4A’s ANGLES Conference Leaves Agency Comms Professionals Energised and Inspired

Over 200 comms professionals and top-tier journalists gathered at ANGLES to talk all things comms on December 3. Agency positioning, fostering relationships and embracing innovation to drive business growth emerged as key takeaways. The lineup of powerhouse panelists included industry leaders like Anaka Kobzev (McCann Worldgroup), Toni Lee (TL Communications), Steph Clements (Innocean USA) and several others. One of the highlights of the conference was POV with the Press Journalists–candid conversations where journalists from Ad Age, Adweek, Haymarket Media and The Wall Street Journal shared insights and effective pitching strategies to help agencies stand out through unique storytelling and positioning. The event highlighted the importance of strategic communication, the value of human experience in adopting tech and the vital role of PR in business development. Attendees left with actionable takeaways to navigate the complexities of the modern comms industry.

Attendees left with a deeper understanding of how to effectively pitch and position stories and build strategic partnerships. The key takeaways and on-demand content from the conference are available at the link below.

Find key takeaways and session recordings here.

In the Words of Attendees

“Finding time to come together for these events, whether virtually or in-person, is so important. I find anyone associated with the 4A's community to be supportive, knowledgeable, open-minded…only looking to share best practices. And to see the involvement from the media means so much. It's clear both sides - PRs and press - are here to support the ad/marketing community in the best ways.” said Carly Rullman Walsh, communications director, Arts & Letters Creative Co.

“I had the honour of attending and speaking at this year's ANGLES Conference, and had the best time! It's always a great feeling to be in a room with people who just "get you" and get "it".

Our brand comms colleagues are fueling our company's brands, POV and reputations every single day, so it was great to come together as one. I loved speaking about the necessary partnership between growth and brand comms, and the strategic rigor that is required to drive success. Thank you so much to the organizers, and I can't wait until the next conference!” said Courtney Williams, VP, head of business development at The Martin Agency.

More testimonials

“Honestly the most valuable conference I’ve been to to date. Every session had meaning and dynamic speakers, I loved that it was a half day and my time felt so well spent.”

“Highly encourage PR/comms folks to attend: content practical and useful; chance to get up close with key industry journalists; solid networking opportunity.”

“If you think about or touch agency external communications, this is an event not to miss. You will leave energized and educated and will feel more connected to the ad agency industry.”

“I'm incredibly thrilled that I was able to attend ANGLES 2024. I found it so insightful with tangible, impactful takeaways that I can action in my day-to-day. Even attending virtually, it was engaging where I was constantly taking notes, trying to keep up with the nuggets of knowledge being shared! Thank you 4A's for this wonderful event and hope you do many more like this.”

“I could not attend the event in person and assumed I'd be multitasking during the virtual presentation of ANGLES 2024. The content was so interesting, I kept closing other windows and giving the event my full attention. Each panel was critical to what I do. Wish the event was annual!”

Some of the speakers were featured on LBBO in a five-part series leading up to the event. Check out the articles at the links below. 

• Your Agency Brand Is the Most Important Thing About You -  Courtney Williams, VP, head of business development at The Martin Agency
• Great Comms Can Help Ensure Great Work Isn’t Forgotten - Steph Clements, Director of Public Relations, INNOCEAN USA 
• If PR Isn’t Driving Agency Growth, It Isn’t Doing Its Job - Toni Lee, founder and CEO of Toni Lee Communications 
• PR and Comms Done Right Should Be a Company's Greatest New Business Driver - Oliver McAteer, Partner and Head of Development, Mischief
• Even the Most Brilliant and Powerful Ideas Need Champions - McCann Worldgroup’s Anaka Kobzev

Featured Speakers and Panelists Included:

• Adrienne Lucas, Head of DEI & Strategic Partnerships, The One Club for Creativity
• Anaka Kobzev, Global Chief Communications Officer, McCann Worldgroup
• Ann Rubin, EVP, Marketing, Communications & Events, 4A's
• Courtney Williams, VP, Head of Business Development, The Martin Agency
• Geno Schellenberger, CEO, Breaking and Entering Media
• Jeff Sweat, Founder, Sweat + Co
• Jennifer Risi, Founder and President, The Sway Effect
• Jon Iwata, Executive Chairman, Data & Trust Alliance, and former IBM Chief Brand Officer
• Julie Thompson, Founder & Fractional Chief Marketing Officer, juliethompsoninc
• Leah Steinhardt, VP of Marketing, POSSIBLE
• Marla Kaplowitz, CEO, 4A's
• Matt Ryan, CEO, Roth Ryan Hayes (RRH)
• Oliver McAteer, Partner & Head of Development, Mischief
• Simone Oppenheimer-Mandel, Co-Founder, NBZ
• Steph Clements, Director of Public Relations, INNOCEAN USA
• Tanya Dua, Senior Technology Editor, LinkedIn News
• Toni Lee, President, Toni Lee Communications

Co-chairs of the 4A's Comms Committee Rebecca Sullivan, Director of Public Relations, North America, VML and Suzanne McGee, Director, Marketing & Communications, EP+Co. co-hosted the event and moderated some of the panels.

Journalists featured at ANGLES included:

• Jameson Fleming, Editor-in-Chief, MM+M
• Kyle O’Brien, Agencies Reporter & AgencySpy Editor, Adweek
• Jeanine Poggi, Editor-in-Chief, Ad Age
• Sabrina Sanchez, Senior Creativity Reporter, Ad Age
• Suzanne Vranica, Advertising Editor, Wall Street Journal
• Anthony Ha, Weekend Editor, TechCrunch
• Alison Weissbrot, Executive Editor, Adweek

The conference was followed by a reception providing the opportunity for attendees to network with agency and media colleagues.