Slight Increase for European Sponsorship Market in 2013

July 3, 2014

The annual figure for the size of the European sponsorship industry has been announced for 2013, cough with the €25.06bn ($35.7bn) figure being a slight increase on the previous year.

The report from the European Sponsorship Association (ESA) showed that 2013 was up by 0.7% from 2012 and that in general, 2013 was a good year for Europe – the UK, Germany, France and the Nordic nations enjoyed particularly strong growth.

The effect of hosting an Olympic event was highlighted, with the UK still benefiting from London 2012 and Russia’s figure progressing due to local investment for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games.

Karen Earl, Chairman of ESA commented: “It is encouraging for the UK to see brands which supported the Olympics and which may not have been traditionally involved in sponsorship, recognising the benefits and continuing their support post the event.”

Speaking about the Nordics growth, Earl added: “The Swedish Events & Sponsorship Association has reported a 6.4 per cent growth, while Norway has seen a 3.1 per cent increase and Finland 6.6 per cent.

“In Poland there is evidence that a better understanding of sponsorship exists post the European Championships and sponsors are introducing more creative and innovative campaigns.”

Despite the positives, Italy continued to decline whilst Poland Ukraine experienced a slight fall after hosting the UEFA European Championships in 2012.

The ESA report features all forms of sponsorship, sports and non-sports, but excludes activation.