Sponsor spending to reach €135m

IRISH sponsorship spend is expected to hit a record high of €135 million this year as a number of high-profile sports tie-in opportunities and venue naming contracts come up for consideration.

The forecast has come from Dublin-based sponsorship consultancy, Onside Sponsorship which surveyed — during the final quarter of last year — 50 sponsorship-focused groups including sponsors, agencies and rights holders.

If the forecast spend for this year is realised it would represent growth of 20% on last year, when around 113m was spent on sponsorship opportunities.