Together as One – Takeaways from the WPI summit in Madrid

Together as One – Takeaways from the WPI summit in Madrid

Twice a year, Worldwide Partners (WPI) organizes an opportunity for member agencies to come together, share key insights and connect with their peers through a global, multiple-day summit. Bringing together entrepreneurial spirits who have the curiosity and drive to grow together as one, these summits are a unique opportunity to gain inspiration and discuss industry topics that are relevant to independent agencies no matter what markets or parts of the world they operate in.

For Ann-Louise and Camilla, these summits are a reminder of the importance of collaboration when tackling even the toughest industry topics, and with a particular focus on client-agency relationships at the most recent summit, our Co-CEOs returned from Madrid filled with new ideas for how to deliver valuable insights, work proactively with clients and utilize AI-based tools and platforms while keeping creativity as the agency’s central powerhouse.

We asked our Co-CEOs a few questions to summarize their key findings and experiences from their time in Madrid. Here’s what they said.

One speaker that stood out to you?
Ann-Louise: “Nils Leonard, Founder of Uncommon Creative Studio. Nils reminded us of the power of diversity and creativity when building brands that people truly want to exist in the world.”

Camilla: “Sam Conniff, bestselling author and founder of several agencies. Sam encouraged us all to be ‘more pirate’ in our approach to driving innovation, seizing opportunities and starting - not just selling - something we believe in.”

One quote that stuck out?
Ann-Louise: “A brand’s cultural relevance is a brand’s survival. Strong brands start conversations and drive real change.”
– Antoine David, Co-Founder & CEO, Rosbeef

Camilla: “Are you dependent on people less ambitious than you to make your dream come true?”
– Nils Leonard, Founder, Uncommon Studio 

One insight that you gained?
Ann-Louise: “The best creative solutions arise at the intersection of a great human insight, inspiring conversations with the client and a motivation to have fun doing what we love to do – which, for us, is finding creative solutions to solve business problems.”

Camilla: “Similar to Ann-Louise, I was reminded of, and inspired by, the importance of building a shared ambition and vision of success that both our clients and our teams are truly passionate about. This can be overlooked when we’re eager to get started with solving the task at hand, but taking the time to define what ‘good’ actually looks like can make such a difference.”

One inspiring conversation you had?
Ann-Louise: “I had a great conversation with four fellow agency partners, each working in different markets, about the unique value that WPI member agencies can provide. As a global network of independent agencies, we can offer our clients a flexible way of working and access to top talent around the world. Our entrepreneurial culture is curious and solution-oriented by nature, so it comes naturally for us to connect with partners to deliver the right solutions with quality, speed and agility. This shared mindset is reflected in our enthusiasm to come together at summits like this, and it was great to remind one another about our shared belief that what we are doing together actually makes a difference.”

Camila: “A true strength of these summits is the great conversations that we get to have with our agency partners from around the world which create opportunities for finding new ways to solve business challenges together. For example, in one conversation I had with a fellow partner, we realised that together we would be able to offer our clients a production setup that is both competitive and provides scalability. Such a conversation would not necessarily have come up without the opportunity to come together, share experiences and actively work towards success for our agencies, our partners and our clients.”

One aspect of the local culture that inspired you?
Ann-Louise: “Madrid is simply an amazing city. With its beautiful and colourful traditional architecture, endless restaurants and plenty of outdoor spaces to experience local daily life, it’s the perfect location for a summit that focuses on sharing big ideas and fostering creativity.”

Camilla: “The food. It’s both traditional and modern with very diverse flavours, and everything we tasted was incredible!” 

About WPI

Advance is a shareholder and partner of Worldwide Partners, a global network of the top independent marketing services agencies in the world who share an independent spirit and entrepreneurial drive to build commerce through connectivity, creativity, and collaboration.

With 90 agencies in 50 countries, and experience in over 90 industry verticals, Worldwide Partners serves as a hub that harnesses the talent, expertise, and diversified capabilities of the agencies within our network to reimagine growth for both brands and agencies. Find out more about WPI here.