14 Agency Profile
STRATEGY WITH A SMYLE
Martin Fullard pays a visit to creative agency Smyle ’ s HQ to learn what makes them tick important subject for us pre-Covid , but during the pandemic it was vital to keep the team ’ s collective chin up . “ We adopted a buddy system and our ‘ Culture Club ’ doubled down on virtual socials , which allowed us to put on challenges and games to keep everyone together . It worked really well ,” Key says .
The – relative – down time also enabled Smyle to reassess its own internal priorities , and as a result started working with Diversity Ally to help evolve the agency to subsume diversity , equity , inclusion into the fabric of their culture . A new DEI mission launched for 2021 and beyond , with ambitious and meaningful targets in 2025 , adding another dimension to the idea that the agency should be a destination for the best talent in the industry . have always found that the best way to get to know an agency is to go and meet them in person . That ’ s not been possible for most of the last 18 months , but when the opportunity to visit Smyle ’ s HQ came along I just had to take it .
The team at Smyle are clear in their description of themselves : they are a creative agency . They work strategically with some of the world ’ s biggest brands to deliver impactful engagement , and the word ‘ event ’ is only one part of it .
As the industry evolves beyond simply requiring ‘ event agencies ’, the contemporary agency must tick many boxes , and being an all-round , multi-faceted partner is essential .
Of course , any business can say that ’ s what they want to be , but to really enable it you have to make sure you look after your people , and that ’ s where I started .
People first Charlotte Key is Smyle ’ s head of Charlotte Key is Smyle ’ s head of people experience , and she tells me that the agency ’ s first focus , above all else , is to support employees – and that was no truer than during the pandemic . “ During the pandemic we saw it as a priority to ensure the wellbeing of our team . While the work didn ’ t stop , it did shift , and that meant we needed to keep everyone positive and supported - both from a wellbeing point of view while working from home and from a career point of view with learning and adapting to new demands ,” she says .
“ We introduced a range of new ways to keep people connected and keep people talking - ensuring people could talk about their well being and evolving our ways of working as a team - specific blocks in the company calendar where no Zoom calls are allowed and encouraging people to get time outside away from their laptops , for example .” she adds .
A sharp focus was paid to mental health . It was an
It ’ s all in the strategy If Smyle is to be a career destination , then it stands to reason that it will already be home to some of the best in the business . Enter Dax Callner , strategy director . Callner is single minded in his belief that strategy is the core of everything Smyle does . But what does that mean ? “ It means being consultative ,” Callner tells me . “ Smyle is a strategic agency , and everyone who works here has the opportunity to be solution oriented . It means using our experience and expertise to give advice , and about having a point of view . There ’ s a phrase I think any strategic agency should avoid : ‘ what does the client want ?’”
That sounds a bit counterintuitive to me . But who am I ? Callner continues : “ Look at it like this : if a client knew what they wanted , why would they hire Smyle ? They are hiring us to give them our recommendations on what they should do to achieve www . conference-news . co . uk