Over 350 DRPG team members from across the company’s global offices came together for its annual summer conference on Tuesday 25th July at ACC Liverpool.
The global creative communications group was the very first agency to run a conference at the venue when it opened in May 2008 and has continued to deliver many client events at the centre over the years.
Stephanie Macfarlane, senior corporate and agency sales manager, said: “DRPG was one of the first conferences we hosted after we opened our doors in 2008 and it was a pleasure to welcome the team back as we celebrate our 15th anniversary.
“The event capitalised on the city’s musical heritage and iconic landmarks in a really fun and creative way. We look forward to welcoming the team back again in the future.”
Dale Parmenter, CEO of DRPG, kicked off the conference by recognising the significant growth that has been achieved following a tumultuous period with knock-on effects for events and creative communications businesses. Among other business updates, Parmenter outlined an ambitious five-year forecast which included more brand acquisitions, global expansion and additional employee benefits. The spotlighted theme was high performance and the optimal communication needed to achieve the brand’s ultimate goal of being ‘the agency of choice’.
Parmenter commented, “We delve deeper than most when it comes to communication tactics and methods for our clients, and it’s no different for our own business. Bringing everyone together at this point in the year is crucial to ensure our culture is where it needs to be for the year’s remaining objectives, and beyond. We set ‘growth for the future’ as the over-arching theme for this year’s conference, with the main aim to guarantee the team have everything they need to be driving high performance in an environment they love.”
“It’s always a pleasure switching seats and seeing our team go from event organisers to delegates. They received the full DRPG treatment with the help of one of the best venues (ACC Liverpool) that we’ve supported since its opening day.”
A humorous keynote talk on professional communication was a real highlight. Stephanie Davies, CEO and Head of Happiness at Laughology, picked apart habitual behaviours to better understand why humans react in the way they do and how to consciously get the very most out of interactions. Stephanie and the DRPG board then hosted breakout sessions crafted by DRPG’s own learning and development Academy. Here, the team covered ‘EPIC’ (Encouraging, Perceptive, Influential and Collaborative) behaviours and learnt how to incorporate them into their everyday.
In the afternoon, groups took to the streets of Liverpool for a purpose-made ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ of the city. Paying homage to The Beatles, the DRPG Creative and Digital teams created an augmented reality route that showcased 3D visuals relating to the band’s most popular song titles in and around famous Liverpool landmarks. The event came to a close after returning to ACC Liverpool, where dinner was served during the sunset over the docks, and Red Dwarf star and The Gadget Show host, Craig Charles, provided the evening entertainment with one of his infamous Northern Soul and funk DJ sets.
Author: Adam Parry
Adam is the co-founder and editor of www.eventindustrynews.com Adam, a technology evangelist also organises Event Tech Live, Europe’s only show dedicated to event technology and the Event Technology Awards. Both events take place in November, London.
