ESA and EASA launch joint arbitration panel to deal with consumer complaints about event sponsorship
 

The European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA) and the European Sponsorship Association (ESA) have launched a Joint Arbitration Panel that will be able to review and adjudicate on consumer complaints about event sponsorship, an issue that is generally not covered in the ethical codes of most self-regulatory organisations (SROs) in Europe.

Event sponsorship creates a mutually beneficial partnership between an event rights holder and a sponsor, whereby the rights holder provides the sponsor with association rights and branding opportunities, in exchange for financial or other support. Sponsorship of this kind can be found in a wide variety of events and activities ranging from your local football club to the Champions League or from concerts to educational and community programmes. Apart from a few exceptions, most European SROs did not have the remit within their codes to handle consumer complaints related to event sponsorship. Now SROs that receive complaints in this area no longer have to dismiss complaints if the issue is not covered by their codes, and can refer them to the newly set up four-member strong arbitration panel. Opportunity "In 2004 the advertising industry pledged, by signing the EASA Charter, that self-regulatory systems would comprehensively cover all forms of advertising and practitioners", explained EASA's Chairman Mr Jean-Pierre Teyssier. "Giving SROs the opportunity to handle complaints about event sponsorship, is another step in the right direction".   Helen Day, Vice-Chairman of ESA and a member of the new Joint Arbitration Panel, said the sponsorship business has developed significantly and that it is very important that it establishes robust systems of self-regulation based on codes of conduct. "ESA has been at the forefront in establishing professional standards in sponsorship", she said, "and is very pleased to have collaborated on creating a pan-European complaints procedure, utilising the existing EASA self-regulatory network of SROs."