It attributes much of the growth to major sponsors joining the association.
Global sponsors such as Honda, Powergen, McDonald’s, Nike, Coca-Cola, Orange, O2, BT, T-Mobile and Telefonica are now members of the association.
Nigel Currie, ESA chairman, said: “The addition of so many more sponsors is helping to shape the association’s future plans as well as influence the content of its training programmes.
“It is particularly encouraging to see sponsors wanting to be involved in the development of sponsorship and to be keen to find out the latest trends and developments within the industry.
“Sponsors are attracted to ESA as they seek to look beyond advertising and explore sponsorship as a viable alternative to the more traditional marketing options.”
Other growth areas for ESA include venues and rights holders. Recently, the NEC and Wembley National Stadium joined the growing number of members from the arts and non-profit organisations, including the Barbican Art Centre, The Tate and MTV European Marketing Partnerships, COI Communications and Cancer Research UK.
Currie added: “Sport will continue to enjoy the lion’s share of the sponsorship budget but companies are finding additional funds to initiate or boost programmes relating to the arts or corporate social responsibility.”
