4A's Upcoming Events

Do you know how to integrate mobile into your strategic thinking? Can you explain how mobile fits into your solutions?

The mobile customer is essential to all brands today, and you need to have a firm foundation of this rapidly developing discipline.

By the end of this half-day workshop, Nick New of The Knowledge Engineers, will teach you to understand the key principles of developing insights around your consumers and their mobile customer journeys, as well as how to identify the role for mobile and set your business objectives and success criteria.

You will learn:

• How the mobile customer journey and mobile touch-points are essential in modern communications marketing

• Insights and context for building a mobile strategy

• How location, device, context, need and intent impact solutions

• Sources and tools for mobile insights that drive strategy

• How mobile behaviors and user experience requirements differ from the web

• Key Strategic objectives for mobile

• Driving engagement

• Building relationships

• Driving Sales

• Driving response

• Examples of how tactics support objectives.

Who Should Attend

Agency staff who wants to develop confidence and skills to understand and develop mobile strategy that can give direction to mobile tactics and solutions.

Workshop Schedule
8:30 AM Registration and Continental Breakfast (included in registration fee)
9:00 AM Seminar Begins
1:00 PM Seminar Concludes

Cancellation Policy
Excluding a $25 processing fee, refunds will be granted only if requests for cancellation are received by 4A’s in writing within 7 days of event date. No refunds will be allowed after this date; substitutions will be allowed provided arrangements are made with 4A’s.

Questions?

Logistics/Registration: Contact Cecilia Graham at 212-850-0756 or cecilia@aaaa.org

Programming: Contact Bob Linden at 212-850-0750 or bobl@aaaa.org

This 4A's workshop, conducted by account planner Robin Hafitz, Open Mind Strategy, will provide the much needed opportunity for Account Mangers to develop and hone their strategic skills. Designed specifically for Account Managers, it cuts through strategy jargon to give you real-world examples that will provide immediate take-away value and make you a better partner to your creative teams, planners and clients.

In this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn both strategy development basics and some new tricks. Some of the things you will learn in this workshop include:

The differences between objective, strategy, “big idea,” executional idea and tactic. And why knowing the differences is important
Why your client’s brief is almost always wrong and how to make it right
How to sound even smarter than you are and talk the talk when you’re talking strategy
How digital strategy is different and how it’s the same
What a creative brief is not
Why an uncreative strategy sometimes leads to the best creative solution
Strategic alignment—what it is and how to make it work for you
Five questions you need to ask before writing a brief
Six questions you need to ask before starting a new business pitch.

Robin Hafitz was one of the first American practioners of Account Planning beginning with her work as part of Chiat/Day's famously winning Account Planning team. Mentored by legendary Planners, including Jane Newman and Adam Morgan, Robin in return has mentored Planners who now head departments and lead companies.

Event Schedule
8:30 AM Registration and Continental Breakfast (included in registration fee)
9:00 AM Workshop begins
Noon – 1 PM Lunch (included in registration fee)
4:30 PM Workshop adjourns (approximate)

Cancellation Policy
Excluding a $25 processing fee, refunds will be granted only if requests for cancellation are received by 4A’s in writing with 7 days of event date. No refunds will be allowed after this date. Substitutions will be allowed provided arrangements are made with 4A's.

Questions?

Logistics/Registration: Contact Cecilia Graham at 212-850-0756 or cecilia@aaaa.org
Programming: Contact Bob Linden at 212-850-0750 or bobl@aaaa.org

Based on the most aggressive best practices from Mirren's new business training, this webinar will address one of the most feared agency challenges – being an "incumbent."

A standard new business pitch is tough, but it doesn't compare to an existing client calling a review. It can shake the agency's confidence and consume a tremendous amount of resources – only to remain revenue-neutral if the agency wins. And we all know the truth; most of the time, incumbents lose.

Join Brent Hodgins of Mirren Business Development as he reveals an approach that dramatically increases the win rate for agencies caught in this difficult position.

Most agencies wait until it's too late to properly defend a piece of business. In fact, the full-on attack strategy needs to begin as soon as you proactively uncover a specific type of client concern – or when a senior marketing chief exits the company.

Be prepared to be challenged with an approach that is both advanced and contrarian. In fact, if you have any hope of retaining the business, you’ll need to break a few key rules of the pitch. The approach of a typical pitch doesn’t apply.

Highlights:

Step-by-step, you will learn one of the most innovative approaches to saving a current client:

• Why Accounts Go Into Review: Beyond the superficial “creative differences,” we’ll outline the top 3 hidden reasons clients call a review – and why you miss every one of them.

• Why the Low Win Rate: Understand why incumbents typically have a low rate of retaining the business and why your client will never tell you the truth about what’s taking place. They’ll butter you up and share how bad they feel, only to cut you loose and save their own butt later in the process.

• Breaking the Rules: The pitch process is consciously designed by clients to commoditize agencies. Given the deck is entirely stacked against the incumbent, if you plan to follow all of these rules, you might as well pack up and go home. Learn exactly which rules matter and those you have no choice but to break if you have any hope of saving the business.

• Casting the Team: Learn how you should cast the team for this particular kind of review. Should you keep the same leadership on the business or outline a brand new team?

• Reinterpreting the Brief: Simply put, the brief is not the brief – particularly when you’re defending. Learn how to completely evolve the entire focus of your team’s pitch strategy to focus on that which will be most meaningful to the client.

