS with their preparation for the large number of additional staff needed in the effort to tackle COVID-19, AEG will not be charging the NHS a hire fee for the use of the venue. Any costs incurred by the venue to provide services required by the NHS are being passed on at cost. The staff trained will go on to work at the NHS Nightingale field hospital at ExCel London.
Project Pitlane: Mercedes F1 team produces thousands of life-saving breathing aids
With Coronavirus infections demonstrating widespread shortages of ventilators and other breathing devices, Formula 1 outfit Mercedes quickly got into gear, joining forces with the University College London in a round-the-clock effort to reverse-engineer a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) devices, which help coronavirus patients with lung infections to breathe more easily.
And after patient evaluations at UCL Hospital and across sister hospitals in the London area, the device received regulatory approval last week. An order for up to 10,000 has now been placed by the British National Health Service, and the Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains technology centre in Brixworth – the facility where the F1 team’s highly successful power units are developed and built – is now building 1,000 devices per day.
Going even further, the designs for the device have been made freely-available so that other manufacturers and companies around the globe can join production lines and relieve pressure on health systems.
OPRO Mouthguards donates 3D printers in aid of production of thousands of NHS face shields
ESA member OPRO, the world’s largest manufacturer of the most technically advanced mouthguard, has committed their range of cutting-edge magna 3D printers to developing thousands of protective face shields for use in hospitals across the UK and mainland Europe amidst a shortage of protective equipment for front line medical staff.
A major concern during this Coronavirus outbreak is healthcare staff’s heightened risk of infection, so OPRO has contributed its printers to 3D printing experts Photocentric, who have completely re-focused their production towards creating thousands of protective face shields on a daily basis.
Essential for our courageous medics, the masks will help protect them from potential virus-containing droplets released through coughing and sneezing whilst treating patients and support them save lives.
Manchester City offer stadium for NHS use
Manchester City, owned by ESA member City Football Group, have given over Etihad Stadium to use by the National Health Service. The stadium’s conference spaces and executive boxes will be used by the NHS to serve as training spaces for doctors and nurses during the crisis.
City has also combined with cross-town rivals Manchester United to donate £100,000 to local foodbanks as part of the #ACityUnited pledge.
SEC in Glasgow to be converted to field hospital
The SEC Centre, another ESA member and the largest exhibition centre and live event space in Glasgow, will be used as a temporary hospital for Coronavirus patients.
A 10,000 sq m hall has been converted to a 516-bed field hospital, with 8,000 pieces of medical equipment already ordered.
#IsolationGames: Team GB and TikTok partner to support British Red Cross and COVID-19 victims
ESA member TeamGB has teamed up with short-form video platform TikTok to launch the #IsolationGames, challenging British athletes and the public to creatively recreate the summer of sport in their own home.
With the world’s summer sporting events postponed or cancelled, top British Olympic athletes, including hockey player Sam Ward, gymnastic gold medallist Max Whitlock , snowboarder Aimee Fuller and diving silver medallist Leon Taylor, will be joyfully resurrecting everyone’s much-loved sporting moments for the public’s entertainment.
Funds raised will help the charity deliver food and medicine to those who need it most, make sure refugees and people seeking asylum are safe, and work with the NHS to support people home from hospital.
Scottish Ballet launches digital dance health classes to connect with communities
Adapting to the era of social distancing caused by Coronavirus, Scottish Ballet has rolled out a digital health, fitness and wellbeing programme, SB Health.
The daily Facebook Live ballet classes will include different programmes for over-60s, parents and children, dementia, Multiple Sclerosis and people with neurological conditions.
Catherine Cassidy, Director of Engagement at Scottish Ballet, said:
“During these unprecedented times, we feel it is vital to be continuing our engagement work to connect with communities, and help support people’s physical and mental wellbeing. We are delighted to be offering this initiative digitally, bringing the benefits of dance to homes in Scotland, and beyond.”
Marriott rolls out new initiatives to provide healthcare workers accommodation and much-needed supplies
Global hotel company Marriott has launched several programmes to support healthcare workers in Europe and across the globe. These include ‘Rooms for Responders’, alongside credit card partners, American Express and JPMorgan Chase, which will provide $10 million worth of free hotel stays for healthcare professionals leading the fight against COVID-19 in the US in partnership with the American College of Emergency Physicians and the Emergency Nurses Association.
In a separate effort for frontline healthcare workers, Marriott has joined with a number of franchisee partners to launch the Community Caregiver Program across the US, Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America, providing significantly discounted rates for first responders and healthcare professionals who want to book rooms at hotels in close proximity to the hospitals where they’re working. Marriott hotels globally have donated unused produce and food products and much-needed supplies like cleaning products, masks, gloves, anti-microbial wipes, sanitizers and shower caps for medical and other frontline workers.
#ExperienceGood: CSM launches new collaboration platform
CSM has launched ExperienceGood.co, a digital hub to enable collaboration and story sharing across the world of experience marketing. The platform was developed by CSM together with foundational partner The Vendry, with the goal of driving the industry towards innovative solutions that highlight the power of collective experiences in this new era of social distancing.
The announcement follows the launch two weeks ago of #ExperienceGood; a global social media campaign to collectively celebrate ideas and people adapting positively to the sudden shift in what live experiences mean during this unprecedented crisis.
#ENBatHome: English National Ballet goes digital
While the English National Ballet’s home is currently closed and some future performances and events have been cancelled, the ENB are working hard to continue to give free access to great content, as well as providing ways to keep people fit and moving during these uncertain times.
#ENBatHome is a comprehensive programme covering everything from live-streamed dance classes to live concerts, ‘slow TV’ helping people to relax and other free access to other online content.
Verve invents first timed soap to help curb spread of COVID-19
Verve, a partnerships and events agency based in London and Dublin, has invented the #20SecondSoap, the world’s first ‘timed’ hand washing soap.
The design for the soap, which gradually dissolves over 20 seconds to ensure cleanliness, has been made publicly available.
Sportskred offers ESA members free use of social media sponsorship platform
Sportskred is a technology business that allows clubs and federations to create a sponsorable asset to benefit both the club and its players, by combining the social media of their players with their own Instagram, Twitter, Youtube and Facebook accounts – reaching a huge amount of fans and creating an entirely new sponsorship asset – on average 10x larger than the social media channels of the club itself.
To support the sponsorship community during this tough period, Sportskred is offering our technology to all ESA members subscription free until July 1st – get in touch and we’ll get you set up so that you can maximise the value of your social media.
Caytoo offers Covid-19 market intelligence free of charge to rights holders
ESA member Caytoo, the data-driven sports marketing agency, is offering its caytootarget™ service for free use by rights holders who have been affected by the Coronavirus outbreak.
Designed specifically to help rights holders save time and resources when identifying viable target brands and hitting the right decision-makers with relevant and compelling proposals, Caytoo has produced reports on a host of sectors, including supermarkets, health insurers, challenger brands, and more. For more information, see this blog by Caytoo CEO Jeremy Thompson on the service.
Has your organisation been helping community causes or devoting time towards the common good? We’ll be updating this blog throughout the ongoing health crisis and will continue to champion members doing amazing things – we want to hear from you, so please get in touch with any good news stories – marketing@esaadmin.org.