diff --git a/dashboard/src/data/sponsorships.ts b/dashboard/src/data/sponsorships.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..048b70a8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dashboard/src/data/sponsorships.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+import { useCall } from "frappe-ui"
+
+// Only presence matters here: the sidebar drops its Sponsorship item for users with no
+// enquiry. No cacheKey — it persists to IndexedDB and would outlive this user's session.
+export function useMySponsorships() {
+	return useCall<{ name: string }[]>({
+		url: "/api/v2/method/buzz.api.sponsorships.get_user_sponsorship_inquiries",
+	})
+}
diff --git a/dashboard/src/layouts/ManagerLayout.vue b/dashboard/src/layouts/ManagerLayout.vue
index 1b7e9b71..5a8aab69 100644
--- a/dashboard/src/layouts/ManagerLayout.vue
+++ b/dashboard/src/layouts/ManagerLayout.vue
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 import TeamSwitcher from "@/components/TeamSwitcher.vue";
 import UserMenu from "@/components/UserMenu.vue";
 import { useTeamAccess } from "@/composables/useTeamAccess";
+import { useMySponsorships } from "@/data/sponsorships";
 import NotFound from "@/pages/NotFound.vue";
 import { DesktopShell, PageHeaderTarget, Sidebar, SidebarItem, SidebarLabel } from "frappe-ui";
 import { computed, ref } from "vue";
@@ -16,12 +17,18 @@ const access = useTeamAccess();
 // type Boolean, so Vue casts the absent prop to false and the inference never runs.
 const isActive = (to: string) => route.path === to;
 
-const personalItems = [
+// Sponsorship is only worth a slot once the user has an enquiry to look at, the same
+// rule the account tabs follow.
+const sponsorships = useMySponsorships();
+
+const personalItems = computed(() => [
 	{ label: "My Events", icon: "lucide-calendar-days", to: "/manage/events" },
 	{ label: "My Tickets", icon: "lucide-ticket", to: "/manage/tickets" },
 	{ label: "Talk Proposals", icon: "lucide-file-text", to: "/manage/proposals" },
-	{ label: "Sponsorship", icon: "lucide-handshake", to: "/manage/sponsorship" },
-];
+	...(sponsorships.data?.length
+		? [{ label: "Sponsorship", icon: "lucide-handshake", to: "/manage/sponsorship" }]
+		: []),
+]);
 
 // Team-scoped destinations read the active team from data/teams rather than the path,
 // so they are fixed and need no team loaded to render.
diff --git a/e2e/tests/manage-access.spec.ts b/e2e/tests/manage-access.spec.ts
index 096d08ab..4692916f 100644
--- a/e2e/tests/manage-access.spec.ts
+++ b/e2e/tests/manage-access.spec.ts
@@ -11,12 +11,19 @@ test.describe("Manage access", () => {
 		await expect(page.getByRole("heading", { name: "Events", level: 1 })).toBeVisible();
 	});
 
-	test("routes a sidebar item with no page yet to the placeholder", async ({ page }) => {
+	test("routes a section with no page yet to the placeholder", async ({ page }) => {
+		await page.goto("/b/manage/sponsorship");
+
+		await expect(page.getByText("Work in progress")).toBeVisible({ timeout: 15000 });
+	});
+
+	test("hides Sponsorship from the sidebar without an enquiry", async ({ page }) => {
 		await page.goto("/b/manage/events");
-		await page.getByRole("link", { name: "Sponsorship" }).click();
 
-		await expect(page).toHaveURL(/\/b\/manage\/sponsorship$/);
-		await expect(page.getByText("Work in progress")).toBeVisible();
+		await expect(page.getByRole("link", { name: "Talk Proposals" })).toBeVisible({
+			timeout: 15000,
+		});
+		await expect(page.getByRole("link", { name: "Sponsorship" })).toHaveCount(0);
 	});
 
 	test("shows a 404 for a manage section that does not exist", async ({ page }) => {