13.12. 2018

We usually work with companies that have been using the support of communication agencies for years. This time it was different. Encon-Koester, the organizer of the Cobotic Forum (16th October 2018, Wrocław), decided to entrust the communication activities to an external partner for the first time ever, choosing the Omega Communication agency. We discussed the process and its evaluation with Robert Gałązka, the Development Director at Encon-Koester.

It was already the second edition of the Cobotic Forum. Why did you make the decision to cooperate with an agency this time around?

The decision was made based on the conclusions from the first edition of the Forum. Professional preparation of this type of event, on such a large scale, requires coordinated and consistent communication activities. Our internal marketing department does not have an adequate experience in this field, or the amount of resources that could deal with individual parts of the project in the context of marketing and PR activities – hence the decision to cooperate with an external company. We wanted to focus on acquiring the largest possible number of practical cobotic applications to present to our guests and thus decided to hand over the communication activities to an external partner.

How do you evaluate the way the communication was prepared?

I should start by saying that at the very beginning of our cooperation, Omega Communication identified our needs related to the organization of the Forum and adapted the PR and marketing activities plan accordingly. The communication program was prepared in a very thoughtful way, and its  implementation went smoothly and in accordance with a previously agreed schedule. We should also emphasize the understanding of technical issues and the knowledge of the robotics industry that the agency has shown. From our perspective, a vital role was played by the team dedicated to implementation of this task, that took care of the smallest details in consultation with us.

Did anything surprise you? Was anything different than anticipated?

The range of information about the Cobotic Forum, the number of publications and interviews was a surprise for us. It was a very positive surprise, as at the beginning of our cooperation, we did not expect to reach such a wide audience. During our cooperation there was a moment when (based on the obtained statistics and analyses) the information channels needed to be slightly modified, but also in this case Omega Communication showed professionalism, suggesting a change in the communication strategies, in order to ultimately reach the desired recipients. It is also important that evaluation and optimization of the activities was being carried out at every stage of the project. I think that flexible approach and continuous monitoring of the outcomes was one of the factors that influenced the eventual success of the project.

What were the outcomes of the cooperation?

Before proceeding to the evaluation of the cooperation results, I would like to point out once again the main purpose of the conference, which was raising awareness of entrepreneurs that cooperative robotics is one of the main factors influencing quality, flexibility and efficiency of production and thus the competitiveness of enterprises. If I were to provide numbers, more than 100 qualitative publications appeared after the event in print, on the radio and on the Internet. Several video coverages were also made, as well as interviews in key media, including local ones, which is particularly important for us as a company from Wrocław.

Was it a good/viable move from your point of view?

In retrospect, I can say that the cooperation with the agency was a very good decision. The conference turned out to be an event that brought together over 200 experts from industry, production, robotics and automation. I think that the division of tasks consisting in leaving the activities with the partners, as well as supervision of the technical and substantive side of the event inside the company and commissioning all communication activities externally was a good solution – everyone was working in the area of their specialization.