McCann's director of strategic business development EMEA, John Wright, joins host of industry names booked for Brief Encounters pitching event

Wright commented: “New business is the lifeblood of any agency, but in order to be successful at it there are several areas that need to be considered to get the best from your agency to win a pitch.

“One of the main areas that I focus on is building the right team from around the network to meet the needs of the business we’re pitching.

“People within our agencies are the reason we win or lose and are as much our ‘product’ as our creative work is, therefore choosing the right ones and getting the best from them is essential.”

Speaking at the event from client-side will be Sam Viollet, external agency and business manager at Central Marketing Organisation, Microsoft; Bryan Scott, marketing communications director, Metro; Rob Jones, group category manager, procurement, Talk Talk; Kristof Fahy, chief marketing officer at William Hill; and Claire Thomas, marketing and communications procurement manager, M&S.

Camilla Honey, managing director at JFDI and client-agency consultant Tina Fegent will also be speaking.

The event will feature sessions looking at how to optimise internal organisation to help win new business, what makes clients want to see agencies and what they’re really looking for, an in-depth look at the practice of pitching and a bonus session covering how agencies can get the most out of face-to-face communication with clients.

Brief Encounters takes place in partnership with the Recommended Agency Register (RAR) and MiNetwork at the Hallam Conference Centre in London on 7 November.

Places can be booked now on the website