Alternative areas of employment are what graduates must look towards these days, working in a company arranging sponsorship of events or for a specialist sponsorship events company, is an option, where graduates can test their abilities in many different ways and really enjoy a job with a difference, is a market to consider.
Sponsorship wears many hats from the arts, charities, sport and local small businesses, with specialising in each, yet more often or not sharing the same goals.
Six years ago I visited Dubai and met the Director of Sponsorship for Emirates, who are one of the largest companies in the world involved with sponsorship, he has a team working for him just handling sponsorship deals around the world, from our meeting it was obvious how brand awareness has been increased for Emirates.
When planning a sponsorship strategy you must have a comprehensive PR plan and events strategy to go alongside the sponsorship.
Also a hospitality plan needs to be thought through, plus a Crisis programme in case their is a problem with the brand company, say attracting negative publicity, or a celebrity with negative PR.
The rule I have through extensive research is every hour you spend which is chargeable you have two hours which are not, so much work needs to go into setting up a deal, I researched over 50 companies and organisations for the research before I was guest speaker at the Society of Public Relations World Conference in Chicago.
There are many organisations looking for sponsorship, from the Royal Opera House, Chelsea Flower Show, with M & M Financial company sponsoring the Chelsea Flower Show, normally looking for financial organisations to fit the make-up of the visitors and also the brand of the two mentioned organisations.
It is a area very different and needs to combine all your marketing skills plus strategy and sales.
When I take on a class I normally make my workshops very inter-active with students working in groups on potential sponsorship deals, then presenting them, I have presented this method at the University of Bournemouth Public Relations and Media School.
In Britain small companies can gain a great deal of PR and business by locally sponsoring events for example awards at the local school or at the tennis club, this gives local awareness.
Finding the right match, why do oil companies sponsor organisations like Green Peace, obviously to improve their image, often the fit is not obvious, which makes even more intriguing.
European football matches have a number of sponsor mainly because of the revenue from TV rights, which has given global coverage to brands, with 160 million viewers worldwide and 202 countries in global reach. The Premier League is a magnet for cooperate organisations.
Arsenal are famous for their ground being sponsored by Emirates with the Stadium named after the brand, before Arsenal, Emirates use to sponsor Chelsea, Emirates now sponsor cricket to yachting and it is important in their public awareness programme globally. Emirates have a deal struck in 2004 for £90 million over 15 years, £48 million via shirt sponsorship.
Eithad sponsor Manchester City another well-known airline based out of the United Arab Emirates, Eithad means Union of Arabic, with a A330-200 in Manchester City livery. Harlequins the London-based Rugby side is also sponsored by Eithad with the East Stand at their home at The Stoop named after the airline. Manchester City have a deal of £400 million with Ehtiad Airways, making them largest deal of its kind in sport and reinforcing City’s position as a football club, the agreement is for ten years. Plus Eithad are going to develop the area aroudn the stadium. The airline is owned by the Abu Dhabi Government.
The deal is worth twice the previous record of JP Morgan Chase’s ($300 Dollars) £187 million, for the new Madison square Gardens in New York.
Royal Academy of arts about ten years ago found their Monet Exhibition to be the most successful sponsored exhibition ever, and set the benchmark for others to follow the sponsors were Ernst & Young. Bank of America have also sponsored events at the Academy,.
Charities one in particular which is a educational charity had a deal with Barclays Bank for ten years to sponsor them, the longest deal I have ever found, now sponsored by Deutsche Bank, not as long contract, Barclays use to offer advice to young people on world.
The world of sponsorship is a exciting world of marketing, where there is opportunities for graduates to look for work, be involved with leading brands globally.
James Knight has been guest speaker at the Society of Public Relations of America World Conference in Chicago, also at the University of Bournemouth Media and Public Relations School, on sponsorship as well as brokering deals across a variety of markets.
