IAPI and The Institute of Directors in Ireland Announces Date of 3rd Annual Seminar

Following the success of the last two years, IAPI are once again partnering with the Institute of Directors in Ireland to deliver their annual thought-leadership seminar, aimed at CEOs, CFOs, CMOs and Agency Leaders.

“Branding: Vital for Ireland’s Economic Recovery” is taking place on 26th August at 2pm via live studio broadcast with, a stellar line-up of speakers, all of whom are business leaders in their industry. They will share their views on how long-term brand building has helped the financial well-being of their company as they look to the future.

• Fiona Dawson CBE, former global president, Mars Inc; non-executive director, Marks and Spencer and non-executive director, The LEGO Group.
• Gordon Lawlor, managing director, Circle K Ireland
• Shenda Loughnane, group managing director, dentsu
• JP Scally, chief executive officer, Lidl Ireland

Thora Mackey, chief operating officer, Institute of Directors in Ireland will welcome attendees at the event and says she “is delighted to be partnering with IAPI again for this annual event. The subject matter is one that is of huge importance to our members and provides a viewpoint from the commercial creativity industry that they are not often exposed to. As we emerge from the pandemic, recovery and growth strategies have become, and will undoubtedly remain, the key topic in every boardroom. We look forward to welcoming you on 26th August.”

Charley Stoney, CEO, IAPI will MC the live broadcast event which is, once again, supported by The Irish Times and produced by Catapult.

IAPI’s purpose is to promote the Commercial Creativity Industry as a vital part of Ireland’s future growth. They believe that engagement on this topic, beyond the marketing department and into the boardroom is crucial, not just for our industry sector but for the very survival of Irish businesses and brands as we emerge from the pandemic.   

“IAPI and its members of the commercial creativity and communications sector remain as relevant today as ever because of the value that long-term brand building delivers for the bottom line of organisations.  Our members’ and our client partners understanding of brand goes way beyond customer communications as it permeates every aspect of an organisation including staff culture, customer services, operations and so forth, up to and including the executive team”, says Charley Stoney, CEO, IAPI.

Despite the continued restrictions earlier this year, Ireland’s economy is projected to grow by 4.6% in 2021 and 5.0% in 2022, according to the European Commission’s Spring Economic Forecast in May this year. However, we know how important consumer confidence is in creating and sustaining this economic growth and so, it was also positive to see this sentiment rise to a two-year high in June, according to the KBC Bank Ireland Consumer Sentiment Index.

Much has been written about the correlation between brand building, consumer trust and sentiment (2021 Edelman Trust Barometer) and, we have seen the Irish public actively engage with certain brands during the last 18 months, looking for reassurance and comfort as they have lived through the pandemic. The brands that, early on, sought to understand consumer sentiment and communicate with them authentically, with products and/or services that backed their brand promise will undoubtedly be some of the long-term winners as we emerge.

However, as Charley reiterates: “there is still a huge opportunity for companies to work with Ireland’s experts in consumer insight, media trends and creative communications to establish that unique bond with their customers and workforce alike, in building a brand that delivers long-term value to the business. IAPI members in Ireland, in line with the commercial creativity and communications sector globally, have been expanding their offering over the past decade. However, the pandemic has seen these additional services such as product development, customer experience, data analytics and operational consultancy become even more vital to their clients.”