Panel: Track Takeaways

What were key learnings from day one's four tracks—Manbassadors, HR/Talent, Emerging Creatives, and Creative Directors? Find out from attendees who took copious notes on your behalf. Panelists: Bruce Henderson, Daniela Province, Brittney Macomber, Kelli Stam. Moderator: Christine Aiko Beck.

This year, The 3% Conference was all about making it your own, because for the first time in conference history, attendees were encouraged to customize their experience by attending one of four tracks: Creative Director, Emerging Creative, Talent/HR, or Manbassadors. But with all that exclusive content, comes some serious FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). To ease the tension, a star-studded list of panelists was waiting in the wings to fill in the gaps.

TRACK: MANBASSADORS

Bruce Henderson, CCO at Jack Morton Worldwide, dropped truth-bombs from the convicting Manbassadors track: A series of workshops equipping men to move the equality needle in their workplace. Bruce’s key takeaway was Cindyy Gallop’s demand for less talking about diversity, and more action.

Key takeaways

• Talking about diversity can make your workforce’s straight, white men feel threatened. When men feel threatened, they can weaponize their self-doubt. Stop circling the drain, and prioritize hiring women and people of color.
• Men: Calling out another man is the most effective way to stop harassment.
• Hire based on promise, not on proof. Consider training somebody up because they have great potential, not because they check every box on a job listing.
• When recruiting for a role, tell HR you want to see women and people of color first. This can help get more diverse candidates through the door.
• We shouldn’t just reach an equal ratio because it feels good. It’s good for the business.

TRACK: EMERGING CREATIVE

Kelli Stam, Global Director of Marketing Communications at Apple, served truth from the Emerging Creative track: five sessions targeting young creatives ready to climb the ladder and slash red tape. Kelli’s main takeaway was putting diversity into action by championing inclusion.

Key takeaways:

• There is an opportunity for more inclusion within the creative process. Ask your team: How can you write the brief differently? How can you cast the commercial differently?
• Reevaluating your creative process allows for new opportunities to create change.
• Brands have a responsibility to make sure their agencies are diverse and represent the real world.
• The only thing you really have is who you really are. Don’t let anyone take that away from you.
• There is power in the work we do—when we use that power for good, amazing things can happen.

TRACK: TALENT/HR

Brittney Macomber, VP of Agency Management at Bank of America, took on the Talent/HR track: seminars with actionable steps to attain and retain a culturally-rich workforce. Brittney’s key takeaway was to hire based on a candidate’s cultural add, not their cultural fit. 

Key takeaways:

• People tend to hire candidates that look and think just like them. Instead, hire based on cultural add, AKA their unique qualities and interests.
• Equal parental leave means men and women are seen as equals by their upper management.
• Women: Be encouraged that agencies are looking for people like you. And they’re hiring based on your interests, not just your experience.
• Inequality is not just an HR issue; the responsibility to fix it falls on everyone.

TRACK: CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Daniela Province, Senior Copywriter at Adobe Studio, took on the Creative Director track: Five sessions designed to build the managerial skillset of senior creatives. Her key takeaway was to stop viewing the changing-the-ratio conversation as men vs. woman, but as humans.

Key takeaways:

• Susan Credle, Global CCO at FCB Global, claims she would not be as successful if she were not a woman. She had more energy to achieve what she wanted to do because she knew she had to work harder.
• Agencies should hire women at the executive level, allowing women to see there’s a path forward in the organization.
• Build a workplace with a diversity of interest. Align personal interests to projects—helping women feel motivated and successful.
• Good work always wins—no matter who did it.

Wrapping Up

Overall, the opportunity to pick your own adventure was a welcomed change to the traditional conference format, and this panel made sure I didn’t miss any 3% goodness. With 38 mind-bending sessions and countless ways to customize your conference, every attendee left with a different story to tell.  As a proud champion of the Manbassadors track, stacking my experience with content that met my needs and interests meant I got what I needed—and I could share with a friend.

How did you customize your 3% Conference?