Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Miša Lukić, CEO for Central Eastern Europe at Publicis One
I actually tried to explain it to myself, so I started a chronological and objective analysis of my visit last week.
As usual when I travel to Istanbul, I flew with Turkish Airlines, and already in that first contact you feel one of the most beautiful features of the Turkish people – hospitality.
This time I had the opportunity to experience the Turkish hospitality in an unusual way on my arrival to Istanbul as well.
At the airport, I was welcomed and driven straight to the hotel by the agency driver. However, at the reception, it turned out that it was not the hotel I booked. Busy with emails and messages I didn’t even notice that the driver had left me in the wrong hotel by mistake. But then, the world famous Turkish hospitality kicks in. Since they quickly found out that the hotel I had booked for was about 100 meters away, they had one of their people accompany me, carry my luggage, and provide assistance if I needed anything. It’s incredible to feel so welcomed, and that nothing is a problem that cannot be solved.
During the evening we went to the Vogue Restaurant, where you can’t decide whether the best thing is the food or the view of the Bosphorous, which looks enchanting from the large terrace that we came out to three times during the evening, because you can never have enough of that view and experience. Istanbul is a city whose beauty is something you simply cannot get used to. The only city in the world that lies on two continents at the same time, and as such represents a connection of opposites, both culturally, and in its beauty, cuisine, uniqueness in every respect …
We spent the entire next day in a working atmosphere – but it wasn’t the classic, cold business atmosphere, but a candid, friendly conversation and open dialogue, even when it came to the most serious topics.
The best thing is that, besides the regular topics, every time we come to Publicis One Turkey, we are flooded with good news about the success of all our P1 agencies. This time our global Publicis One CEO, Jarek Ziebinski, was also visiting Turkey, and it just happened that we won two big clients on the very day of our arrival, so we opened champagne and rejoiced this feat like kids. The success was even greater because new business was gained in the field of digital communications, as well as in consulting and digitization (e-commerce), which shows that we are transforming and adapting to new times in great strides. The progress that has been made over the last two years is more than visible. Each time I visit Turkey I witness that progress and growth firsthand.
After the mini-celebration in the office, we went to see the new location and building that will house Publicis One and close to 500 of its people who are currently employed in Istanbul. The complex which will house all Publicis Groupe agencies under one roof is in line with Publicis One’s philosophy – it looks fabulous, and everything is almost done. All that remains is to do the interior decoration of the offices. What made me particularly delighted is that the entire business complex is on the outskirts of the largest green area in Istanbul, whose name is BELGRAD FOREST!
In the evening, together with all the leaders of our agencies we went to a traditional Turkish restaurant where we enjoyed the specialties of Turkish traditional cuisine and, of course, the staple ćevapi that are prepared in a very original way, and are quite different from the Serbian ones. The atmosphere was extremely positive. We joked, grinned and felt like we were all together on a great vacation with our closest friends all the time.
On Friday morning, our global CEO gave an interview for the Campaign magazine, after which he addressed a group of employees and answered their interesting and open questions. The relaxedness and intimacy felt there is quite unusual in the business world.
After that, we continued our meetings where our creative and media agencies presented their most successful campaigns in the past year. I’m overwhelmed by the feeling of pride and satisfaction when I see how much was achieved in such a short period of time.
All this in less than three days in Istanbul!
We wrapped up our visit in an exquisite restaurant in one of the most beautiful locations in Istanbul, where we summarized all that we had accomplished, and what remains to be accomplished.
We took a walk along the coast, and said farewell in a friendly and close conversation.
This is my answer – both to myself and to all who ask me – why I had such a great time in Istanbul.