• Positioning: Something not often considered with an existing client. How you position the business value you create for clients needs to go through an instant and radical overhaul. If you’re not speaking to a specific set of business and marketing KPI’s, you’re odds of winning drop significantly.

• Mojo: Most importantly, your team must regain their strength. If they aren’t commanding the room – in a way that is 100% confident and authoritative – your client will become even more attracted to their “new suitors” and all their sizzle.

This webinar will dive into how to defend a piece of business with the end goal of pre-empting a competitive review – and if you should be forced to defend, the training will reveal a set of aggressive best practices designed to dramatically increase your odds of retaining the business.

Who Should Attend

This webomar is designed for agency CEOs and their Management, New Business and senior Account Management teams. There is a particular focus on those that play a role in driving the growth for roster clients and those directly involved in preparing for competitive review / RFP engagements.

About Our Workshop Leader

Brent Hodgins is the Managing Partner at Mirren, a firm that specializes in new business training for agencies in digital, PR, advertising, promotions, experiential and design. Each year, more than 700 agencies participate in Mirren’s annual conference, training programs and Webinars (www.mirren.com).

Brent has trained CEOs and senior management teams in every major region around the world. He is highly competitive as he pushes himself, his Mirren team and his clients to accept nothing less than a total commitment to winning.

His approach to converting business is down to a science—strategic and methodical and often contrarian. In fact, he believes you have no choice but to break many rules of prospecting and competitive pitching, as the process is purposely designed by clients to commoditize agencies. He also believes that agencies need to stop bowing down to clients and command the respect they deserve.

Brent began his career in account management at Leo Burnett, where he worked on Kellogg’s, Johnson & Johnson and McDonald’s. Later, at TBWA\Chiat\Day, he launched the digital group in New York before moving into new business at Wieden + Kennedy. He is a frequent guest lecturer at Harvard, MIT, NYU, Wharton and Columbia business schools.

Cancellation Policy

A $25 processing fee will apply to all cancellations.

The only thing worse than sitting through a painfully boring presentation is actually delivering a painfully boring presentation. We’ve all delivered that presentation. You know the one! You are bored giving the presentation, so it’s no surprise to see your clients in the audience dozing off or playing Words with Friends. The reality is that great ideas never sell themselves – they must come to life in the presentation.

In fact right now you may be thinking, “Oh, this Webinar will be another boring presentation.”

I promise you it won’t be. You will truly be captivated and engaged during the entire Webinar because of the very techniques we’ll be covering. We’ll be sharing real agency “before and after” PowerPoint slides so you can see if other agencies are as bad as you are. We’ll also give you the client’s perspective on what works and what doesn’t in a presentation.

Who Should Attend:
Individuals who want to present their client work in a more effective and compelling way.

Participants Leave this Webinar With the Ability to:

• Win over a client audience early on so that everyone feels ownership in a new idea
• Make presentations interactive to engage every audience member
• Deliver presentations and key messages with poise and style
• Understand how to deal with distracted clients and grouchy participants.

This Webinar will change the way you think about delivering a client presentation.

Presenter:
Brad Karsh, President and Founder of JB Training Solutions

Do you have a basic training program for young account managers? Do you wish they could get smarter, faster? Do you want them to lead your clients better and anticipate problems before they become serious? Do you wish they knew how to grow an account into a real moneymaker?

If you've ever made wishes like these, your agency should participate in the Account Management Workshop.

What Account Managers Will Learn
In this one-day workshop, Sheila Campbell will teach your account managers the skills they need to become sharp account managers. They will learn how to listen for what a client really needs, be able to turn problem accounts around without damaging the relationship, gain confidence in dealing with larger or more demanding clients, and find out how to get more business from existing clients.

Who Should Attend
The seminar is designed for account service people with at least one year of solid account service and those with less than five years experience. Account managers you think hold promise, but could use more experience, more confidence or more expertise, should attend. And, since this workshop will prove to be a valuable lesson in account management, even more experienced account managers will gain something by attending this seminar.

Workshop Schedule
8:30 AM Registration and Continental Breakfast (included in registration fee)
9:00 AM Seminar Begins
Noon – 1 PM Lunch (included in registration fee)
4:30 PM Seminar Concludes (approximately)

Questions?

Logistics/Registration: Contact Cecilia Graham at 212-850-0756 or cecilia@aaaa.org
Programming: Contact Bob Linden at 212-850-0750 or bobl@aaaa.org

Blaise Pascal famously said “I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have time.”

Many times creative briefs are neither creative nor brief. During this one-hour Webinar, Robin Hafitz, CEO, Open Mind Strategy, will demystify the process of writing a creative brief, and teach you how to write a brief that is pointed and inspiring.

In "How To Write an Inspirational Creative Brief," planners, account managers, creatives and marketers will gain the knowledge to cut through the jargon and become a better partner to your colleagues and clients. We will clarify term definitions and walk through a step-by-step process to take your briefs from the ordinary to the inspirational. Filled with practical, real-world examples, you’ll gain a better guide to crafting the perfect creative brief for your brand.

Some of the things you will learn include:

Why your client’s brief is almost always wrong and how to make it right
What a creative brief is not
Five questions you need to ask before writing a brief.

Tools and Skills You Will Walk Away With:

A Brief on Briefing. Teaching your client how to read a brief will benefit both the briefing process and creative output
Identifying a Bad Brief. How to check yourself (and your team) before pushing a creative brief through
The Platonic Brief. What all (good) briefs have in common.

