Business & bikinis: We unveil Agency Hackers Ibiza Super Summit 2023

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Let's dive right into the Ibiza Summit 2023, shall we? Two days, 100 agencies, and enough hacks to keep me busy for the next year! From shunning Alan Sugar to compelling comedy tactics, here's the scoop on how I spent my time at an agency conference in Ibiza.
30th September 2023
6 min read
Hannah Springett, HLabs Founder & CEO
Agency Hackers Ibiza Summit 1
100 agency owners take to the seas on the Ibiza Summit boat party

With the beach backdrop and an Aperol in hand, Agency Hackers Ibiza Summit 2023, run by Ian, reshaped my perspectives on business and networking. I'll take you through some of my favourite insights aimed at accelerating any agency to success, as well as delving deeper into the characters I met along the way.

Thanks for the LOLs, the stories and the ongoing connections I'll be consistently WhatsApp-ing for advice going forward!

Carrie's unconventional journey

Carrie Rose, what can I say but 'WOW'?  What a powerhouse of energy, passion and dedication! She kicked off the whole event by telling us how she turned down Alan Sugar. Yeah, that Alan Sugar! She grew her biz Rise at Seven like it was on steroids, and now she owns it 100%. Her big secret? Sales. Every single person on your team should know how the company makes it rain. Simple, right? Also... the SEO helps!


Marketing magic with the Knowlton Brothers

Dan and Lloyd, the dynamic duo's session emphasised the power of long-term marketing. Their journey to success was paved with the creation of an expensive yet engaging podcast "Business Anchors'. Their key takeaways? Infuse humour into the often-serious B2B space, maintain playfulness, and never stop experimenting. Their story showcased the benefits of keeping it real, whatever the platform.

Simon's secrets to agency success

Simon's insights were grounded in extensive research into hundreds of agencies. His wisdom from setting up Boutique, boiled down to knowing your agency's financial figures, ability to benchmark, recognising your weaknesses, and ALWAYS charging the right amount for your services. Following this, the openness of sharing personal struggles was compelling and encouraging that we can all get through the hard days. Who knew surprise finance spreadsheets could change your life?! Ha!


Competitive motivation tactics from
Baiju

Baiju woke up the room. His icebreaker? Rock-paper-scissors! Yeah, he went there. 100 agency owners, on their feet, cheerleading our teammates to get to the top. All in under 3 minutes. Followed by an interactive presentation, quizzing the audience and sharing live results on screen, and therefore forcing the audience to share their opinions is definitely a technique I'll reuse. This personalised engagement, in addition to the hand-drawn, provocative diagrams definitely won't be forgotten!

Expanding agencies globally with Prodigi

David & Bachir were the double act to kick off my first ever 'campfire' session. Sitting in a huge circle, without the vibes of an AA meeting, we all brought our experiences to the group of remote working. They shared experiences about establishing teams from Egypt to Serbia and what to look out for. The crux of the message? Building a strong culture is key and I was relieved HLabs is already doing SO many of the recommended techniques.

Let's see if they can help us expand to South America in just a month... The challenge is on!


Rob Mayhew
stands up for comedic marketing

Rob, the established social media agency guru now turned comedian and TikTok influencer had the group in stitches, reminding us that humour goes a long way. His comedy set, in the setup of a traditional agency pitch to target a fracking company, highlighted SO MANY mistakes and awkward behaviours we've all experienced. Rob's session was a delightful departure from corporate comms and empowered us all to step up from the continuous cliches.