Europe’s leading sponsorship conference, Future Sponsorship 09, has unveiled top CNN presenter Richard Guest as the opening host for event which takes place on 25 & 26 November at the May Fair Hotel, London.

Quest, news anchor and correspondent at CNN, is one of the most instantly recognisable members of the CNN team covering an extensive range of breaking news and business stories. His regular programmes include ‘CNN Business Traveller’, and in January 2009, Quest launched his own hour-long business show ‘Quest Means Business’. He has reported on and analysed topics such as the U.S Elections, the introduction of the Euro currency and the last commercial flight of the Concorde.

Quest began his career at the BBC, having studied law at Leeds University, and joined CNN in 2001 for the launch of Business International. He commented, “The fundamental questions are now being asked of sponsorship and its role in marketing after the recession. It’s my job to ask the hard questions to the right people and not stop until we get the answers”.

Quest will be joining an impressive list of sponsorship experts from a host of the world’s leading companies such as AEG, Castrol, Diageo, Chelsea FC, HSBC, IMG, Live Nation, Nokia, Peace and Sport, EMI, PricewaterhouseCoopers, PUMA, Volvo Cars, UNICEF, O2 and many more.

Future Sponsorship will once again tackle a diverse range of subjects, including the effects of the economic crisis, sponsorship for social change, the business of football and sport, sponsorship in music and entertainment and using social media to amplify sponsorship.

Richard Moore, Chairman Future Sponsorship 09, said, “I am delighted Richard Quest will be joining us in London – Richard has a long history of providing expert analysis on some of the world’s major business and social issues and will play a leading role in shaping the debate at Future Sponsorship 09. The list of senior speakers, confirmed delegates, varied panel sessions and entertainment programme, will culminate in a truly inspiring and enjoyable industry event.”

Future Sponsorship is geared to accommodate rights holders, corporate brands, agencies and suppliers, across B2B, B2C, public or private, sports, arts, leisure, entertainment or non-profit sectors. An early booking rate is available until the 30 September of £795 + VAT or €938.

Further information on Future Sponsorship 09 can be found at www.future-sponsorship.com

-ENDS-


Notes To Editors:

Future Sponsorship
Since its inception in 2005, Future Sponsorship has grown exponentially to become Europe’s leading sponsorship industry conference. Traditionally staged in Brussels, the event will now take place in London in 2009 where sponsorship and marketing professionals will participate in an open forum to debate the key issues within sponsorship, to learn and share knowledge, to hatch fresh ideas and to build new industry contacts.

The programme is geared to accommodate rights holders, corporate brands, agencies and suppliers, across B2B, B2C, public or private, sports, arts, leisure, entertainment or non-profit sectors.

The conference partners with a number of Europe’s leading national sponsorship associations including those in Sweden (SEFS) and Germany (FASPO) to ensure the delegate list has both a pan-European and global mix.

Booking Details
A full two day delegate pass including access to all presentations and networking sessions at Future Sponsorship, plus entry to the ESA Awards Night on Wednesday 25 November starts at just £795 + VAT (€938). This price is available until the 31 August 09

ESA Awards
Entries are now open and early bird entry prices are available until 11 September. To make an entry or find out more details visit http://www.sponsorship.org/awards.asp

Past delegates are able to claim a package price that includes hotel accommodation and breakfast at the luxury May Fair Hotel for a total of £975 + VAT (€1,150)

Further details of Future Sponsorship 09 can be found at www.future-sponsorship.com

Future Sponsorship is also on LinkedIn. To join the group, simply click on the following link:

http://www.linkedin.com/in/futuresponsorship09


European Sponsorship Association
Future Sponsorship is proud to be the European Sponsorship Association’s (ESA) annual flagship event and is also the venue for ESA’s annual Awards Ceremony. ESA is the voice of the sponsorship industry across Europe and as a membership association it looks after the interests of its members who are drawn from all areas of the sponsorship industry. ESA focuses on best practice and strives to raise industry standards through a series of educational events and the Future Sponsorship conference. In addition to its networking activities, ESA is also active in policy and governance, representing the sponsorship industry at national and EU levels.