ESA Ireland will bring the European sponsorship community to Croke Park this morning for its annual flagship event in Dublin.

Hosted by the GAA, the event runs from 08:00 to 13:30 and will bring together those working across sponsorship, brand partnerships, rights holders, agencies and sport for a morning of international case studies, Irish market insight and networking.

The move to Croke Park provides an appropriate sporting backdrop to a programme focused on how sponsorship is evolving across Europe, with sport continuing to sit at the centre of much of that change.

ESA’s immediate past chair Sophie Morris will deliver an update on the 2026 ESA Sponsorship Trends, setting the tone for a morning that will include award-winning work from across the European Sponsorship Awards and a strong Irish industry presence.

Among the international case studies will be Richard Sceats of Canon EMEA, presenting on the Canon and RNIB World Unseen partnership, which won ESA Sponsorship of the Year.

Mike Grumbridge and Gareth Hall of Sid Lee Sport will share insight from the Tommy Hilfiger x F1 The Movie campaign, which won three trophies, including the Chair’s Award, while Roald Stene of Sparebank 1 Østlandet will present The Entry Room, winner of the Sponsorship with a Social Purpose award in the small to medium scale category.

The Irish market will be represented through two panel sessions, reflecting the strength of sponsorship activity here across sport, entertainment, live experience and brand purpose.

The first will look at the Marketing Institute of Ireland AIM Awards sponsorship winners, with Stephanie Bell, Head of Marketing at Mercedes-Benz Ireland, Caroline Hutchinson, Senior Marketing and Sponsorship Manager at Vodafone Ireland, and Tom Noonan, Director of Brand at Cairn, joining MII CEO Shane McGonigle for the discussion.

A second panel, titled Decoding the Power of Live Experience, will bring together Jake Brown, Senior Commercial Partnerships Lead at Diageo, Lorraine McCormack, Sponsorships and Brand Experience Lead at Vhi, and Tanya Townsend, Senior Sponsorship and Brand Activation Leader at Three Ireland.

Michael Pring, Global Client and Development Director at Verve The Live Agency, will moderate that discussion.

The agenda also includes audience engagement with Quiz Wizards before closing with networking from 12:45.

ESA describes itself as a non-profit member organisation created to support professionals working in sponsorship, with a mission to inspire more successful partnerships, support better decision-making and grow the sector through education, events, industry connections and recognition of excellence.

For the Irish sponsorship community, today’s gathering comes at a time when partnerships are being asked to deliver more than visibility.

Measurement, social purpose, fan experience, content, data and live activation are now central to the value exchange between brands and rights holders.

That will make the combination of European award winners and Irish market leaders particularly relevant for those looking to understand where the next phase of sponsorship growth is likely to come from.

Sport for Business will be there this morning, and any members attending should make sure to say hello.

 

ESA Ireland, Verve, Diageo and Vodafone is a full member of Sport for Business.

If you would like to be part of the Sport for Business community and see your organisation in our content, on our stages, and in the conversation happening every day around the commercial world of Irish Sport, email us today and let’s see what is possible.

Image Credit: Gymnastics Ireland

 

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