TAAN Meetings – Open Dialogue

A recent guest editorial in Ad Age stated: "There's nothing more electric than a room full of intelligent people." It's a perfect description of TAAN's semi-annual meetings.

TAAN meetings are held twice a year in the US and twice a year in Europe. Every few years a meeting is hosted by one of our members in Asia or the Pacific Rim.

All meeting agendas are member driven with a strong emphasis on bringing in top guest speakers. Typically, agendas encompass six key areas:

• Agency Management and Operations
• CEO Personal Development
• Emerging Trends and Opportunities
• Financial Management
• Growth Planning
• New Business

At each meeting, in a Confidential Agency Update session, all members report on recent developments, successes, challenges and problems at their agencies. In this honest, open and revealing session, members discuss, share and solve some of the remarkably common challenges we face every day in the agency business.

Also, TAAN's legal counsel reports on significant legislative, regulatory and judicial developments that can affect our business practices. In a Q & A session, members receive answers to specific situations they may be facing.

Additionally, TAAN's financial counsel reports on financial management, tax planning, retirement and succession planning and profitability improvement strategies. This too is followed by a responsive Q & A session.

Each member also displays its latest creative work and screens its latest TV and Interactive work. Innovative new business presentations are shown and discussed at most meetings.

Who attends TAAN Meetings?

Usually the agency CEO, or Managing Director, is the official TAAN delegate and attends all meetings, which preserves continuity. Frequently, other partners or heirs apparent accompany the CEO.

How do members work together between meetings?

By email, phone, fax, mail and face-to-face meetings when necessary. Based on the close working relationships established at our meetings, members know who to call on for advice and assistance. Yearly, the TAAN Expertise Audit is uploaded to the TAAN Extranet to keep everyone current on each member's category market knowledge and special capabilities.

Branch office services on behalf of clients and special work requests are provided on an hourly fee basis, with the first hour free. A published list of commonly agreed upon hourly rates prevents misunderstandings. Occasionally members have set up special joint ventures to serve accounts on an ongoing basis.

Member-to-member assistance ranges from client program work (special market expertise, market research, local PR, photography, special events, media planning, broadcast production, personal contacts, etc.) to help pitching new business to advice on agency operations (new technologies and equipment, financial issues, employee issues such as benefit plans, handbooks, succession plans, etc.)

Special Workshops

From time to time TAAN holds one or two day workshops for upper and middle management of member firms. Recent workshop topics have been conducted for agency CFOs, Media Directors, PR Directors, Creative Directors.

Learn more about TAAN's Legal and Financial Benefits