As client needs change, agencies have to be adaptable to rise to the challenge of meeting them. To do this, it is imperative to have one eye on the agency landscape to identify innovations that can keep your agency at the cutting edge, and identify new challenges on the horizon.

In this session we will look into some of the key developments agencies are adopting and how agencies will need to change to set up for success. Among other topics we will study whether integrating an agency can provide a better proposal, whether going virtual can help you to better service clients and discuss what clients will require in future, as well as giving you an opportunity to put your questions to our speakers.

Join us at PRWeek’s Future Agency Breakfast Briefing to gain insight and inspiration from a wide range of agencies, both large and small on the twists and turns the next 12 months may take.

Agenda

09:00 Chair’s opening remarks

09:05 Breaking down the silos - moving towards an integrated model

Having individual silos allows teams to specialise and meet specific needs. However, with clients increasingly looking for integrated offerings from agencies, silos can also perpetuate and enhance their differences and make it hard to service clients across several disciplines. In this talk Michael Frolich will talk about why Ogilvy recently decided to move towards a fully integrated model, and how doing so has benefitted both clients and the bottom line.

Michael Frolich, CEO, Ogilvy PR

09:30 Ditching the office - what can we learn from the virtual model?

In the last couple of years we have seen a number agencies giving up their offices, and servicing clients remotely. In this session PR Network will present a case study on how going remote has allowed them to better services their clients, the advantages and disadvantages of this model and what lessons can be brought back to traditional bricks and mortar business.

George Blizzard, Co-Founder, PR Network
Nicky Imrie, Co-Founder, PR Network

09:55 Fireside chat: what do clients want from ‘the agency of the future’?

How can agencies better serve their clients in the future? What changes or services do they really want to see? In this interview Alice McAndrew from Thomas Cook will answer exactly that. In this frank discussion we will dig down into what agencies need in their arsenal to best service clients in future, as well as what elements of the current agency model clients would like to see improve.

Alice Macandrew,Group Corporate Affairs and Communications Director, Thomas Cook

10:10 How is the agency model changing

Panel discussion

In this panel discussion our speakers will give their predictions on how the agency model will evolve over the next 12 - 18 months and the financial and commercial implications of these changes. As well as answering questions from the audience the panel will tackle topics such as:

• Is the move from retainers towards projects gathering pace? And how will agencies need to adapt to those changes?
• The impact of automation; how much of business practices should be automated in agencies?
• Creating demonstrable value to clients and standing out from the crowd.
• Are consultancies threatening on traditional agency territory?

Michael Frolich, CEO, Ogilvy PR
George Blizzard, Co-Founder, PR Network
Nicky Imrie, Co-Founder, PR Network
Pietro Ranieri, Founder, Ranieri Comms

10:50 Chair's closing remarks

10:55 Close of event