Agencies “Converge” in Boston
It was 360’s turn to host the bi-monthly meeting of our Converge agency network this month. The regular meeting of the Converge member firm partners coincided with a Converge Digital professional development session, which we also hosted. The meetings brought partners and digital staff from the Converge member firms from across the US to Boston, including: Carmichael Lynch Spong, Duffey Communications, M Booth, rbb Public Relations, The Rogers Group and Vollmer Public Relations.
Our new DC member firm, Harbour Group, was also represented by partner Richard Mintz, who served as press secretary for Sen. Clinton when she was in the White House during her husband’s presidency. Harbour Group is a great addition to Converge, giving us a strong, plugged-in public affairs presence in Washington for clients who need it.
Converge is a two-year-old network of mid-sized firms with dominant market positions and award-winning boutiques that gives member firms’ clients efficient, on-ground reach in key markets, as well as special expertise - like Harbour Group’s public affairs experience and Rogers Group’s Latino market expertise. Prior to launching 360 in ‘01, I spent a decade in global agencies that had their own offices across the country. What I like about the Converge model is it’s completely flexible - to be used as needed, with no added overhead or markup, just straight value-add.
I also like the exposure to different agency cultures - it’s not a “one-size fits all” approach. As a result, I always leave Converge meetings with new ideas for 360 and our clients. The collaborative spirit and shared knowlede base make each agency better. The Converge Digital session is a timely example. Each agency presented a digital case study. With multiple agencies and perspectives, we were able to cover a lot of ground in the two-day session, including best practices in blogger relations, online video, metrics and more, plus the latest tools for tracking and outreach. Twitter was a hot topic and continues to be one of my favorites!
We also brought in some phenomenal outside speakers from the digital space.  More on those later this week, when 360 Digital Media Manaer Elicia Basoli blogs.
Agency networks are worth a look if you’re unfamiliar with them. PR Week wrote an article about Converge in 2006, when the network was formed. Read it here for more info.
Great summary Laura. I learned a lot and it was great to meet everyone. I have to say, though, did the two days of meetings fly by, or what?!?! Before I knew it everyone was getting on a plane and going home. Time flies when you’re productive
I wish I could have been there! I heard it was a great session.
Also, to add to the twitter conversation..check out what NYT is doing tonight http://themoment.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/17/invitation-only-the-moment-on-twitter/