About Our Webinar Leader
Robin Hafitz is one of the first American Account Planning practitioners. She has been at the forefront of the evolving brand strategy discipline, beginning with her work as part of Chiat/Day’s famous winning Account Planning team to running the Planning-centric creative boutique Mad Dogs & Englishmen to her current role as CEO of Open Mind Strategy. Mentored by legendary planners including Jane Newman and Adam Morgan, Robin in return has mentored planners who now head departments and lead companies.

Cancellations
A cancellation fee of $25 will be applied to any cancellations.

Questions?

Please contact webinars@aaaa.org | 212-850-0750

This workshop will immediately begin making your competitive pitch engagements more disciplined, strategic and engaging. From pitch discovery to capabilities sessions to final pitch presentations, learn the contrarian strategies that will separate you from the pack and hook prospects in unexpected ways.

Join Brent Hodgins of Mirren Business Development as he reveals new best practices that address each stage of the competitive review process. From beginning to end, learn an innovative approach that will consistently increase your odds of converting the business.

You are in pitches to win. This workshop is about winning business.

Highlights:

Step-by-step, you will learn the most innovative approaches to competitive reviews/RFPs, including:

• Go/No-Go Strategy: Should you pitch or walk? Articulating a set of criteria, customized to your agency, will help to remove the emotions from this decision and ensure you’re building a solid business case in terms of whether or not to engage.

• Discovery: Inject a client discovery process into every competitive review, even if the prospect hasn’t offered one. Learn how to get the prospect to open up more and how certain discovery strategies will quickly reveal the truth about what’s really going on with each review.

• Capabilities Sessions: Apply an advanced form of diagnostics to turn these critical presentations into strategic working sessions that get to the core of the prospect’s business issues while laying a foundation to convert the business in the final pitch presentation.

• Final Pitch Presentations and Storytelling: Learn the most persuasive structure for a pitch presentation—and how to better sell the benefit of your work. Incorporate the plots and rhythms of storytelling to make your presentations more captivating and persuasive.

• Strategic Horsepower: Understand why clients are looking for deeper, more pragmatic insights that drive purchase behavior. In fact, pitches are now won or lost on the insight and strategic setup—a shift from the days of “it’s only about the creative.” Review innovative approaches to better reveal, position and sell your strategy.

• Why You Lost: In cases where you come in second, learn how to uncover what went wrong with your pitch.

After training you how to uncover the truth about what’s really going on behind the scenes during a review, this workshop will arm your agency with an aggressive, innovative approach that will consistently increase your win rate.

Who Should Attend

This workshop is designed for agency CEOs, Management teams, New Business teams, and those directly involved in preparing for competitive review / RFP engagements. Those involved in establishing strategic growth plans for their agency will also find the training to relevant and insightful.

About Our Workshop Leader

Workshop Schedule

8:30 AM	Registration and Continental Breakfast (included in registration fee)
9:00 AM	Workshop Begins
Noon - 1:00 PM	Lunch (on your own)
4:30 PM	Workshop Concludes (approximately)

Cancellation Policy

Excluding a $25 processing fee, refunds will be granted only if requests for cancellation are received by 4A’s in writing within 7 days of event date. No refunds will be allowed after this date; substitutions will be allowed provided arrangements are made with 4A’s.

Questions?

Logistics/Registration: Contact Cecilia Graham at 212-850-0756 or cecilia@aaaa.org

Programming: Contact Bob Linden at 212-850-0750 or bobl@aaaa.org

There is no better opportunity to generate new revenue than through your current clients. You have a relationship, and the door is open.

Join Brent Hodgins, Managing Partner, Mirren Business Development, as he provides an approach that will teach your account teams how to mine current clients for more business. In fact, this one-day workshop will provide your teams with the tools and systems necessary to identify and attack growth opportunities—efficiently and consistently.

Highlights:

Step-by-step, learn an implementable new approach that includes:

• Shift from Reactive to Proactive: Become a trusted advisor rather than sales person by being more proactive about adding value to your client's business (and charging a fee for it).

• Client Retention: Understand why clients leave agencies or why they stay and choose to provide more business. Based on Mirren’s ongoing research, you will learn the most significant trends affecting client growth.

• Prioritize Your Clients: Identify clients that you can most quickly and easily grow, and then begin an immediate attack.

• Diagnostics as Growth System: Diagnose your clients’ key business issues and opportunities and systematically mine for new projects.

• Insights as Growth System: Understand why powerful insights about your client’s target audience are critical in converting more business. In fact, clients are looking for much deeper, more pragmatic insights—those that drive purchase behavior.

• Path-to-Purchase Modeling as Growth System: Learn to utilize this basic and fundamental strategic model to better identify opportunities that will have a direct impact on your client's business.

• Client Presentation Development: Apply the principles, plots and rhythms of storytelling to make your client presentations more compelling and persuasive. Learn a presentation structure that can be applied to all client presentations.

• Implement, Monitor & Report: Learn techniques to better gain commitment and monitor.

• Implement Consistently: Train your teams to implement all of these new systems in a way that can be counted on for consistent growth.

Who Should Attend

This workshop is designed for agency senior and mid-level account management / client services executives. There is a particular focus on those that play (or will play) a role in driving the growth for any roster clients.

About Our Workshop Leader

Brent Hodgins is the Managing Partner at Mirren, a firm that specializes in new business training for agencies in digital, PR, advertising, promotions, experiential and design. Each year, more than 700 agencies participate in Mirren’s annual conference, training programs and Webinars (www.mirren.com).

