The Big Event

Marketing an agency is tough. Very tough. With so many tactics and strategies to choose from, it can feel overwhelming deciding how to approach it and what to prioritise first.

The industry has changed and developed a lot in recent years and the things that worked then are not necessarily the things that work now - there’s new basics in town.

In this panel, we’ll discuss and cover how best to approach your agency marketing and offer tips and advice from some very experienced and knowledgable people on how to build your sales and marketing engine.

We’re pleased to welcome:

Dan Archer - Managing Partner for Marketing at Cactus
Camilla Honey - MD at jfdi
Jennifer Szczepaniak Sloane - Head of Marketing at Dark Horse
Vimal Patel - Founder of Giant Digital

I’m a brand side CMO and Marketing Director - Ask Me Anything!

During this session, you’ll get the chance to peak behind the curtain and ask those questions you’ve been dying to ask an experienced, senior brand side marketer, but never do for fear of putting them off (they’re likely a prospect after all!). Lucas will be centre stage with a microphone to take and answer any of your questions to help you understand the mindset and perspective of a CMO in 2023. Think you know everything? This might reveal some new basics…

Lucas was most recently Group Brand Marketing Director at used car marketplace Cazoo, part of the founding team. He spent the first 15 years of his Marketing career on major FMCG brands such as Old El Paso, Haagen-Dazs, Heineken and Pepsi. The last eight years have been spent in marketing leadership roles at MoneySuperMarket, Aviva and Cazoo.

Activating your network - Building and using your personal brand to grow your agency

Many of us spend considerable time and money on building our network but few then look to drive value from it. A new basic in 2023 is to grow a network, develop a personal brand for yourself and use this ‘fame’ to drive connections and conversations back into your agency.

Kathryn Strachan, founder of CopyHouse, epitomises this approach and has focussed relentlessly on building a network and driving value through her personal brand.

In her talk, she’ll share her story of how she’s approached it, what she’s learned and why it’s a new basic every agency founder should consider.

From AM to PM - Why splitting these roles out is a crucial new basic for agencies.

For many agencies in the early stages, having a blended AM / PM role makes sense. However, splitting these roles out is vital for growth and is a new basic every founder should be considering as soon as they can. Why? Joanne and Jenny will share the reasons as well as sharing their suggestions for what these roles should look like, how to hire for them and how to structure them for maximum value in this joint talk.

Joanne and Jenny are two of the most experienced in their areas in the industry. Joanne is Managing Partner for service delivery at Cactus with a deep background in project management, operations and delivery. Jenny needs little introduction, as founder of Account Management Skills, there is nothing she doesn’t know about managing and structuring agency commercial teams.

Protecting your revenue. Protecting your staff. Protecting your creativity.

Protecting your agency is your top priority. Be it your revenue, your staff or the products and services you offer, the industry has changed a lot and what might not have been needed a few years ago could now be #1 on your ‘protection’ shopping list. For example - a proper shareholders agreement with any co-founders that’s not written on a napkin or verbally agreed over a drink. Professionally written Client terms so you don’t risk scope creep or high debtor days. Even clarity around IP, especially if you’re using AI to create assets for clients. Robust procesess around these things now will save a lot of time, stress and money in the future.

A fundamental basic for agency founders and owners is ensuring the watertight legal protection for all parts of your agency - but it can be a bit confusing to know where to start, what to prioritise or simply what ‘good’ looks like.

Of all the areas you could focus on – you’ve told us the most important is how you engage with your clients, how you manage the work you do for them (and what you’re not doing for them!) and how you get paid.

In his talk, Jon Craddock of specialist agency legal firm Hybrid Legal will share the top 3 problems that agency owners experience with clients and what you should have in place if you have nothing else sorted.

Expect to come away with specific actions you can follow up on immediately.

People and culture - The 5 new basics you need to consider in your agency.

Building the right team and creating a great culture is one of the biggest challenges you'll face as an agency owner. From employee retention, to attraction, to your cultural values , the evolution of the employer value proposition has shifted from a great benefits package and trendy workspace to being far more about integrity and a lifestyle value match, forcing agencies to adapt and recognise they have to live and breathe far beyond the story they sell..

Sarah runs Fresh Seed, a consultancy set up specifically to help navigate the nuances of managing your people, culture and values. Her years of experience have given her a valuable perspective on what's changed and where things are going.

A new basic for those running an agency is ensuring the right balance of focus on people and culture, amongst the 101 different hats you'll be wearing. During her talk, Sarah will share with you 5 changes from 'back then' compared to now and offer her unique advice on how to navigate them as you grow your agency.

A collection of some of the best minds in agency finance. This panel will answer the burning questions around your financials and will look at the core basics you need to have in place in 2023 as you scale your agency.

Expect to cover the main issues affecting cashflow including how to track and improve profitability, the importance of time tracking, managing your cashflow, planning for the long term and much more!

Arguably one of the biggest areas of stress for any agency owner - this panel will aim to give you some valuable insight and advice to take away with you.

You’ll hear exclusively from:

Luci Perry - Finance Director at Freestyle
Rob Dando - Founder of FINALLY
Joe Walton - Managing Partner at Fight or Flight
Alfie Wenegieme - Managing Partner at Cactus

One vision. Multiple paths. Why getting the basics right is so important.

A new basic for any agency owner – one that is fundamental for ensuring the future success of your agency is having a clearly defined and well-articulated vision.

A statement that paints a picture of the end goal. A set of well-crafted words that inspires belief among everyone and delivers the sense of purpose needed to work towards it.

Having a vision, North Star or mission isn’t new, but in 2023, the journey to achieving it is far more disruptive than it was 10 years ago. Changes in customers, competitors, society and technology all chip away at even the best laid plans.

Phil Blackmore, Co-Founder and Creative Partner at Create Health set about establishing his 5-year vision after completing an MBO in January 2020. It’s been anything but a smooth ride, forcing Phil and his team to navigate many twists and turns.

In his session, Phil will share the story of this journey so far, combined with what he’s learned along the way and his advice for the basics any agency should consider when creating a team vision.

Making Magical Moments That Matter

A new basic in 2023 for an agency leader is the ability to foster strong relationships, read 'between the lines’ and make the most of the moments that matter. Not only important for managing your growing team, by understanding behaviours and personalities, you're able to build lasting relationships with clients and your staff beyond a professional one - vital as you grow.

Daryll Scott hardly needs an introduction, he is an ex agency owner but also a professional coach with twenty years of experience coaching individuals and teams, and consulting at leadership level to brands like Apple, Barclays, Deloitte, Pret-A-Manger and Virgin Atlantic.

In his session, Daryll will share the three leadership communication challenges that come up day after day, year after year, in businesses of all sizes, and the interpersonal awarenesses that are a complete game changer.

No stage hypnosis this time - we promise.