Businesses Starting to Return to a New Normal
FOUR CORNERS OF THE GLOBE - After navigating the uncertainties of the last 16 months, the ICOM global network of marketing communications agencies is kickstarting with confidence its entry into a new world of endless possibilities yet recognizing the likelihood of unpredictable outcomes with its first virtual World Meeting themed “Back to the Future.”
ICOM is a leading global network of independent agencies providing advertising, marketing communications, media, digital and related services in more than 60 countries. For its two-day event starting June 22, the network expects more than 400 participants, the most ever to its annual World Meeting.
“This meeting is so important for our agencies,” said ICOM Board Chairman Bob Morrison, also CEO-Morrison, Atlanta, Ga., USA. “It’s about reconnecting members who have been apart for so many months; it’s about inspiring them to move forward and focus on what’s ahead after months of operating in crisis mode.”
The virtual meeting is hosted by ICOM award-winning digital/tech specialist agency TRIMM, based in Enschede, Netherlands. Another ICOM member Amsterdam-based Fitzroy was tasked with branding the meeting. TRIMM created a global online trade show and event experience accessible 24/7 on any device anywhere in the world. The virtual summit mirrors a physical conference to produce a fully immersive experience. The platform merges traditional and digital communication, incorporating multiple tracks, speakers, rooms, venues to bring a complete guest experience to the visitor’s screen.
“Setting up a ‘regular’ ICOM event is a challenge on its own,” said Rogier Florijn, TRIMM co-owner. ”Doing this without a physical meeting is an entirely new ball game. However, being in the creative business in the event world and having met similar challenges for our clients during the past year, we felt confident that a global digital ICOM event was well within our grasp.”
This is the kind of creativity for clients that has kept ICOM agencies in the game throughout the pandemic, all coping – still coping in some markets – in different ways. Some agencies that have clients in agriculture, healthcare, and fast-moving consumer goods fared well as did those that have a digital/tech focus. Others with clients in tourism, hospitality and events were hit hard and scrambled to help their clients pivot quickly to address their target audiences differently and become accustomed to working remotely. TRIMM, for example, over the past year hosted for clients more than 50 events and finetuned the technology to stream live events, delivering a plethora of bells and whistles.
“We want our members to find great content, learn something new, hear from speakers they wouldn’t normally have access to and be able to apply some lessons learned or ideas heard across their own businesses immediately,” Morrison said.
While meeting virtually does not offer the much valued informal networking experience that ICOM members look forward to, an online event provides other advantages, such as the greater availability of exceptional speakers and the opportunity for more and varied content available to more participants. To re-imagine a 10-minute hallway chat where friends can catch up, TRIMM incorporated virtual café/pub spaces available between meetings.
In creating branding for the meeting (above right), Fitzroy wanted to convey the idea that even though everyone is back in business, it’s not business as usual. It’s more like business unusual and the only constant now is change, a state of flux, lingering between past, present, and an unknown future. As the world opens, represented by a shape-shifting bubble, the continuous movement symbolizes the fluidity, flexibility and finding flux in a brave new world.
The meeting will be opened by Prime Minister of Estonia Kaja Kallas, who will talk about how a country can bounce back from such an unprecedented crisis while actively focusing on local and European Union reforms. She will touch on how to prioritize actions and satisfy so many different and demanding stakeholders as well as on the making of Estonia itself a brand.
Other keynoters include futurist and trendwatcher Richard van Hooijdonk addressing the acceleration of smartification and whether everyone will be prepared. Sir Martin Sorrell, executive chairman of S4 Capital and founder of WPP Plc, the world’s largest advertising and PR group, will be interviewed by Advertising Age Assistant Managing Editor Jeanine Poggi about the latest trends and changes in the industry. Brent Hodgins, managing director of Mirren Business Development, will outline new trends that will impact the agency business in the year ahead: challenges, growth opportunities and their effect on new business efforts of agencies.
Interspersed will be internal learning sessions and business workshops hosted by ICOM agency member experts from C-K, Espace M, Quarry, and Rethink. These “Spotlight Session” speakers will return at the end of each day and host a 30-minute general Q&A on their specialty.
“There is something for everyone,’ said ICOM Executive Director Emma Keenan. “It’s our most inclusive meeting ever.” There are sessions specifically focused on information important to various roles within a multi-disciplinary agency - creatives, social media experts, senior management, strategic planners, data-analytics teams, digital-tech specialists, agency owners – and other sessions focused on specialized activities and services such as lead generation and SEO.
Another benefit of an online meeting is the opportunity to present content that does double duty as best-in-class industry training for all levels of agency staffs. This and other experiences with this meeting convinced ICOM that every meeting going forward will have some virtual component.
“Tech will bring you only so far,” said TRIMM’s Florijn. “The key to making an event successful is the ability to bring the unified experience to boardrooms and kitchen tables alike. A team of digital event producers complements the technical solutions and supports clients with marketing, event design, lead generation, content, and lead followup, making any event - big or small - an experience to remember.”
ICOM is among the world’s largest and most geographically diverse networks of independent advertising and marketing communications agencies, with 80-plus member agencies in 60-plus countries. Annual gross income exceeds US$500 million.
TRIMM, a digital-tech award-winning organization based in Holland, hosted more than 50 online events over the past year. For ICOM, TRIMM created a global online trade show and event experience, accessible 24/7, on any device and anywhere in the world even where there is a minimal internet connection.
MEDIA CONTACTS
Emma Keenan, ICOM executive director
+33-66-348-0137
Nancy Giges, ICOM media relations director
+1-914-683-5108