Who are you and what is your role within Beck Communications?
"My name is Eline Philips. Together with my associate Evelyn Reynen, I run Beck Communications. I also work as a communications strategist for our clients," Eline begins. "Our team consists of about thirty colleagues, with Helmond as our home base. Yet you don't see those 30 people on campus every day, because most of our colleagues work on location with clients. About once a month we get together for work meetings, knowledge sharing, sparring sessions and training sessions."
25 years of Beck Communications: a party on campus
This year Beck Communications celebrates its 25th anniversary. "We celebrated this with the whole team in Athens, released an anniversary magazine and on June 26 we organized an anniversary symposium for all our clients, just here on campus," Eline tells us proudly. "Since last year we also have a sister agency in South Limburg: Facet&. They serve the southern part of our catchment area and work in much the same way as we do."
The campus as a new, fitting coat
"Our predecessors ran the agency from Den Dungen, but at some point we outgrew our space there," Eline explains. "We were looking for a place with more bustle, more space and, above all, more flexibility. The layout of the campus immediately appealed to us: stylish, inviting and professional. Unfortunately, corona broke out shortly after our move, so the liveliness and good coffee from Jan&Koek took a while to arrive."
The added value of the campus
"For us, the campus is a wonderful place to receive relations: clients, potential colleagues and cooperation partners. On a first visit, we often hear a 'wow!'," laughs Eline. "It's a nice calling card. And although that wasn't necessarily the reason for settling here, several collaborations have since developed with other residents of the campus."
The facilities are a big plus, according to Eline. "We are well taken care of, so we can focus on our own work. Cleaning, coffee supplies, toilet paper or the printer, it's all taken care of. And as icing on the cake, we simply organized our anniversary symposium in 'our own' house, on campus. How cool is that?"
Connecting with other residents
"We feel at home here because in terms of vision and type of business we fit in well with the other residents," Eline says. "We share the belief that work happiness is not a luxury, but a basic requirement for everything you stand for as a company. There is also a lot of overlap in the nature of our clients."
The campus is fertile ground for new collaborations. "With the Driessen Foundation and the Strong at Work program, we have learned a lot and volunteered. We provide communications support, pro bono, because we think it's important to commit to a good cause. For an agency with mostly women, based in Helmond, that goal could not have been a better fit."
They also work pleasantly together with Groep 5700, Sprank, Jeij and former campus resident Monique van de Ven (now Bureau Zondag). "Our work is an extension of each other and we are proud of the result. For the organization of our anniversary symposium we pulled together with Sprank, for recruitment we worked with Jeij before, and with Groep 5700 we have designed the anniversary magazine and work together for various clients."
Opportunities for the future
"Without our establishment here, the Strong at Work program would probably not have come our way naturally," Eline looks back. "There are still a few people on our list with whom we would like to have coffee sometime, but often we are too busy with the daily business. Who knows what will develop. In any case, the lines of communication are short, the door is open and the good coffee will be no problem!"