ANNUAL FIGURES released by the European Sponsorship Association (ESA) reveal a growth of 14 per cent in the value of the European sponsorship industry for 2011.
The ESA estimates the European sponsorship market to be worth €26.5 billion in 2011, compared to €23.3 billion in 2010.
According to the ESA, much of the increase was realised by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the UEFA 2012 European Championships, held in Poland and Ukraine, with sponsorship money entering local economies in the build-up to these events.
While the aforementioned markets were the subject of extensive sponsorship increases, the uplift was not Europe-wide with understandable downturns reported in markets such as Greece as a result of continuing economic turmoil.
While the Olympics and the Euros boosted sponsorship figures for 2011, they are also expected to buoy 2012 results as the full potential of hosting such events, combined with increasing spend in the lead-up to the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, are set to take effect.
The ESA’s figures cover all forms of sponsorship, excluding activation spend, for sports and non-sports across the 50 European countries.
The ratio of sport to non-sport sponsorships is 67:33, representing a growing trend towards non-sport partnerships as brands take a wider view of sponsorship.