Workshop Schedule

8:30 AM	Registration and Continental Breakfast (included in registration fee)
9:00 AM	Workshop Begins
Noon - 1:00 PM	Lunch (included in registration fee)
4:30 PM	Workshop Concludes (approximately)

Cancellation Policy

Questions?

Logistics/Registration: Contact Cecilia Graham at 212-850-0756 or cecilia@aaaa.org

Programming: Contact Bob Linden at 212-850-0750 or bobl@aaaa.org

Do you rely on the digital experts in your business to help you when you speak with clients? Are there gaps in your knowledge that make you feel exposed?

Can you explain how digital marketing works as simply as you can explain how TV works? Has a digital expert ever said ‘you don’t get it’?

If you’ve ever lacked confidence to speak up during a digital discussion or have been told that you “just don’t get it,” this intensive two-day course will bring you up to an actionable 101 level across the spectrum of today’s digital requirements.

Get a firm foundation in digital marketing from social to search, measurement to mobile, and display-to-digital strategy.

Gain a comprehensive knowledge of the digital world in a fast and agency-focused fashion.

By the end of this course you will understand the basic principles of digital marketing that apply to today’s agency, across key digital marketing disciplines like social, search and mobile marketing.

Attendees learn how to work effectively with the digital team, understand what they do and how it fits in, and be able to explain how digital integrates into marketing programs to their client. This is your first essential step to being a modern marketing communications professional.

Knowing these basic moving parts will enable you to really develop your skills on the job rather than let the digitally savvy run ahead without you.

You will learn:

The impact of technology on consumers
The new customer journey & how it changes buying behavior
Introduction to digital strategy
The role of platforms and answers to the question ‘why’ are we doing this?
The new advertising landscape, what it means, & why data is important
Why search & intentional marketing is essential
Key digital tools & how you can use them to generate insights, inform campaigns and develop a basic digital brand health dashboard
How Social is used to create & drive engagement with consumers
An overview of the core digital marketing disciplines:
Search marketing
Social media marketing
Digital display advertising
Mobile marketing
Measurement& Optimization.

Who Should Attend
All agency staff who wants a solid foundation, or need to fill in the gaps in their digital knowledge as digital relates to advertising agencies. This course is for everyone from CEO’s to new recruits.

About Your Seminar Leader
Nick New began his career in brand management at Colgate-Palmolive in 1996, working in UK, Europe & the USA on product marketing, manufacturing, & research. From there he branched out to a number of agency roles across sales promotion, creative and early day experiential agencies.

Nick then joined Time Warner/IPC Media where, as Head of Marketing, he drove the expansion of media brands across digital platforms, bridging the time before MySpace emerged to when a seventh of the world’s population has a Facebook account.

He then became the Sales & Marketing Director for a digital production agency building ecommerce solutions for such artists as Oasis, Arctic Monkeys, Metallica & Adele. Joining Universal Music Group as ecommerce Marketing Director, Nick spearheaded a multi-million dollar investment to build full service direct to consumer solution for the world’s biggest record company, working on artists including Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Rolling Stones, and Taylor Swift & Arcade Fire.

He has extensive experience of working in industries disrupted by technology, and the realities of evolving consumers, advertisers and business models to new platforms.

Nick currently serves as Managing Director for The Knowledge Engineers, North America and trains some of their flagship clients.

The Knowledge Engineers is the global leader in digital knowledge and practical digital skills training for agencies and client side marketers. Regional offices in New York, London, Sao Paulo and Singapore employ a team of over 60 digital marketing experts delivering training in over 30 countries.

Two-Day Seminar Schedule
8:30 AM Registration and Continental Breakfast (included in registration fee)
9:00 AM Seminar begins
Noon – 1 PM Lunch (included in registration fee)
5:00 PM Seminar concludes (approximately)

Cancellation Policy
Excluding a $50 processing fee, refunds will be granted only if requests for cancellation are received by 4A’s in within 7 days of event date. No refunds will be allowed after this date; substitutions will be allowed provided arrangements are made with 4A’s.

Questions?

Logistics/Registration: Contact Cecilia Graham at 212-850-0756 or cecilia@aaaa.org
Programming: Contact Bob Linden at 212-850-0750 or bobl@aaaa.org

Agency-client relationships have changed dramatically in the last 10 years. The days of exclusive, long-term relationships have been replaced by not only more project-oriented work, but the new reality of agencies functioning in a federation of specialized marketing communications firms serving a single client.

Especially for client service professionals, this new environment requires a more nimble collaborative approach that can introduce a new level of complexity in dealing with multiple internal and external stakeholders.

Join Tim Williams of Ignition Consulting Group in a full day seminar sponsored by the Atlanta Council, as he looks at the new leadership and management skills that are required to be a successful client service professional today, including:

* Your role as a strategic generalist who employs the skills and resources of specialists

* Managing client priorities, not just timetables

* Changing your definition of productivity

* Moving beyond “What do clients need?” to “What are clients trying to accomplish?”

* Leading with the agile philosophy

* Why your primary job is outcomes, not activities.

When it comes to managing client relationships, your job is not just to be efficient, but rather effective. Workshop participants will come away with a new perspective on how to optimize their professional success and a new understanding of how to provide better leadership both internally and with their clients.

Who Should Attend

While many of the concepts are geared specifically for client service, all senior professionals who interface directly with clients can benefit from this workshop.

