When did we stop being curious? Better questions for growth.

Introduction

Clients aren’t asking agencies for more information. They’re asking for better thinking. 

Yet one of the comments we hear most often from clients is that agency conversations have become narrower. Teams are busy. Deadlines are relentless. Experience is harder to build. And somewhere along the way, curiosity has been crowded out. 

The result? 

Too many teams move quickly from brief to answer. From challenge to recommendation. From assumption to action. 

In a market where agencies are under increasing pressure to demonstrate commercial value, build stronger relationships and unlock growth, the quality of the questions we ask matters more than ever. 

In this new AAR seminar, Vicky Gillan and Tony Spong will explore why curiosity has become a competitive advantage, what gets in the way of it, and how agency leaders can develop it more deliberately across their teams.  

Building on AAR’s latest thinking, research and client observations, the session introduces The AAR Growth Curiosity Model and practical approaches that help teams ask better questions, uncover richer opportunities and create more valuable client conversations. 

Seminar Overview

During the session we will:

• Share what clients are telling us about the quality of modern agency conversations 

• Explore why curiosity is becoming a critical leadership skill 

• Introduce The AAR Growth Curiosity Model and the four forms of curiosity that drive growth 

• Examine the difference between confirmation, discovery and growth questions 

• Explore practical ways to build curiosity into agency culture, client leadership and everyday decision making 

• Challenge participants to rethink where and how they direct their curiosity 

Benefits 

By attending, you will:

• Better understand where curiosity is helping or hindering growth 

• Gain a practical framework for improving the quality of client conversations 

• Identify opportunities to strengthen commercial, strategic and stakeholder understanding 

• Explore ways to create a more curious culture within your teams 

• Leave with practical ideas that can be applied immediately to client relationships and business development effort 

Who Should Attend

This session is designed for anyone responsible for leading client relationships, developing business opportunities or helping ideas gain traction inside client organisations. 

Relevant for account management, strategy, planning, media, creative, data and leadership teams, the discussion is intentionally discipline-neutral and focused on helping agencies create more valuable conversations and stronger commercial outcomes 

About the presenters

Vicky Gillan 

Vicky is Lead Consultant for Relationship Management and Upskill at AAR. She works with clients, agencies and in-house teams across all sectors and disciplines, from heritage brands to scale-ups including Asahi Group, ASOS, BHF, HiBob, Kerry Dairy, Pay.UK, ITV, NatWest, Netflix, PwC and Sage. Her expertise lies in agency assessment – reviewing client–agency performance and leading ways-of-working, transformation and reset initiatives.

Before joining AAR, Vicky spent 20 years client-side in FMCG, media and financial services, collaborating with agencies and in-house teams of all sizes.

Tony Spong

Tony is Lead Consultant for Brand Strategy at AAR, working with both clients and agencies. With experience on both sides of the industry, he advises on brand strategy, innovation, production and design, bringing essential context to business challenges and insights that help agencies compete more effectively.

He also runs AAR’s agency seminar programme, keeping it fresh and relevant to industry change. A regular awards judge, Tony has supported various trade bodies and most recently chaired the DMA Creative Committee.

Running This Session Online

We will run one session only, from 9.15am to 11.15am on Wednesday 14 October 2026 via Zoom. To participate, please email name, job title, agency, and email address to events@aargroup.co.uk. We cannot process bookings without these details. 

NB: AAR seminars are exclusive to AAR subscribing agencies. A maximum of five places per agency is permitted for remote sessions.