DPR&Co on the world stage

AMIN Global CEO Conference, 2022

After 2 years of virtual conferences, expectations were universally high for the AMIN Global CEO Conference for 2022 - staged in Reykjavik, Iceland in late June.

DPR&Co, as the founding AMIN APAC member, was represented by me, Phil Huzzard, Agency Principal and AMIN Global Board member, and DPR&Co Managing Director Dom Brasacchio.

The conference agenda this year was less focused on external speakers (although the quality of those we did bring in was very high) and more about sharing experiences and how to improve performance for our clients.

DPR&Co’s campaign for Box Hill Institute was an entry in the Globey’s Awards for creativity. It was very well received but was beaten to the prize by a major US campaign for Toyota and a Finnish charity campaign.

The keynote speakers were extraordinary – particularly former Saatchi global head of strategy, Rishad Tobaccowala, whose address covered 4 key areas:

• The connected nature of the world and its implications
• Talent and its role
• The challenges of accessing the best talent
• You as talent – never forgetting your own experience that can add value to your team

See his keynote address on Vimeo here.

The depth of common experiences was shared by people from all over the world – including seismic shifts in skills demand, logistical challenges, inflationary pressure, and concern over economic stability. Clearly, COVID has impacted us similarly, but the depths of pain and rates of recovery are, in many cases, starkly different – comparisons often making us glad we live in Australia.

The broadening focus on the meaning of creativity was another universal theme. It’s no longer sufficient to make highly creative advertising. Instead, we need to be part of highly creative solutions to business challenges. Some of the case studies shared among members were breathtaking in their lateral thinking and power.

About Iceland

Iceland may be high on the list of tourism destinations in Europe but was new to both Dom and me. Surprising was the clear sense of momentum and achievement in this small country (376,000 people). The food culture was amazing, as was the sense of entrepreneurship that was evident in the domestic retail and technology sectors – particularly clean technologies. The country is also amazingly enviro with close to zero net emissions. All electrical energy is thermal, as is the water that comes from the shower (albeit, slightly smelly).

The perpetual daylight was also something we’d never experienced. It was incredibly useful to be able to move around in semi daylight in the deep of the night. I’d suspect it’s not so much fun in winter.

The landscape was perfect for shooting Nordic Marvel Comic movies. Geysers, waterfalls and intercontinental tectonic fault lines - Iceland has it all.