Tuesday 21 July 2009

With the Harvard Business review stating that it is 11 times easier to win new business from existing clients, can you really afford not to invest time in ensuring you're managing your clients effectively?

Whether done by the MD, an account handler, project manager, client director or designer, the area of client management is not only critical to a consultancy's reputation, but also offers up valuable opportunity for repeat business AND the chance to turn your clients into your best ambassadors.

In this insightful business briefing, we will be taking a closer look at what it takes to build strong, trusting relationships with your clients ensuring that you can meet all their needs and expectations throughout the process, from brief to delivery.

We will also examine what it means to be the in-betweener, how to manage creativity, take care of the finances, how to constructively handle and deliver feedback and how to speak your clients' language as well as hear UKTV's Head of Design perspective on the client/agency relationship.

Who should attend:

This is for all client service / client facing people out there, whatever you may call yourselves.

What it costs:

£99+vat for DBA members

£150+vat for non members

What will be covered?

DBA Welcome and Introductions

3.30pm - 3.45pm

From the clients' perspective

3.45pm - 4.00pm

Speaker: Matthew Scarff, Head of Creative, UKTV

How to best manage your projects and clients

4.00pm - 4.45pm

•  Understanding your role in the eyes of your team and clients
•  What attributes does a good handler need to have

Speaker: Jan Casey, Consultant

Communicating with impact

4.45pm - 5.15pm

•  How to effectively and confidently communicate with your colleagues and clients
•  Constructively receiving and delivering feedback

Speaker: Hannah Yelin, Strategic Planner, Red Bee Media

Project Management

5.15pm - 5.45pm

•  Tips on successful project management
•  Setting the right time frames to a project
•  How to utilise the right tools to help you to deliver the project on time and on brief

Speaker: David Rivett, Consultant

Afternoon Tea

5.45pm - 6.30pm

Taking care of the finances

6.30pm - 7.00pm

•  Understanding the numbers that matter
•  Making the numbers work for you
•  How to manage the costs
•  Talking money with clients

Speaker: David Rivett, Consultant

Managing clients and creativity

7.00pm - 7.30pm

•  How to speak your clients' language
•  Being the in-betweener
•  How to evaluate the relationship

Speakers: Kate Burton, Consultant

Q & A followed by a networking drinks reception

7.30pm - 9.00pm

Speakers

Matthew Scarff, Head of Creative, UKTV

As Head of Creative, Matt leads the creative output for all ten of UKTV's new-look thematic channels - Watch, G.O.L.D, Dave, Alibi, Eden, Blighty, Yesterday, Home, Really and Good Food - both on and off air, working closely with the marketing team and the Broacaster's creative agency, Red Bee Media.

Matt joined from Red Bee Media (formerly BBC Broadcast) where, as Creative Head BBC One, he worked for ten years on campaigns including Doctor Who, Eastenders, Panorama, The Apprentice and Strictly Come Dancing.  Matt previously worked as Promotions Director at ITV, creating TV trails for the Carlton and Central ITV regions and Network trails fro the UEFA Champions League.

Matt started his TV career at STARTV, Hong Kong where he worked as an Assistant Producer.  At the same time he was a radio presenter at Radio Television Hong Kong, RTHK Radio 3.

Jan Casey, Consultant

With over 25 years experience in the creative industry, Jan has substantial expertise from both a business and consultancy perspective. As a board director and shareholder at Lambie-Nairn, she was responsible for the development and direction of multi-disciplinary teams originating and implementing complex, large-scale projects across a variety of market sectors for clients such as ITN, BBC, Boots, O2 and Channel Four.

As an independent consultant for over seven years, she has delivered a unique set of skills for clients and consultancies, combining her experience as a brand consultant, project director, business advisor and coach and psychotherapist to build brands, implement projects and facilitate organisational change. Recent business clients include NHS, Land Securities, BBC Broadcast, HM Revenue & Customs, Sky, Royal Mail and Red Cross and design consultancy clients include hat-trick, Pentagram and True North. Jan has chaired seminars on the creative industry and is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Hannah Yelin, Strategic Planner, Red Bee Media

Hannah Yelin is a Strategic Planner at Red Bee Media and devises brand strategies for a range of BBC and UKTV channels. She joined from Craik Jones, where she was responsible for integrated digital and print for Orange .  She worked on their launch as an ISP after the acquisition of Wanadoo and edited Orange 's white paper on the Future of Convergent Technology. Prior to this, she helped set up Source Communications providing branding and strategy for social causes winning Business of the Year for Community Involvement and €50,000 for charity for her entry into Ideas that Matter.

Hannah is last year's Grand Prix winner in the DBA's Design Effectiveness awards for her entry on the launch of Dave – which also collected awards from the IPA, Design Week, Marketing Society, Media Week, the BDAs and Media Guardian.

David Rivett, Consultant

Trained as an economist at LSE.  MBA from London Business School.  David was previously Joint MD of Wolff Olins, then Development Director for Fitch PLC and Managing Director of Design Bridge until 2001.  Since then David is Principal of 'Actionable Advice' a consultancy that helps creative businesses deal with the demands of business.  David Up until early 2009 David was also part-time Managing Partner of Circus and a Non Executive Director of several design agencies.

Kate Burton, Consultant

With a wealth of experience within the creative industry Kate has spent considerable time working with leading agencies in the branding and packaging sector during pivotal times of their development.  Kate's past experience includes becoming one of the first account managers in the business at Wolff Olins, Director of Client Services (Corporate) at Coley Porter Bell and Client Development at Identica.  She currently works on a freelance basis advising agencies on developing effective client servicing.  Experiences at directing large and small accounts, as well as managing, inspiring and nurturing people Kate's energy and passion for life is infectious.

Kate is also working with a team of fantastic, motivated and positive people to create a concept that is brave, fun and invigorating!  It involves design, art, fashion, performance and film, and it brings together some of the hottest creatives in London.  It is informed by the ever-emerging underground movements and the new cultural revolution.  It's fascinating and absolutely relevant to future survival.