London called: The 2025 AMIN Global Conference.

At Crowley Webb, we are truly fortunate to have partnerships with more than 50 agencies around the world in nearly 30 countries. It’s part of our AMIN affiliation, a network of independent agencies just like ours who regularly tap one another for resources, industry-specific experience, and so much more. And a few times throughout the year, we also gather for meaty conferences and invaluable networking. This summer, Tricia Barrett and I had just this kind of opportunity to do so in London. And the three-day experience was nothing short of brilliant.

Now, we certainly can’t give you every single silly detail of those three days (that sometimes slipped into the wee hours), but we can give you highlights of a conference that wasn’t lacking them at all. How could it be with nearly 100 of our colleagues representing all 50 agencies? There was a total of 20 rock solid sessions, each of which offered some new perspective on our industry, how we approach clients, and how we build and support our agency cultures in this ever-changing world in which we live in. Oh, and there were zero talks that focused on AI, but all 20 mentioned it. So, yeah, ubiquity. Anyway, here’s an abridged version of all we brought back from across the Atlantic.

The deadliness of dull.

The conference kicked off with Jon Evans and, oh wow, did we begin with a bang. Jon hosts the Uncensored CMO podcast, so he knows a thing or two about connecting with clients (see his title). He offered that he initially used this platform as a way to connect with interesting CMOs. Try to get a call with a busy CMO? Not likely. Invite them on your podcast that now has two million downloads? Here’s my calendar.

Jon’s talk was less about the marketing innovators he has on his show each week and more about what they can all agree on – being boring is bad. He provided hard data (because no one believes expert opinions anymore) that putting dull ads into the world is actually harmful to brands. This basically blows the doors wide open with a bazooka for creativity, as long as you’re willing to take a risk. Because not taking one may be the biggest of them all (A CW philosophy point!). We should all definitely listen to Jon. The man and his podcast.

Slowing down.

We heard from Sophie Devonshire, who schooled us all about leadership in a world of speed. Which was actually focused on the power of the pause and slowing down to place your energy where it really matters. We are all pulled in 1,000 directions every hour of every day. But which of those actually need our attention? And which are just time burglars? She challenged all of us to be strategically lazy (which got a standing ovation) as this is what helps thinking – because “I don’t have time to think!” is unacceptable. We also had to tell a stranger our life story in 60 seconds. This exercise did not get applause.

Data isn’t everything.

Next up was Russel McAthy, a dinosaur lover and data guy who taught us that data can’t always be trusted. What? It’s true. Data without a story behind it is nothing. And clients need to have trust in the storyteller to really hear – and understand – what the numbers are truly saying. So, now more than ever in this data-driven world pumping the brakes with a little context backed by a whole lot of credibility is crucial. What we do, at its core, is still based on relationships. Shocking only in that it seems shocking to say.

Be clear. Then be clearer.

QUICK. Tell me about the dog in the yard. You know, that dog you’ve seen in that yard. RIGHT NOW. Ask any one of a million people, and you’ll get descriptions of a million dogs of all shapes, sizes, and colors in a million yards, making for one common mess because I wasn’t clear about what dog and what yard. And that was the gist of Tony Moorcroft’s talk about being crystal clear with goals and expectations. Be it for your team, your clients, or your customers. This leads to better-defined goals and people who are more driven. (The dog is a golden retriever, by the way, wearing a bow tie and playing a piano in a yard full of green bowling pins. Hey, it’s my yard.)

Knowing your role.

We then got a lesson in teaching our teams to win from Will Anderson, chief growth officer at StrategiQ. (Shoutout to Will’s agency for hosting!) He described successful organizations as those performing as one team made of multiple teams with clearly defined roles and goals. And all possessing a growth mindset (something CW is currently honing) to innovate and evolve, evolve, evolve. It’s not about the best individual players, but those who perform well in roles to be part of the best team.

Shingy.

And finally, we were treated to digital prophet, Shingy. This was the second time our AMIN organizers were able to lure this most charismatic speaker to grace us with his wild presence (and hair). He was just on his way back from Cannes, enlightened us on everything from AI (in context) to the need to bring back the cool mystique to our industry. He talked. And shared slides. And I took no notes because I was simply hanging on his every word. He was poignant. He was funny. He was remarkably dressed. He stressed that now was the moment for independent agencies. And he was the best part of the conference. Hands down.

We closed out the conference, celebrating some of the best work of the agencies in our network at a ceremony aptly named the Globeys. We put on our best wrinkled formalwear (save for the folks hailing from London) and enjoyed a review of what AMIN’s best produced in the past year.

We learned a metric ton during these jam-packed three days. But perhaps the best lesson was the strong reminder that we have these amazing ally agencies around the world to benefit our agency, our clients, and our work. That, and if you have the opportunity to see Guns N’ Roses at Wembley Stadium, you absolutely go see Guns N’ Roses at Wembley Stadium. Because, Guns N’ Roses are at Wembley Stadium.

Cheers!