Hyper Island
A first look...

I wasn't quite sure what to expect at Hyper Island earlier this month what with the industry a buzz with tall tales of Hyper Island changing lives for the better, opening attendees eyes to a new light, 'reflection' time, and group sessions. It sounded like poppin' into digital rehab and it kind of was or at least that's how it seemed for some 'comin out' at reflection sessions and bearing all their digital dirty laundry. Fun!

And I'm guessing that's the idea, a journey through digital but not as you know it. A refreshing approach to training and a new way to connect with others from different agency backgrounds. For me it was a good opportunity to work through our own agency digital foibles and spend quality time with my colleagues working through how to make positive changes. What Hyper Island does well is challenge your preconceptions and give you the tools to work through your own set of issues. What it doesn't do is provide the answers which for some was frustrating and I admit I shared that view at times. Showcasing and debating digital campaigns is one thing but as a digital marketer I wanted to dig deeper, getting a sense of what made it work, how were these award winning digital agencies structured, what part did the client play, how did the idea (and some were very out there) get approval, and, of course, the ability to learn from other agency's mistakes.

But in fairness that's not the Hyper Island way. Very early on you realise it's not about following traditional training conformity and after a slow start things got a whole lot more interesting and the preconceptions faded away.

So with that we got stuck into getting rid of our 'stinky fish' (your dark and mysterious digital 'blocker') and into a series of workshops and presentations. Daniele, the ex CEO of Profero, gave a series of insightful presentations and provided a wealth of useful tips and examples of great digital work whilst the other speakers dug deeper into various techniques and approaches to get the best out if digital.

I would recommend the Hyper Island 3 day master class to new digital teams but I think our clients would be the biggest winners from attending one of these sessions and that's my next stop.