Sometimes, getting out of town, out of your head, and into the company of fellow leaders and professionals in your industry provides just the right jolt of energy. So it went for myself and Abel Communications VP, Jessica Fast, as we ventured down to San Antonio for the Worldcom North American region conference in October. The theme: “Inspiration: Deep in the Heart.” 

Some context… Earlier this year, our firm joined a group of 84 partners in 39 countries as part of Worldcom, a global partnership of independent agencies. No, we didn’t get acquired or merge with a larger entity; we were invited to apply as the Baltimore region agency, then met Worldcom’s rigorous standards to join a long-established and professionally-run network of outstanding agencies. One of the benefits of membership is that if any of our clients have an opportunity or a challenge anywhere in the world, we most likely have an established and vetted partner agency, ready to help.

For me personally and professionally, Worldcom opened up a new network of fellow business owners and leaders who face similar challenges and opportunities. If you’ve ever been to a great industry conference, you know the feeling; it’s when you can dispense of the need to provide a lot of background information or details when talking shop because, odds are, they’ve been where you’ve been and just plain get it.

Over a few days of conversations, roundtables, and nights on the town, my belief in the power of this type of community – and this community specifically – only strengthened. There’s so much to consider implementing or investigating after sitting with leaders from more than three dozen other agencies for a few days. 

In the spirit of sharing, here are three key takeaways from the conference:

  • There’s an art and science to annual planning that can shape the year ahead. I spent time talking to other leaders about the benefit of taking time away from the day-to-day not just for conferences like Worldcom, but to set important goals and milestones for the year ahead. Most find ways to do so with both a senior team and in an “all hands” fashion; both provide opportunities to reinforce the culture and vision of the agency.
  • The importance of fun. I couldn’t help but find a correlation between the agencies that seemed to be thriving and those with leaders who place value on enjoying their work and creating enjoyable experiences and work environments for their teams. This doesn’t mean being silly or lightweight; on the contrary, it means taking fun seriously and making sure to make time for the kind of connections that bring out the best in your team. 
  • No one has it all figured out! This point was important for me to digest. Among agencies large and small, in markets all over North America, many of our challenges are similar and consistent; such as the ever-present need to attract and keep great clients and talent. The agency business isn’t easy, but emphasizing teamwork, innovation, and mutual respect between client and agency makes it incredibly rewarding.

Lastly, I’ll say that as a first-time visitor, I loved San Antonio and just felt it was so cool for the host agency, KGBTexas, to be given the opportunity to show off their hometown. Their pride in the culture, cuisine, and history of this interesting and historic city was evident in the programming, design, gift bags, and all the little touches that come with being a host. 

So, thank you to Wordcom and KGBTexas for a great conference, and I’m excited to bring some of these great new ideas to the table for our clients and team in Baltimore and beyond.