As a newly appointed team tead on the SPS MARKETING team, in addition to all the new challenges the position brings, I also enjoy the privilege of attending leadership meetings. One of the most exciting meetings of this kind is the annual general meeting of the E3 agency network.
You can think of these meetings as a club that has been welcoming new members, as well as new talent, alongside core agencies and individuals for 30 years. For someone like me – stepping into this illustrious circle of founders, executives, creatives and businesspeople for the first time – this brings back memories from my teenage years, when I was invited by friends to parties of people in their circles of friends that I didn't know at all. It’s a mixture of excitement, anticipation and a pinch of self-consciousness – everyone seems to have known each other for ages, only I don't know anyone, just my colleagues.
In the E3 agency network, we regularly exchange ideas with other independent marketing agencies from all over the world. The aim? To better meet the international requirements in marketing, but also to combine knowledge on brand strategies and communication. The active networking, the expertise and the experience of other marketing specialists not only fuels our joy in new discoveries, but also brings us exciting insights into other markets, strategies and tools. (Interested? You can find out more here: Webinars and Podcasts).
The atmosphere after our arrival in Herning, Denmark, the venue of this year's meeting, is initially a bit sleepy. We walk to the Happy agency, the host of this year's meeting. However, it quickly gets exciting after I sneak into the founders' meeting and listen to the CEOs' first discussions. What fascinates me right away, is the openness with which the members talk about their challenges in daily business, on the market and in their companies. There's an intense exchange on topics like knowledge transfer, growth, finance... these are things that are usually only discussed behind closed doors. This was to become a trend that would accompany and fascinate me for the next three days. I had planned to meet as many people as possible and not fall into the trap of spending most of my time with my team. This turned out to be easier than expected, as the open atmosphere and the good mood that all the participants exuded was infectious and the conversations just started flowing naturally.
Apart from the content-related supporting program, the location of the event also plays an important role, of course, because as we all know, celebrating together is just as important as working together. Herning, with its 50,000 inhabitants, has more to offer on this front than we thought, and the "Fox & Hound" ¬– a pub where there was always a lot going on – quickly became the place to be. At least for the few hours that were not taken up by events or workshops. In addition to beer and partying, Herning also offers some exceptionally good restaurants, which excited all of us because we really appreciate exciting cuisine. From Japan fusion to classic Danish cuisine to street food – we tried a bit of everything and were not disappointed.
From the second day on, everyone was much more relaxed, and the previous day’s conversations could resume – albeit at a slightly slower pace because of the party the night before. In the slightly hungover workshop, we found ways to save the world, or at least try to, by looking at the 17 sustainability goals. The theme of sustainability was the framework of this year's meeting and brought exciting speakers to the stage. One of the standout guests was Kristian Jensen, Denmark’s former Minister of Finance. A charismatic idealist and lobbyist, he’s been campaigning for a greener Denmark with enormous conviction and has been doing so successfully for many years.
Another highlight of the E3 general meetings is the BoI, the Best of International. It’s a competition in which all participants can award bronze, silver or gold. Participating agencies select a client project to present, that is judged by the other participants. This year is very special for us because we won gold for the first time! When creative colleagues from the industry are judged, it’s usually very strict – you have to make an extra effort. That is why we are so happy about the award!
The last day takes us to Højhuset, a renovated school from the 60s, with an impressive, classic Danish interior. The view of the countryside around us reveals that there is not much going on… at least, not if you are used to the mountainous landscape of Austria. We do, however, see many of the wind farms Kristian Jensen told us about.
The last stop is somewhat surreal. Elia. A monstrosity of an art installation reminiscent of an anti-aircraft battery from the Star Wars universe. Oversized steps lead to an abyss in the center of the dome. An actual flamethrower slumbers in the center, and blasts a huge flame at unknown intervals.
There is only one known video recording of the spectacle. The creator happens to be the brother of one of our hosts at Happy. In any case, it's an exciting, if controversial, work of art. I'm definitely on the side of "good that something like this exists." Many in Herning disagree, I'm told.
This brings us to the end of the trip, and after heartfelt goodbyes, we head back to Linz. The return journeys are always quiet for me. After so many hours of togetherness, I enjoy not having a conversation for a few hours, not having to do any thinking and being able to process all the impressions in peace. It was nice in Herning, warm, open, quirky and memorable. My first E3 meeting ends with a tired but satisfied "Ciao" at the Linz train station and a relaxed walk home. I'm already looking forward to the next E3 event to pick up the remaining threads of conversation. Even though it sounds like a lot of fun, networking is a very important and serious part of successful agency work. There is so much going on in our company and in the industry that we never run out of things to talk about. And if we do, we simply switch to the many hobbies we all enjoy. See you soon, Herning, someday we’ll meet again.
If you're interested in exciting insights from the E3 network, you can look forward to our new podcast 02 "Inside B2B Marketing India". More about that in the next blog article!
