TeamAsia at 25: Fuelling innovation with passion

Source: Adobo Magazine MANILA - As independent integrated marketing communication firm TeamAsia gears up for its silver anniversary, president and founder Monette Iturralde-Hamlin fondly recalls how everything that the agency is today is borne of passion. “It was 1992 when Mike Hamlin and I teamed up with the Asian Institute of Management and The Far Eastern Economic Review to organize The Asian Management Awards in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines and Thailand. Little did we know that the blood, sweat, and tears that our small team of three had put into the event would bring about an award-winning agency 25 years later,” said Monette. Acknowledging their strength as an organizer, multinational companies such as Microsoft, Intel, and SAP Software Solutions then started to ask for assistance not only for events but also for creative promotions and public relations. This challenged TeamAsia to expand their services, allowing them to survive through the Asian Financial Crisis and eventually, through the rise of industry competition.

The passionate people of TeamAsia in their new office.

“We’ve always been flexible. We’ve rolled with the punches and reengineered our processes and services to adjust to the changing times, whether it is to capitalize on an opportunity or to adapt for survival,” she continued. Now with five core services (Experience, Digital, Content, Creative, and Integrated Marketing Communication) and a team of 70, TeamAsia celebrates their 25th anniversary with the theme of passion—the very thing that founded, sustained, and prospered them. And where better celebrate such a grand milestone than in a new office with an open layout which complements their fun family culture? The modern industrial interior encourages not only collaboration but also excellence, as decals of the agency’s philosophies—Inspire, Think Big, Be Bright, Live, and of course, Drive Passion—are on the office walls as reminders. Aside from this, the layout was also intentionally designed to help reduce energy consumption through the use of natural light and LED. This is in line with Project Live and Green Conferencing, recently launched campaigns which aim to strengthen TeamAsia’s efforts at reducing carbon footprint both in their day to day operations and in the events that they organize.

A light-up die cut 25 sign with colorful notes of what TeamAsians are passionate about—their way of celebrating 25 years of passion.

This is only the beginning for TeamAsia’s year-round celebration, as they are preparing to launch new events, projects, and marketing technology this 2017. “Growing strong for 25 years is a feat but it surely is just the beginning for us. This year, we are more passionate than ever to find new and innovative ways to deliver next level experiences that will create and sustain the visibility of our clients,” said Managing Director Bea Lim. TeamAsia started their 25th year with a bang, closing deals with clients such as Jollibee Foods Corporation, UnionBank, Madrid Fusión Manila, ASUS, the ASEAN Creative Cities Forum and Exhibition, QBE Group Shared Services Limited, and Let’s Talk Cleaner Energy, among others. In main image are the strong female icons behind TeamAsia: Bea Lim and Monette Hamlin.