Communication professionals from all across Europe gathered in Berlin to network with peers, update their knowledge and look at the state of affairs in the profession.
Trust, evolve, create and effect were the key themes under which the summit organised its sessions. I'm always very impressed with the Summit and the high level ideals it inspires in the profession. Starting with the Human Cyborg keynote, Neil Harrison, who found a solution to his colour blindness by listening to colour. This inspired us to look at other perspectives of common issues. How can we think outside our routines and find new solutions?
The next stop was employer branding, which is an evolution of internal communication. Here again, the solution found by Tata Consultancy to utilise their employees talents outside work to market the organisation was extraordinary. The organisation showcased the extraordinary talent of its employees outside their work life. There is something about talent that communication and leadership must not neglect.
Amongst the many other case studies presented during the day, the Winner of the Young Communication Talent - elected by the rooms' applause - was an example of brilliance and out of the box thinking. With little budget and a team of two - a communicator and a designer -, Claire Georges, Press Officer at Europol, won with her campaign: EU Most Wanted 'Wish You Were Here'. A collection of postcards addressed to Europes' most wanted criminals that made headlines worldwide. The campaign was presented by a police looking dressed Claire, of which the room expected a somewhat boring presentation, and that won the room with humour from a dynamic young lady and a hilarious communication campaign.
Finally, it was another young talent on stage that closed the summit and made us think about the future. Generation Z, who will enter the work force in 2020 currently has a different set of values from Millennials and other generations. Chloe Combi gave us precious insight into the personas that many organisations are already targeting in their consumer branding. Stay tuned for all the recordings of the Summit produced and the Working Group on Content will bring out via the EACD channels.
Last but not least, we were even trending on twitter!!! Check it out!