The 21st Eurocom Worldwide Annual Conference took place from 12th to 14th September 2024 in Helsinki, Finland. PR agency leaders from around the world navigated AI’s potential for both disruption and opportunity for their profession as well as exploring new strategies to manage their businesses in the light of global economic changes and generational upheavals.
The conference was attended by a record number of 32 delegates from across Europe, the Middle East, the US and Asia Pacific. This year’s agenda followed a new concept based on a larger scope of group discussions, each moderated by two agency leaders with different entrepreneurial backgrounds who catalysed and led these discussions from different angles to maximise the learning and findings for all participants.
Reinventing the Agency Business Model
Delegates discussed AI’s impact on the way PR agencies create and deliver value for clients, as well as evaluating the potential of AI-generated synthetic personas. They also navigated the potential for leveraging custom tools – AI-based or others – across the daily management of their agencies.
Another core session focused on key success drivers for PR agency management in times of fluctuating budgets and rapidly transforming service offerings. The final conference session addressed the question: What makes a PR agency ultimately special and sets it apart from its local as well as international competitors.
Conference Chairman Mike Maynard commented on the conference outcome: “Don’t trust anyone who claims to have the answer to such complex questions as those we raised at our conference. Neither AI nor the most experienced PR expert will be able to solve all of these problems. But the benefit of our global group is that we could jointly develop answers that have a practical impact for our members.”
The Annual Conference was hosted by Eurocom Worldwide’s Finnish member agency Idea Group in an exceptional century-old Art Nouveau castle. It featured a mix of local and international dinners as well as a private tour that showcased Helsinki’s history and culture.
New Members in 2024
Eurocom Worldwide has welcomed two new member agencies in 2024: Lighthouse PR in Bucharest covering Romania and the Republic of Moldova, as well as Priority Consultants, headquartered in Singapore, covering Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam for Eurocom Worldwide.
Celebration of 20th Anniversaries
The delegates warmly celebrated Robin Baker, Network Chairman of Eurocom Worldwide, who chaired and built the network for two decades, for his outstanding engagement and dedication. In addition, both Ripple Effect Communications in the US and Schwartz Public Relations in Germany were equally honoured for their 20th membership anniversary at Eurocom Worldwide.