About Your Seminar Leader

This seminar is presented by Tim Williams, founder of Ignition Consulting Group, a leading consultancy devoted to helping marketing communications firms create more value for their clients. Tim is a noted author, international speaker, and presenter for major industry associations, agency networks, and business conferences worldwide. He is author of two books and is a frequent contributor to leading marketing publications including Advertising Age, Adweek, and Communication Arts in the United States and Campaign and Admap in the United Kingdom.

Seminar Schedule

8:30 AM Registration and Continental Breakfast (included in registration fee)

9:00 AM Seminar begins

Noon – 1 PM Lunch (included in registration fee)

4:30 PM Seminar concludes (approximately)

Cancellation Policy

Questions?

Logistics/Registration: Contact Cecilia Graham at 212-850-0756 or cecilia@aaaa.org

Programming: Contact Bob Linden at 212-850-0750 or bobl@aaaa.org

How Agencies Are Transforming for the Future is a thought-provoking exploration of how agencies are reinventing themselves by developing new services, reconfiguring their business models, and exploring new revenue and compensation models in the new digitally-enabled, multichannel marketing environment of the 21st century.

We’ll explore how and why agencies must change their definition of productivity and put more emphasis on effectiveness instead of efficiency. We’ll look at how agencies can better adapt to rapidly-changing client needs by taking a page from software companies who have adopted the concept of “agile” development. We’ll show how both marketers and agencies must transition from traditional to “adaptive” marketing, where success is measured not just in the long term but in real time.

In order to become more relevant and valuable to their clients, we’ll explore how agencies must get involved further up the value chain and approach marketing as an activity that should “built in” rather than “bolted on.” This means starting with the product instead of the advertising. And most importantly, we’ll look at how agencies can get paid for the value they create rather than the hours they work.

Who Should Attend:
If your role within your agency required you to lead and supervise others, or if you are in the position of guiding your agency’s transformation across this new advertising landscape, then this workshop is for you.

A few years ago, more than 32% of digital projects failed to achieve their goals and around 44% were past deadline and over budget. While those numbers have improved, the need to successfully manage digital projects is more important than ever.

You have to be current with ever-evolving terminology and best practice processes. And responsibility doesn’t just rest on the project manager—it’s everybody’s job. It doesn’t matter that account management usually manages all the briefing and change processes with the client, or that creative teams interpret the requirements. Getting it right means everybody has to understand the processes of digital projects. And that means you have to adapt to new project management processes.

Building on the great success of the webinar earlier this year, we are offering a full-day workshop to go into greater depth and practical exercises to turn learning into doing.

Nick New, Managing Director, The Knowledge Engineers, will make sure you learn the tools you need to get your projects to run smoother, on time and on budget.

Attend this one-day workshop and learn practical skills that will make a difference and help you avoid some of the pitfalls that make projects go wrong.

Highlights
* Using a discovery phase to make sure you do it right the first time
* Tips on managing requirements
* Workflows, scrums and stealing from agile processes
* The seven steps of documentation you need to get right
* How to estimate time in developing a project plan
* Common digital project pitfalls and how to avoid them

* Testing and go-live processes that can help drive success.

Who Should Attend

This workshop is ideal for all agency staff involved in delivering projects and managing clients, producers, creative and projects that include digital deliverable.

Seminar Schedule

8:30 AM Registration and Continental Breakfast (included in registration fee)
9:00 AM Seminar begins
Noon – 1 PM Lunch (included in registration fee)

4:30 PM Seminar concludes (approximately)

Cancellation Policy
Excluding a $25 processing fee, refunds will be granted only if requests are received by 4A’s in writing within 7 days of event date. No refunds will be allowed after this date; substitutions will be allowed provided arrangements are made with 4A’s.

Questions?

Logistics/Registration: Contact Cecilia Graham at 212-850-0756 or cecilia@aaaa.org
Programming: Contact Bob Linden at 212-850-0750 or bobl@aaaa.org

This new 4A’s full-day workshop will provide answers to the most challenging issues facing today's agency leaders:

•  How to affect revenue, efficiency and profitability with high involvement planning
• How to energize your agency climate using six powerful drivers
•  How to motivate team initiative beyond evaluations and compensation
• How to adapt leadership styles in various situations from high growth to uncertainty
•  How to get internal groups to work more productively together
• How to connect with younger workers who don't necessarily share the same ambitions as you and your colleagues.

By attending this workshop (previously conducted in New York with great success) which is specifically tailored to the advertising industry, your people will come away fired up with new ideas for getting a lot more out of their teams, creating a better work environment and a plan for making it all happen. This seminar is not basic training for new managers or boilerplate recommendations suited to any industry, but practical advice for running agency teams.

This seminar, conducted by Jeff Hiller, JB Training Solutions, a leading management skills training company, will provide in-depth guidance on the skills needed to lead in a changing industry. Senior agency leaders must have legitimate expertise based on new leadership skill sets that are learned, not assumed.

Who Should Attend

The workshop is designed for mid and senior level managers across all disciplines. It provides more intensive training for seasoned executives who have been exposed previously to general management training.

Workshop Schedule
8:30 AM	Registration and Continental Breakfast (included in registration fee)
9:00 AM	Workshop begins
Noon – 1:00 PM	Lunch (included in registration fee)
4:30 PM	Workshop adjourns

Questions?

