GCP 2019 AGM held in Brussels, hosted by Interel

June 20-21, 2019, Brussels, Belgium – 16 member agencies of Global Communication Partners – independent financial specialists – met in Brussels, Belgium, this year to attend the 23rd AGM, share knowledge and insights, as well as learn about the imminent issues facing the European Union.

Hosted by the group’s Belgian agency, Interel, this year’s line-up of speakers shared valuable insights about the European Union and the communication challenges and its effects on the communication industry. Speakers included Richard Steel, Senior Advisor at Interel on the European Union, who shared his insights on the EU, its institutions and how it works, as well as the communications challenges faced in the evolution of the European Union; Xavier De Pauw who is the Group Head of Strategic Innovation, DegroofPetercam and FinTech Belgium, Natasha de Teran, Head of Corporate Affairs at SWIFT; Olivier de Groote, Financial Services Industry Leader at Deloitte; Etienne de Callatay of Orcadia AM; and academic specialists Pierre Defraigne (Madariaga-College of Europe); Hylke Vandenbussche (Leuven University); and Claus Sorensen (Former Advisor to President of EU Commission).

Member agencies also gained an extraordinary experience of ringing the starting bell of Euronext Brussels on June 21.

One of the distinct characteristics of the GCP AGM is the amount of experience and insights that is shared among the member agencies on a diverse topics ranging from identifying new business opportunities, sharing best practices, to exchange programs for staff and joint marketing activities. This year was no exception.

In particular, key themes top-of-mind among member firms were:

• Reputation and Change Management – How do we reposition our clients in the market and the world?

• Agency transformation & diversification: What is the right roadmap?

• Recruitment, retention & reskilling: How do we align our people with our purpose, ambition and opportunity?

Meanwhile, 2 full days of meetings among member firms concluded that the top 3 growth sectors for 2019 were financial services, fintech, and health, while the top 3 services growing in demand among member agency clients was data-driven content marketing, crisis/issues management, and reputation management. And the biggest issues facing clients are innovation/disruption, local, regional, global instability, and political and regulatory instability.

The 24th AGM of 2020 will be held in Sydney, Australia, to be hosted by Honner.