Independent agencies have grown out of their little shoes. In response, the Alliance of Independent Agencies brought 70 people from 45 agencies together in London last week to explore new models of collaboration designed to help specialists compete for larger client opportunities while retaining their independence.

The first live Agency Collaboration Group event, held at Kantar’s Vivo Building, was delivered under the theme, Connect. Collaborate. Grow. It demonstrated the collective strength and breadth of expertise within the independent agency community.

Scott White, chair of the ACG, opened the event by reflecting on the importance of independence and the opportunities created when agencies combine their strengths. The message was clear – being independent does not have to mean working alone.

The programme began with What Brands really want from Agency Collaboration, featuring senior marketers from DHL, Direct Line, Wren Kitchens and Mars. The discussion explored what clients expect when multiple agencies work together, from clear communication and shared accountability to understanding each agency’s strengths and ways of working.

The panel also challenged the traditional pitch process, highlighting the time and resources it can demand from agencies. One clear message was that brands should invest more time in conversations and relationships, while clients increasingly want their agencies to recommend trusted specialist partners.

The conversation then moved to real examples with “Collaboration in Action”. The session featured Dom Boyd, chief strategy officer at Kantar; Darren Low, CEO of Idea’s + Outcomes; Paul Phelps, director at AMS Group; and Alistair Burns, co-founder of Flight Feather.

Low and Phelps shared their experience of their agencies working together and the value the collaboration had created for both businesses. Burns spoke about collaborating with Mr B & Friends and FutureKings to win Heidi as a client. Their work later won an Independent Agency Award, demonstrating what agencies can achieve by combining complementary expertise.

At the heart of the event was “Collaboration Connections”, a curated matchmaking session connecting agencies with complementary skills and capabilities. The session generated new relationships and tangible opportunities, with conversations beginning around joint pitches, specialist referrals, live client briefs and future partnerships.

Terry Martin, managing director of the Alliance of Independent Agencies, stated, “Brands increasingly want joined-up solutions, but one of the independent sector’s greatest strengths is its depth of specialist expertise. Collaboration allows agencies to retain that specialism while bringing complementary capabilities together to compete for larger opportunities that might otherwise go to network groups. That represents a significant commercial opportunity for independents.

“Our community brings together more than 150 agencies and represents around 12,000 people, so the breadth of talent already exists. The role of the ACG is to make that expertise easier to access, helping agencies find trusted partners, build stronger propositions and pursue bigger opportunities together.”

The Alliance also thanked the ACG committee – Chair Scott White (Brand Culture), Alice Goetz (Brand Culture), Rob Pryce (onepointfive), Lis Anderson (AMBITIOUS), Darren Low (Idea’s + Outcomes), Darren Burroughs (MFM), and Terry Martin, Aimée Spragg and Lucy Keet (Alliance of Independent Agencies), who helped shape the initiative and bring its first live event to life.

Following its first live event, the Alliance has committed to developing the Agency Collaboration Group as a long-term platform for commercial collaboration. Its mission is to help members find complementary partners, build trusted relationships and compete together for larger client opportunities.

Find more information about the Agency Collaboration Group here.