Logistics/Registration: Contact Cecilia Graham at 212-850-0756 or cecilia@aaaa.org
Programming: Contact Bob Linden at 212-850-0750 or bobl@aaaa.org

You may not be as influential as you think you are! Most of us believe if we know our topic or if we feel good we must be good. One of the biggest mistakes we make is assuming how we feel determines how others perceive us. This session will give you the opportunity to take a closer look at what’s really going.

Today’s fast-paced business environment requires leaders who can impact and influence others with solid communication practices. But in the world of emails and text messages, it’s easy to overlook the importance of face-to-face communication and the focus, discipline and hard work required to be influential.

Whether you’re influencing one of your employees, delivering a presentation or facilitating a meeting how you deliver determines whether or not others see you as credible, knowledgeable and trustworthy. Without doing this effectively, you inhibit your maximum potential to influence, increase profits and build a reputation you’re proud of.

Workshop leader Stacey Hanke, will teach you how to eliminate the static that plagues communicative delivery. You will learn how to persuade, sell your ideas, motivate and move others to action. She will explain the positive actions you can take to increase your impact and value to your peers, clients and teams. This highly interactive workshop will show you how to immediately implement the influence skills and techniques you learn to your day-to-day conversations.

What’s in it for you?
• See yourself as others see you; are you as good-or bad as you think you are when you communicate with influence?
o Project confidence, credibility and trust consistently during all conversations; presentations, meetings, new business pitches, face-to-face and virtual conversations.
• Avoid the biggest mistakes that could jeopardize your reputation.
• Communicate a message using a proven strategy used by CEOs to be heard and understood.
o Connect and engage to encourage motivation, attention and action.
o Tailor your message and style on the fly to increase listener engagement.
o Communicate the value of your message to clients within the first 30 seconds of Apply the Communication Quick Start™ when preparing for business pitches, meetings, conference calls, face-to-face conversations.
• Avoid rambling, getting off track and get to the point.
o Communicate a message that meets your listeners’ needs and expectations.
o Deliver a message your listener wants to receive, not only what you want them to hear.

Who Should Attend
If you are an agency leader, senior manager, account executive or media director mark your calendar and plan to attend. This seminar will help you in your day-to-day presentations as well as in those crucial meetings with clients and new business prospects.

About Your Seminar Leader
Stacey Hanke is co-author of the book; Yes You Can! Everything You Need From A To Z To Influence Others To Take Action.

Stacey is founder of Stacey Hanke Inc. and has trained over 15,000 people to rid themselves of bad body language habits and choose words wisely. She has delivered over 500 presentations for business leaders in the financial industry to the healthcare industry to government and everyone in between. Her client list is vast from Coca-Cola, Kohl’s, United States Army, Navy and Air Force, Leo Burnett, University of Chicago, General Mills and the FDA. She has inspired thousands as a featured guest on media outlets including; SmartMoney magazine, Business Week, Lifetime Network, Chicago WGN and WLS-AM.

Seminar Schedule
8:30 AM Registration and Continental Breakfast (included in registration fee)
9:00 AM Seminar begins
Noon – 1 PM Lunch (included in registration fee)
4:30 PM Seminar concludes (approximately)

Cancellation Policy

Questions?

Logistics/Registration: Contact Cecilia Graham at 212-850-0756 or cecilia@aaaa.org
Programming: Contact Bob Linden at 212-850-0750 or bobl@aaaa.org

Rarely does someone actually get excited about a conference call. Frankly, if most of us had our way we’d never do another conference call again. But as nice as the fantasy is, that just isn’t an option. With more and more Webinars, video presentations and conference calls, we must know how to captivate our team, clients and higher ups when we’re not meeting face-to-face.

This Webinar gives the inside tips and techniques you need to deliver effective presentations when you’re not in the room— a skill particularly needed today when most remote audiences are falling asleep, checking Facebook, or playing Words With Friends. Learn tips for communicating your message in a fun way when presenting remotely (without being cheesy or cliché). Gain new strategies for conveying a strong, clear message to your virtual target audiences, and see actual before and after examples to help jazz up that remote presentation.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:
Professionals or creatives who would like to improve their presentation skills

PARTICIPANTS LEAVE THIS WEBINAR WITH THE TOOLS TO:

Structure an effective and dynamic presentation that wows a crowd—wherever they are
Reduce stress and tension related to delivering virtual presentations
Increase energy and enthusiasm to really shine through the technology
Make presentations engaging and interactive to hold the audience’s attention
Incorporate best practices and insider secrets on conference calls and online presentations
Take remote presentations to a more productive—and enjoyable—level.

This Webinar provides strategies and techniques to enable participants to captivate and impress a remote audience.

Presenter:
Brad Karsh, President and Founder of JB Training Solutions

May 19, 2015 | 2015 MAIP Spring Training: Intro to Digital Marketing

**This is part of the 2015 MAIP Spring Training Series and only open to current MAIP fellows.***

As part of the multi-week professional fellowship program, MAIP fellows receive real-world work experience with discipline specific training opportunities to further fuel growth and development. In addition to in-person summer seminars in larger markets (such as NYC, Chicago, Boston, and San Francisco), MAIP introduced a virtual webinar series in 2013 to provide national training for all markets. Building off the success of this model and the launch of Haywood R. Watkins III’s, 2011 MAIP Alum and WPP Fellow, specialized 2014 MAIP Planner’s Parley Series, the 4A’s has further enhanced its training model, creating specific tracks tailored to a fellow's discipline and the seismic changes in the industry.

