What is thenetworkone’s inter-agency exchange program?
For several years thenetworkone has managed an in-person inter-agency staff exchange program for its member agencies. The program enables participating agencies in different countries to exchange employees for a few weeks.
thenetworkone exchange program is a great member benefit, which gives employees the opportunity to spend time in an agency abroad. The program lets participating agencies benefit from a cultural, ideas and skills exchange, forging links and professional friendships that would not otherwise have existed. Additionally, it’s a great reward for staff and a significant incentive to offer. The program also helps with staff retention, giving your employees the opportunity to travel whilst learning, returning with new skills and knowledge.
How does it work?
thenetworkone matches similar member agencies who’d like to participate in the exchange program. We carefully select the agencies involved in terms of capabilities, experience and company culture, in order to provide the best experience for our travellers, and to ensure they can perform a similar role within their host agency.
(Employees are paid as usual by their agency. Flights and accommodation are also paid by the sender agency, although it may be possible to swap homes in a two-way exchange. If an agency would like to host an employee but is not able to send one away in exchange, it’s possible to do a ‘one-way’ exchange program, if approved by the sender agency.) OR (For any logistical questions, please our FAQ document
Feedback from past exchangers
Chis d’Arbon, Creative Director of DDI, Australia, exchanged agencies with Yannick Labbé, Creative Director of Grabarz & Partner, Germany, for several weeks. Of the experience, they said:
Yannick: “I’ve had a great team, they were very welcoming… DDI in Australia is smaller than Grabarz, so it’s much more of a hands-on experience. That was very cool because I got the feeling that I got things moving.”
Chris: “It’s been cool, not just from a work perspective but from a life perspective too. You’re living in an apartment, you get public transport to work, you’re living…It’s a great thing to be a part of: connecting people, agencies, creatives, lives and stories that otherwise would never have come in contact with each other.”
Ahmad Bataineh, Digital Account Manager at Red Impact in Saudi Arabia, spent a month working at McGarrah Jessee in Austin Texas. Here’s what he thought:
“I just finished an amazing month as part of the exchange program… I would like to thank thenetworkone for providing me an opportunity to experience life in an ad agency in a different country. I have enhanced my knowledge and built new friendships with amazing people at McGarrah Jessee.”
If you’d like to participate in the in-person exchange program, please email Stephanie Fox
Digital Staff Exchange Program
Maybe you are not able travel but, you love the idea of a participating in the inter-agency staff exchange program – NO PROBLEM!
Now, thanks to affordable and reliable video conferencing and digital collaboration tools, we’ve re-imagined the exchange program for the digital world. Almost anyone from anywhere can easily participate in the program via a smart phone or, their laptop with internet connectivity.
What are the benefits for participants?
The digital exchange program is a wonderful way to meet new agency people from around the world, build your personal network and experience new ways of working with different agency teams and their clients… all without the jet lag!
How does it work?
It’s simple and easy. thenetworkone matches similar member agencies who’d like to participate in the digital exchange program. We carefully select the agencies involved in terms of capabilities, experience, location and company culture, in order to provide the best experience for the participants.
Exchanges are typically established around a specific agency or client project or pitch thereby enabling the exchanged individual to fully participate and focus on a specific issue and add value to the host agency.
Each participant continues to be employed (and paid) by their usual agency – no problems with tax or local employment law.
Who should participate?
The digital exchange program is ideally suited for creative individuals, creative teams or strategy directors who can join the host agency’s team using video calling technology from their own homes or offices and then, remotely work on a brief before returning to the group to present their thoughts or work. Indeed, this is the same process many agencies have recently adopted during the pandemic to service their clients.
How long are exchanges for?
Digital exchanges are normally based around a specific agency or client project or pitch, so their duration is typically a week or two. However, there’s no reason why they couldn’t be for long if so desired.
Maybe join another agency’s team for a few days a week over several months to work on longer-term projects, exchange skills and, build lasting friendships established on collaboration.
The digital exchange program is flexible and bespoke to your needs however, it does require a degree of planning to ensure all the participants get the most from the exchange. So, be sure to let us know up front what you’d like to get out of the exchange and we’ll do our best to make sure you have a very worthwhile experience.
What does it cost?
Nothing! thenetworkone manages exchanges free of charge for member agencies and, as these are digital exchanges, there’re no travel, visa or accommodation costs to cover! The only commitment is time, effort and your inspiration.
How do we participate?
If you’d like to participate in the digital exchange program, please email Stephanie Fox or complete this form and we’ll contact you shortly.