MONGOOSE'S RUPERT PRATT RUNNING FOR ESA BOARD ELECTION

Our own Rupert Pratt is running for election to the European Sponsorship Association board. Read his manifesto below

I am very proud to have been given the opportunity to put myself forward as a ESA Board member!

I have been a member of ESA for nearly 15 years and a regular contributor having previously worked on the Knowledge and Education Committee. 

I feel very passionately about how our industry is represented to the wider marketing and business community. Having co-founded Generate Sponsorship and having been part of a team that successfully grew the business before its sale to (The Mission Marketing Group plc’s) Mongoose Sports and Entertainment, I know how tough this industry can be! Also as part of a wider group of 13 integrated agencies and their clients I am now in a good position to increase my own contribution.

If I were elected, I’d like to be ‘hands on’; given specific objectives or responsibilities as well as contribute to other agendas and work streams. Given my experiences and observations, the areas that I’d like to contribute to most would be:

1.       Increased membership and responsibility – Proportionate representation and contribution from across the industry

ESA in general seems to be driven by a small collective whose contributions benefit the broader community. There are a lot of stakeholders in the industry (Sponsors, Rights Holders, Broadcasters and Agencies) that benefit from the work that ESA does from government and EU lobbying to knowledge development, education or awards. I would like to continue to support the existing work being done to encourage greater involvement from more major stakeholders across all of Europe. 

2.       Communication – It is critical that the industry represents itself in a positive light

Too often our industry communication has had a negative tone. Whether that be questioning our effectiveness against other channels or being asked to comment on negative stories (corruption, politics, doping etc). This negatively influences how our market is perceived to the broader business and marketing community. You don’t see the advertising industry publicly questioning its worth or talking negatively about issues, it is universally aligned around promoting itself - we need to continue to develop a consistent, progressive and positive tone.

I am confident that my experiences with ESA to date, combined with my current relationships and client activities across Europe leave me well placed to further the great work already put in place 

Kind regards,

Rupert Pratt