Termed Spring Training, this development series will take place March-May 2015 and will serve as a primer to the start of the fellows' agency experiences. With a concentrated focus on transferable, tangible, and discipline specific training, the curated tracks will cover topics ranging from Storytelling to Coding for Communicators to Writing an Inspiration Creative Brief (pending their discipline).

Led by Mediamath, "Intro to Digital Media" will lay the foundation to the complex ad tech ecosystem and cover topics such as online display and the digital landscape.

2015 MAIP Fellows will have the option of selecting from one of the following dates/times:

Tuesday, May 19 - 12pm-1:30pm EST
Wednesday, May 20 - 12pm-1:30pm EST
Tuesday, May 26 - 12pm-1:30pm EST
Wednesday, May 27 - 12pm-1:30pm EST

2015 MAIP Fellows: There is a limited number of seats per session. Please only register for one!

May 14, 2020 | 4A's Chicago IAAS 2020

50 Year Legacy: Training Chicago Agency Rising Stars

The 4A’s Institute of Advanced Advertising Studies (IAAS) offers a unique opportunity for Rising Stars from all agency disciplines – selected by their agency leadership -- to gather for an accelerated experience that will enable them to learn from industry leaders and to apply that learning to a real-world assignment.

Accelerated (8 Week) “Pitch” Boot Camp

The IAAS is an intense, eight-week training course that uses a “new business pitch” format to provide students unique opportunities to develop/refine their skills in four key areas: Teamwork/Collaboration, Presenting/Selling Ideas, Managing Client Relationships, and the IMC Process: from Insight to Execution.

Proprietary Curriculum: Learn from Award-Winning Chicago Agency Case Studies

Northwestern University Professor, and Chicago Agency veteran Judy Franks will customize all course materials from award-winning Chicago Agency case studies. No other training program provides the rigor of case-based learning with the custom approach that features Chicago’s most celebrated work. Students will also experience agency cultures, meet agency leaders and learn from industry experts.

Registration is Open: Program Participation is Limited to 40 Students

Register At: https://www.aaaa.org/event/4as-chicago-iaas-2020
Deadline to Register: May 7^th(Note: registration will close once the 40 student cap is met)
- 1st Two Participants - 4A's Member: $1,750.00 with additional participants discounted to $1,500.00 each.
- 4A's Non-Members: $2,250.00 each participant
For more information contact:
- Program Administration/Tuition: Brian Nienhaus (bnienhaus@aaaa.org)
- Program Curriculum: Judy Franks (judyfranks@themarketingdemocracy.com)
- Registration Assistance: Kiarra Elliott (kelliott@aaaa.org)

Sep 16, 2020 | 4A's StratFest 2020

VIRTUAL EVENT: SEPT 16, 2020

Guiding your business through the coronavirus crisis. Find our latest information here.

OVERVIEW

Planning in Real-Time

In a time where markets and culture can change in an instant and speed is a competitive advantage, the strategy practice finds itself caught between the competing demands of ever-expanding remits, the need for even deeper understanding, and shrinking deadlines. The COVID-19 crisis has shown just how quickly and dramatically situations can change. At StratFest 2020, we’ll explore how strategists need to rethink the craft to both lead and deliver impact at speed.

Since its introduction to the ad industry over 50 years ago, the strategy discipline has had an undeniable impact on the ways brands communicate and connect with consumers. The 4A’s StratFest celebrates the strategist community and is home to the 4A’s Jay Chiat Awards, which recognizes the best strategic thinking in marketing, media and advertising around the world.

Due to the COVID-19 crisis we have cancelled the Jay Chiat Awards for 2020 but will continue to highlight examples of great strategic thinking.

REGISTRATION

Bring your team to StratFest! MEMBERS: 1 ticket for $195 5 can attend for $500 10 can attend for $900 NON-MEMBERS: 1 ticket for $275 5 can attend for $750 10 can attend for $1,150

EVENT CANCELLATION/SUBSTITUTION POLICY

4A’s may in rare instances, and on short notice, need to reschedule or even cancel a program or may need to substitute a speaker; this may be caused, for example, by a force majeure event. We will provide the earliest notice that we are reasonably able to provide under those circumstances. In situations where 4A’s cancels or reschedules a program, we will notify you of any applicable refund terms. Under no circumstances will 4A’s be liable for consequential or indirect damages or for any amount in excess of your registration fee.

NOTICE REGARDING EVENT SPONSORS

We may provide an attendee list to companies that sponsor this event. The attendee list may include the name, title, affiliation, and email address of each attendee. Sponsors may use this information to contact attendees about products or services that may be of interest.

QUESTIONS?

Registration: Fallon White-Jean at fwhite-jean@4As.org
Event Logistics: Fallon White-Jean at fwhite-jean@4As.org
Partnerships: Lisa Scotto at lscotto@aaaa.org
Agenda: Mollie Rosen at mrosen@aaaa.org
Speaker Submission Form: Speaker submissions are accepted until June 19, 2020.

Oct 12, 2020 | 4A's Management Practitioners Forum 2020

VIRTUAL EVENT: OCT 12-13, 2020

Guiding your business through the coronavirus crisis. Find our latest information here.

OVERVIEW

4A's Management Practitioners Forum (MPF) features mission-critical topics with speakers who share practical solutions. MPF participants are entrepreneurs, agency operations management and principals...a smart, vested and action-oriented group of thinkers and doers who will provide guidance, share proven solutions and suggestions on topics that challenge agency leaders in their day - to - day operations.

