Whitehouse Communications provides the full spectrum of secretariat and communications services to the European Specialist Sports Nutrition Alliance (ESSNA), the trade association representing the sports nutrition industry in Europe. Since ESSNA was established 2003, the firm has helped it develop into a prominent trade body and the voice of the responsible sports nutrition sector across the UK and Europe. Under this long-term partnership, ESSNA has doubled its membership, quadrupled its budget and won several industry awards.
The challenge
The European Specialist Sports Nutrition Alliance (ESSNA) is the trade association representing the sports nutrition industry in Europe. Its membership spans large international sports nutrition brands, smaller specialist companies, ingredients suppliers and national associations.
ESSNA was established to ensure that potentially threatening EU legislation on sports supplements was amended, and to improve and protect the image and profile of the wider sector. Delivering on that founding purpose required sustained secretariat, public affairs and communications support: to secure proportionate regulation, address non-compliance in the market, educate consumers about responsible sports nutrition, and build the trade body’s own standing and reach across the UK and Europe.
Our approach
Whitehouse Communications provides the full spectrum of secretariat and communications services to ESSNA, and works as an embedded partner across the alliance’s UK and European activity, spanning policy, public affairs, PR, crisis communications, public education and events.
The work focuses on:
- Engaging with EU and UK policymakers and regulators to ensure that legislation brought forward is proportionate and not damaging to the industry or the public, continuing ESSNA’s founding mission of securing sensible sports nutrition regulation.
- Providing public relations and crisis communications support to ESSNA and its members, proactively building sector standing and responding to issues as they arise.
- Operating a non-compliance campaign on behalf of ESSNA to protect and improve the reputation of the responsible sports nutrition sector by tackling operators who do not meet industry standards.
- Leading a public-facing educational campaign to ensure consumers are properly informed about sports nutrition products and responsible use.
- Delivering an annual calendar of ESSNA-led events and conferences that regularly attract more than 100 attendees from prominent organisations across Europe.
The outcome
Under Whitehouse Communications’ sustained secretariat and communications partnership, ESSNA has doubled its membership, quadrupled its budget and won several industry awards. Its annual events and conferences regularly attract more than 100 attendees from prominent organisations across Europe.
ESSNA is now the established voice of the responsible sports nutrition industry in the UK and Europe, and the trade body counterpart for policymakers, regulators and industry stakeholders on issues affecting the sector.
