A total of 238 responses were recorded from respondents in a range of European countries including the UK, Portugal, France, Germany, Spain, Hungary and The Netherlands.

Globally, sponsorship continues to grow. Europe has 29% of global market in sponsorship, and sport is the dominant category (88% of all sponsorship activity).

The biggest sponsor product category is clothing; beer is 4th biggest sponsor category, as measured by spend, spirits and wine much smaller share.

Approximately one-third of the organisations surveyed hold an alcohol sponsorship of some kind (31.5%).

Almost one quarter of respondents hold a sponsorship or supplier arrangement with a beer brand (22.3%), making it the most popular type of alcohol product for sponsorship (16.8% wine, 13.9% spirits).

According to the survey, alcohol sponsorships are far more common than sponsorships involving other controversial categories such as betting / gambling (8.0%) and fast food (2.5%).

Sports organisations are more likely than average to have alcohol sponsorships (36.9%, compared to a 31.9% average), while those in the cultural sector are slightly less likely (29.8%), perhaps due to the presence of more events aimed exclusively at younger age groups (youth theatre etc.).

Interestingly, organisations / events that deal with younger age groups as well as older age groups (under /over 18), are more likely to hold alcohol sponsorships than those who only deal with those over the age of 18 (35.4% vs. 23.1%). Overall, responsible drinking is an area that organisations and events appear keen to promote.

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