REGISTRATION

4A's Member Regular Pricing - $750 (plus up to five complimentary passes for colleagues)

EVENT CANCELLATION/SUBSTITUTION POLICY

LIVE EVENTS. You may transfer your registration to a colleague at no additional cost, but you must contact us in advance of the event to do so. There will be a $100 cancellation fee on any cancellations received more than 30 days before the event. There is no refund for cancellations received less than 30 days before the event, except that if it is impossible for you to attend as a result of severe weather (e.g. systemic flight cancellations) or similar force majeure event, 4A’s will refund 25% of your registration fee. Substitutions are (almost) always allowed. Substitutions and cancellations should be sent to Fallon White-Jean at fwhite-jean@4As.org. VIRTUAL EVENTS. No refunds will be granted for any cancellations. However, you may transfer your registration to a colleague at no additional cost. Please contact Fallon White-Jean at fwhite-jean@4As.org to transfer your registration. 4A’s may in rare instances, and on short notice, need to reschedule or even cancel a program or may need to substitute a speaker; this may be caused, for example, by a force majeure event. We will provide the earliest notice that we are reasonably able to provide under those circumstances. In situations where 4A’s cancels or reschedules a program, we will notify you of any applicable refund terms. Under no circumstances will 4A’s be liable for consequential or indirect damages or for any amount in excess of your registration fee.

NOTICE REGARDING EVENT SPONSORS

QUESTIONS?

Registration: Fallon White-Jean at fwhite-jean@4As.org Event Logistics: Fallon White-Jean at fwhite-jean@4As.org Sponsorship: Lisa Scotto at lscotto@4As.org

Nov 12, 2020 | 4A's Agency Comms IN FOCUS 2020

4A’s Closely Monitoring Coronavirus Updates Find our latest information here.

Agency Comms IN FOCUS

Signal and Noise

Remember that saying about living in interesting times? This is the state of the world and the communications and marketing industry in 2020: the most unpredictable year of our lifetimes. If ever organizations depended on the strategic and steady guidance of agency communications, it’s now.

Communications leads are agencies’ guiding compass, navigating challenges at all levels and specializing in you-name-it: media relations, internal communications, thought leadership, event planning, community management, presentation coaching, speechwriting—and, yes, crisis management. As we’ve moved through the unprecedented challenges of 2020, making critical decisions and taking significant actions for your organizations, new tools and skills are required. It’s time to regroup and prepare for the year ahead.

Before we convene for our Agency Comms Summit in 2021, please join us on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020, for 4A’s Agency Comms IN FOCUS: an afternoon of insightful virtual content exploring the best of what we’ve learned and how to prepare for the recovery and revival in 2021. 4A’s Agency Comms IN FOCUS will feature honest conversations with top journalists and best-in-class industry partners as we collectively define our new tools for survival.

4A’s Agency Comms IN FOCUS will explore ideas, tools, and strategies to help communicators thrive in the new normal.

REGISTRATION

Member Free Non-Member Free

EVENT CANCELLATION/SUBSTITUTION POLICY

VIRTUAL EVENTS. No refunds will be granted for any cancellations. However, you may transfer your registration to a colleague at no additional cost. Please contact Fallon White-Jean at fwhite-jean@4As.org to transfer your registration.

4A’s may in rare instances, and on short notice, need to reschedule or even cancel a program or may need to substitute a speaker; this may be caused, for example, by severe weather or other force majeure events. We will provide the earliest notice that we are reasonably able to provide under those circumstances. In situations where 4A’s cancels or reschedules a program, we will notify you of any applicable refund terms. Under no circumstances will 4A’s be liable for consequential or indirect damages or for any amount in excess of your registration fee.

NOTICE REGARDING EVENT SPONSORS

QUESTIONS?

Registration: Fallon White-Jean at fwhite-jean@4As.org
Event Logistics: Fallon White-Jean at fwhite-jean@4As.org
Sponsorship: Aaron Zimmerman at azimmerman@4As.org

Jan 25, 2021 | 4A's Decisions 2021

VIRTUAL EVENT: JAN 25-26, 2021

Guiding your business through the coronavirus crisis.
Find our latest information here.

OVERVIEW

The world has changed more dramatically in recent months than it has over the previous 50 years. Suddenly, an entire industry is mobilizing to lead and grow business during an unprecedented health and economic crisis. And every day, industry leaders add new pages to the playbook.

The power to change is more than urgent. It’s critical to survival—for brands, for agencies, for the nation. We can’t afford to wait to shape the future of media, data, privacy, and technology. The moment to shape these decisions together is now.

In our all-virtual program, 4A’s Decisions 2021 will explore what’s new and unprecedented today, and what’s coming tomorrow. Discuss, debate, and collaborate on real solutions. Trade innovative, transformational ideas you can use immediately.

Now more than ever, planning for a thriving future depends on all of us. Join us online for Decisions 2021 so we can unleash our power to change our organizations, our industry, and our world.

REGISTRATION

MEMBERS:
Regular - $750

NON-MEMBERS:
Regular - $900

(plus up to two complimentary passes for colleagues)

EVENT CANCELLATION/SUBSTITUTION POLICY

NOTICE REGARDING EVENT SPONSORS

QUESTIONS?

Registration: Fallon White-Jean at fwhite-jean@4As.org
Event Logistics: Fallon White-Jean at fwhite-jean@4As.org
Partnerships: Lisa Scotto at lscotto@4As.org