Our Background in Sponsorship & Commercialisation
We are one of Europe’s leading rights-holder sponsorship consultancies. Our senior consultants have over forty-five years of experience in the sponsorship industry.
BDS Sponsorship have extensive national and international experience in venue, sport, public sector, environment, charity, culture and leisure, transport, educational, event, heritage and community sponsorships. We are experienced in helping organisations meet sustainability goals as set out by the United Nations in SDG17.
2020s
From the public sector to the arts and space travel, the 2020s are set to be another decade full of innovation, exploration, and creativity.
2020s
Samsung
Informa PLC
BDS Sponsorship was appointed by Informa (the largest Exhibition company in the world) as their Global Sponsorship Consultancy.
Gulf Air
Gulf Air appointed BDS Sponsorship to advise on which Premiership Soccer team they should sponsor.
Orbex
BDS created a sponsorship category for Orbex, who intend to deliver the first ground-based satellite into space from the UK.
Deaf International Cricket Council
BDS Sponsorship worked for the DICC to create a decade-long partnership plan, commencing with the T20 World Cup 2024.
2010s
Today, partnership programmes in areas relating to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, such as Energy Transition, Health, and Future Mobility, are currently the fastest growing area of sponsorship. BDS undertook their first programme sponsorships in areas such as environment and health in the 1980s.
2010s
Shell and SDG 17
In 2015, the UN adopted 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), which seek to address the world’s biggest challenges, including ending poverty, improving health and education, making cities sustainable and tackling climate change.
University College London Hospital (UCLH)
BDS have been employed by University College London Hospital (UCLH) to develop a sponsorship strategy, initially scoping opportunities for new hospitals which are currently in development: Phase 5 which will combine the Eastman Dental and Royal National ENT Hospitals, and Phase 4, a new Cancer and Surgery Centre.
DART – Luton Airport Rapid Transport System
London Luton Airport Ltd appointed BDS to develop a Sponsorship Strategy and Business Plan for the Direct Air Rail Transit (DART), which is due to open in 2021.
The DART is a £225m investment, which will provide passengers with a more environmentally friendly and efficient transport link between the Airport and Luton Airport Parkway Station and replace the existing bus system.
Emirates Cable Car and TFL
BDS wrote the Strategy and Business plan for Transport for London’s Cable Car which resulted in a £36 million sponsorship by Emirates Airlines.
Measuring Successful Sponsorship Report
First ever Management Report on sponsorship Measuring Successful Sponsorship, published by The Financial Times and written by BDS founder Richard Busby.
2000s
Our work in venues grew substantially, and we undertook our first transport sponsorship programmes. We also developed an increasing number of programmes with objectives focused on human resources rather than marketing.
2000s
Wembley Stadium ‘End of an Era’
BDS were the sponsorship consultants for Wembley National Stadium’s ‘End of An Era’ Initiatives. As part of the sponsorship benefits for a P&G hair shampoo brand the sponsor ran an on-pack promotion to win the benches from the England Dressing Rooms.
British Airways London Eye
BDS Sponsorship secured the BA London Eye over £1 million per annum in sponsorship income plus an additional £1.7 million per annum in marketing support.
Arena & Convention Centre Liverpool
A unique sponsorship strategy based on securing two high-profile naming rights sponsorships for one venue (with four preferred partners, as secondary-level sponsors). The sponsorship income secured for ACC Liverpool was 300% higher than any comparable venue in the UK.
1990s
Sport continued to be a major part of our work. Public sector and cultural sponsorships expanded, and we moved into new sponsorship sectors, including venues, leisure attractions, and charities. We also managed numerous global, Pan-European, and community sponsorship programmes.
1990s
Canderel History of Tennis Exhibition
The Canderel History of Tennis Exhibition was held on Waterloo Station for the 2 weeks of Wimbledon. The campaign was supported by an ‘on-pack’ promotion.
IDV. International Distillers and Vintners
Among a number of other initiatives we organised the The Piat D’Or National Pétanque (Boules) Championship for a number of years.
Hampden Stadium sponsored by BT
Having developed the fund-raising strategy we secured the £5m title sponsorship required from BT Scotland.
Land Rover Experience and Bluewater
The potential opportunity for Bluewater to monetise the gravel cliffs which surround the site was determined by BDS
The Land Rover Experience at Bluewater won the International Council of Shopping Centres Global Productivity Award as the best new idea for Shopping Centres anywhere in the world that year.
Department of Health: Smoking Cessation Programme
Following completion of a strategy on finding highly cost-effective ways of delivering the smoking cessation campaign objectives through private sector partnerships, BDS targeted, sourced, approached and met the targeted companies.
Department of Health: E111
The Department of Health wanted to generate significant sign up for the new E111 form. BDS secured 450 cooperating partners in just 4 months and quadrupled the monthly sign-up levels to 1 million.
Legoland Windsor
BDS were retained by LEGOLAND Windsor and obtained significant levels of sponsorship from a wide range of companies including Ford, Coca-Cola, Kodak, BT, McDonalds, Cow & Gate and Mars.
UK Pavilion at World Expo
Generated a range of sponsorship from companies such as Marks and Spencer and British Steel (the latter provided all the steel required in the construction of the building plus £500,000 in cash).
1980s
In the 1980s, our focus was predominantly on sport. We secured our first cultural and government-related projects toward the end of the decade.
Below are some of our clients from the early days of sponsorship.
