Sport for Business is pleased to include many of Ireland’s most influential PR, Advertising, Sponsorship and Research agencies among its members. We like to occasionally highlight the work they are doing ‘behind the curtain.’
PSG Sponsorship, in conjunction with the Marketing Institute of Ireland, last week hosted ‘Unlocking the potential of Sponsorship for your brand,’ a one-day workshop focusing on how brands and businesses can best maximise their sponsorship assets.
Members of the PSG Sponsorship team shared their expertise on the fundamentals of sponsorship with Rob Pearson discussing sponsorship strategy and evaluation, while Joanne O’Sullivan covered the principles of sponsorship best practice before giving top tips on how best to activate a sponsorship.
Dublin Ladies Gaelic Footballer Sinead Goldrick joined Irish athlete David Gillick as part of a panel discussion, chaired by CEO of PSG Communications Mick O’Keeffe on how best to implement a hard-working brand ambassador programme, with both panellists giving their perspective from an ambassador’s point of view.
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Both speakers reflected on the importance of understanding on the part of an ambassador and the requirement for a comprehensive and collaborative briefing process when it comes to implementing effective brand ambassador campaigns.
The audience heard from some of the country’s leading sponsors with Jennifer Gleeson of Lidl, Irene Gowing and Tanya Townsend of Bord Gáis Energy and Garry Ryan of Aer Lingus all participating in a panel discussion which focused on best practice from a sponsor’s point of view.
Lidl’s sponsorship of Ladies Gaelic Football, Bord Gáis Energy’s sponsorship of Bord Gáis Energy Student Theatre Awards and Aer Lingus’ sponsorship of the Irish Rugby team were all discussed in great detail by the people behind them with the importance of knowing your audience and having a deep understanding of their interests emerging as the key piece of advice from the panel.
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Also key to the success of any sponsorship is a strong relationship between sponsor and rights holder, and this was telling when Diarmaid Murphy of the GAA joined Matthew King of the National Concert Hall and Emma Kiernan of Dublin Zoo as part of a discussion chaired by PSG Sponsorship’s Kieran McSweeney to reflect on the changing sponsorship landscape from a rights holder’s perspective and the growing need for dynamism and trust.
Though all three speakers represent vastly different properties, the common view that sponsors and rights holders must understand one another’s goals became evident.
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Other guest speakers on the day included Deirdre Kilroy of top firm LK Shields, who gave attendees an insight into sponsorship contract development, while Event Fuel’s Brian McDermott who created properties such as Tour de Picnic, the Rainbow Run and the Dublin Sevens, covered the dos and don’ts of how to best build your own sponsorship.
Daragh Persse of sponsorship marketing specialists the Brand Fans joined Rob Pearson in the sponsorship evaluation discussion before Gavin Coffey of Digital Agency New/Slang concluded the seminar by bringing attendees through today’s digital trends and what we can expect to see in 2017 as for as digital activation is concerned.
For more info on the topics discussed as part of the workshop, please contact http://sportsforbusiness2.ab6z.com/event/teaming-up-for-womens-sport/joanne.osullivan@psgsponsorship.ie or ailish@mii.ie
