The European Sponsorship Association (ESA), the membership body that raises standards within the sponsorship profession, launched a new professional development qualification, the ESA Negotiation Workshop. The Workshop takes in its first batch of students on Wednesday 3rd May, and enrolment is now open.

Aimed at all levels of sponsorship professional, the negotiation workshop is run across two consecutive days and is delivered by The Davey Partnership, an executive coaching consultancy that has over 20 years of experience across the corporate sector.

The interactive workshops incorporate role play as well as more traditional “classroom” teachings, and will look in-depth at industry specific case studies. This equips the student with the resources required to handle a wide range of situations and helps to maximize the commercial value that they can bring to the negotiating table.

“The ESA Negotiation Workshop is designed to empower all sponsorship professionals who are currently, or will be, involved in any kind of negotiation scenario,” says Karen Earl, ESA Chairman, “We want to equip our students with the skills needed to deal confidently with prospective sponsors, brands, governing bodies or even procurement departments, in order that they arrive at the best possible solution for whatever type of negotiation they need to undertake.”

Mike Davey, CEO of The Davey Partnership, adds, “Being able to bring two decades of experience to the ESA Negotiation Workshop is incredibly exciting as it allows sponsorship professionals to experience, and learn from, skilled negotiators who work in aligned industries and professions. This workshop is really going to open up the minds of the students, and show them the best way to achieve success when it comes to tough business discussions.”

The ESA Negotiation Workshop is now open for enrolment, and the first of the two-day sessions takes place in London on Wednesday 3rd May.