“Ten years ago, we had a dream. Standing here today, I cannot believe what this dream has now become. I am so proud and it is all thanks to you”.
This is how EACA Director General Dominic Lyle opened the October 2016 edcom members meeting, which brought 35 representatives from 12 European countries to Brussels. Project updates and plans were presented and discussed ahead of the network’s 10th anniversary in 2017.
“edcom is a strong academic network. It is a framework within which members can grow. Our main objective for the next 10 years is to build yet more bridges between academics and agencies”, continues Dominic Lyle.
All edcom members are in the field of commercial communications. The added value of edcom is that it provides a space for them to share challenges and best practices. It also gives their students the chance to participate in European competitions and European training sessions such as the Summer School.
At the meeting, edcom members enjoyed demonstrations of the brand new Inspire! website and the new digital format of the Annual Report. They were also updated on the development of established projects such as the Thesis Competition and edtalks, as well as the EACA Accreditation and Hall of Fame pilot projects currently being tested.
A particular focus was given to this year’s Ad Venture competition, which is being organised with the European Women’s Lobby. This year, students are challenged to design a campaign to highlight and tackle gender inequality and stereotyping in advertising.
A highlight of the meeting was when Wouter Tuybens took the stage to share with the participants his own experience of the 2016 Summer School. With an infectious enthusiasm, he explained that the Summer School allows students not only to learn more about advertising, but also about their own personal strengths and possible directions for their career in communications.
The 2017 Summer School is planned to take place in Prague from the 3rd to the 7th of July 2016.