Looking under the bonnet of UKSA’s agency categories - tips on how to make the shortlist

Any agency can enter – and win: It’s worth noting at the outset that there is room for all kinds of sponsorship agencies to win. Typically, there are three awards, which means there is flexibility to award agencies on their own merits – rather than trying to compare them with radically different businesses. There is always a large agency category and a small-to-medium category. After this, the third award is based upon the profile of the companies entered – so it could be an innovation or a breakthrough award. The point is that smaller agencies shouldn’t feel they have no chance. Equally, there is scope to reward agencies on the rights holder side as well as client side.

Relevant numbers help: All entries are viewed in confidence, so it helps to share meaningful business metrics, ideally with historical comparisons to demonstrate progress. Financial data and insights are a shorthand way for judges to assess the current strength of the business entering. And it also helps if the entry indexes other aspects of the company’s performance (% of client renewals, for example, or data headlines from campaigns worked on). Numbers can, of course, be used to obfuscate performance – but UKSA’s judges are wily executives who are quick to spot statistical exaggerations.

Non-negotiables: Certain elements bring an entry to life immediately. New business wins are always compelling reading – particularly if they show the agency breaking into new categories. So are client retentions. Here, it’s always interesting to see if the task on behalf of the client has expanded from year to year (demonstrating trust). It’s always worth including recent work – with a few results. This helps prove that the company in question is out there making a difference, tapping into the zeitgeist of the sponsorship sector. For companies that enter in consecutive years, it is vital that you show some progress. It’s easy for judges to call up last year’s entry and see if there has been meaningful advancement during the qualification period.

Examples of strategic innovation: Judges are always impressed by new initiatives designed to expand or futureproof the business. Expansion into a new emerging sector, company acquisitions, investment in tech or research – all of these suggest a dynamic forward-looking firm. Maybe the company has opened a new office in Manchester,  or boosted recruitment to drive business. Don’t overlook anything that looks like a meaningful differentiator to rivals. Remember – if you can demonstrate an innovative streak to your company’s DNA then it opens up another chance to win an award.

A holistic approach: Business performance is critical in this category but it is not the only measure. Judges want to know how the company is improving itself in line with broader indexes. Is it embracing diversity, connecting with community or making progress towards carbon zero? Has it committed to work-life balance on the part of its staff – and does this lead to better retention rates? The judges don’t need much detail, but they need to be persuaded that firms are not simply measuring their success in terms of the bottom line.

Industry leader? Many of the agency entries are well-written documents from top class companies. So the judges are constantly looking for points of distinction – discrete factors showing that a company is a step ahead of its rivals (for this year at least). One way to do this is to demonstrate your company is an industry leader – helping drive forward the sponsorship business as a whole. This factor is probably not as important as business performance, but it can help create the sense of a confident company on top of its game.

Judged by clients: The agency categories are judged purely by clients – not other agencies. This gives the category the feel of a pitching process – with entries scrutinised closely and challenged repeatedly. So it doesn’t do any harm to keep in mind that you’re trying to convince top clients of your credentials. What kind of things would you say to persuade them that you have the edge over rivals? Being able to include a couple of client testimonials might help.

Interested in entering the UK Sponsorship Awards 2024? Just click this link for more details – or contact event organiser Rosemary Sarginson at rosie@sponsorship-awards.co.uk. The UKSA Gala Dinner and Celebration will be on March 26, 2024 at the London Marriott Hotel.

And Don’t Forget….

People Awards are always an important component of the UKSA line-up – and this year is no exception. Alongside the agency awards, there will be new additions to our Champions of Sponsorship hall of fame. Not to be overlooked is the Barrie Gill Award for Most Promising Young Sponsorship Executive – a signpost towards the sector’s future. For more details on these initiatives contact Rosemary Sarginson.

For inspiration when entering this year’s UKSA Awards, why not review details of 2024’s winners and nominees? These can be found here.