The European Sponsorship Association (ESA) and the Marketing Institute Ireland (MII) have announced a new partnership to deliver a one-day intensive workshop aimed at redefining how sponsorship is understood and used within modern marketing.
The session, led by brand expert Damian Devaney, will take place in Dublin on Wednesday, 3rd December and is designed to challenge long-held perceptions of sponsorship as a tactical or standalone activity — instead positioning it as one of the most powerful tools in strategic brand building.
Devaney, a respected advisor and former senior marketing leader at companies including Diageo and Core, will lead delegates through frameworks, case studies, and practical exercises to show how sponsorship can sit at the heart of brand strategy, not at its periphery.
The workshop will demonstrate how well-integrated sponsorships can deliver measurable outcomes that will create a genuine return on investment.
Participants will also learn how to align sponsorship programmes with overall brand objectives, ensuring consistency across creative, media, and customer experience touchpoints.
Learning Outcomes
Over the course of the day, attendees will gain a practical understanding of:
How to shift sponsorship from short-term visibility to long-term brand equity
Frameworks to align sponsorship strategy with broader marketing goals
The winning formula behind best-in-class strategic sponsorship programmes
The collaboration between ESA and MII reflects a shared commitment to raising the standards of sponsorship practice in Ireland and across Europe. Both organisations view the initiative as part of a broader effort to equip marketers with the skills to demonstrate tangible commercial and brand value through partnership activity.
Registration details and programme content will be released in the coming weeks, with places expected to fill quickly given growing interest in strategic sponsorship development as a discipline in its own right.
Image Credit: Sport for Business
Further Reading for Sport for Business members:
Read our Sport for Business Coverage of Sponsorship
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