What if, for one week, you swapped your usual desk for a different agency, in a different country, working in a different language and came back not just with new contacts, but with a genuinely new perspective on your own work? You’ll land back on familiar ground soon enough – just don’t expect it to feel the same. A week with Enterie Exchange has a way of doing that.
We launched Enterie Exchange under the banner ‘PR Beyond Borders‘ – open to any employee across our network who wants firsthand exposure to how another agency operates. The program was built around a simple but powerful premise: professional development doesn’t only happen in webinars and workshops – sometimes it happens when you’re sitting in someone else’s office, seeing how a completely different team solves the same problems you deal with every day.
The first edition is now behind us, and we couldn’t be prouder of how it went. Two participants from our Hungarian partner agency, MindMiners Collective – Bíborka Hilt and Réka Somfai – took the leap and spent a week embedded with fellow Enterie agencies abroad. Here’s what the program actually looks like in practice, and what they took away from it.
Enterie Exchange in a Nutshell
The concept is straightforward. Agencies across our network – from Chicago to Stockholm, Sofia to Munich – open their doors to employees from other member agencies for anywhere between a few days and up to a month, depending on the host. Participants keep contributing to their home agency remotely while spending the bulk of their time with the host team, sitting in on client meetings, trading market insights, and simply observing how PR gets done somewhere else.
It’s designed with two groups in mind:
- Employees, who get a genuine adventure and a professional-development perk that’s hard to replicate any other way – especially appealing, as we’ve seen, to a generation that values exploring and learning from other cultures as part of their career.
- Agency managers and CEOs, who get the chance to see how their peers run things elsewhere and swap notes on shared challenges, often over the kind of conversation that only happens outside a scheduled meeting.
- Candidates, who are considering joining an Enterie-member PR agency. E.g., in a recent job advertisement, a leading Polish tech PR agency featured Enterie Exchange among its employee benefits package, alongside private healthcare, sports memberships, and language-learning opportunities.
Want the full picture – participating agencies, program structure, how applications work? Read more about Enterie Exchange in our ebook.
Copenhagen: A Week Immersed in Nordic Tech PR
Bíborka traded Budapest for Copenhagen to spend a week with Kemp & Kjær, the Danish agency known for its work with tech and cross-border clients navigating the Nordic market
Discovering best practices from agencies worldwide is one thing, but experiencing them in-person? That’s a whole different vibe. A week well spent, indeed.
It wasn’t a passive observation week. She jumped straight into real work – helping prepare a media interview briefing for a German EMEA executive at a major American tech company, and giving input on a press release about the client’s ranking in a leading tech research firm’s market report. But the real value came from something less tangible: the informal exchanges comparing market quirks and media landscape differences between Hungary and Denmark.
Beyond the office, she made the most of nine days in the city – cycling everywhere, watching the sunset over Nyhavn, tracking down the best bakeries, and hunting down Thomas Dambo’s giant troll sculptures scattered around the city. As she put it herself:
The biggest takeaway is difficult to sum up in just a few words, especially after such an intense nine days. But one thing is certain: I would wholeheartedly recommend this kind of experience to anyone who has the opportunity.
It gives you a completely new perspective, not only professionally, but personally as well. And I think that is exactly what makes it so valuable: it challenges the way you see things, helps you step outside your usual environment, and supports your growth in ways you might not expect.
Barcelona: Exploring Spanish Agency Life and Growing in Confidence
For Réka, a week in Barcelona offered much more than a change of scenery. Spending time with Canela PR gave her a closer look at Spanish agency life, fresh perspectives on her own work and the opportunity to exchange ideas with colleagues in a new professional environment.
Instead of revolving around one specific project, the week opened a window onto the agency’s wider world. Réka explored Canela PR’s evolution and diverse client portfolio, joining conversations on everything from PR, social media and events to branding, crisis communication and the growing role of AI. The discussions offered practical insights and new ideas she could take back to her day-to-day work.
She also stepped into the spotlight herself, introducing her agency, MindMiners Collective and its work to the Canela PR team. While the prospect initially made her nervous, the presentation ultimately became a moment of pride and a reminder of everything her own team creates together.
Beyond the meetings and professional exchange, there was also time to discover the Catalan capital, experience the local culture and build connections. Together, these moments made the week equally valuable on a personal level, showing how leaving familiar surroundings can bring not only inspiration, but a renewed sense of confidence.
In Réka’s own words:
These kinds of experiences always remind me that when I go into a new situation alone, especially one that is outside my comfort zone, I can handle much more than I sometimes think. It gave me a strong feeling of confidence. It feels good to feel strong.
Enterie Exchange delivers exactly what it promises on paper – cross-market insight, new professional connections, a break from routine. What’s harder to put on paper is the rest of it: the confidence that comes from figuring things out in an unfamiliar city, realizing that another agency solves your exact problems completely differently, a bucket list that at the end of your trip somehow got longer instead of shorter.
Curious where the next edition might take you? Read more about the program in our ebook and talk to your manager about taking part next time around.
Meeting in person IS crucial, which we especially appreciate in the post-COVID and AI era. That’s why we are inviting our members to another in-person gathering, “Up Your Game” retreat on October 8-9 in Barcelona, organised by our sister network UPN.
Enterie Exchange FAQ
Who can apply?
Any employee at an Enterie-affiliated agency, with their manager’s support – from junior consultants to agency leadership.
How long does an exchange last?
It depends on the host agency, ranging from a few days up to a month. Most participants so far have opted for a one- to two-week stay.
Do I need to speak the local language?
No. Working English is all you need day-to-day, though picking up a few local phrases is always appreciated by your hosts.
Who covers the costs?
Enterie doesn’t fund the exchanges directly, but many home agencies support their employees’ participation – worth raising with your manager early on.
Where do I stay?
Accommodation is arranged by the participant, though some host agencies are happy to help point you in the right direction.
How do I get started?
Talk to your manager about your interest, have them reach out to us, and we’ll help connect you with the host agency of your choice.
