HEAnet Hosts The Spring SIG-Marcomms Group Event: Driving Innovation in Marketing and Communications

HEAnet were delighted to host the Spring Special Interest Group Marketing Communications (SIG-Marcomms) Group on 18-19 February in their Dublin office.

It was an engaging and insightful event, bringing together seventeen marketing and communications professionals from across the global research and education networking sector. We are delighted to announce that HEAnet PR and Marketing Manager, Barbara Carroll, has been appointed the new Chair of the SIG-Marcomms Group, replacing Lonneke Walk, who has chaired the group for over nine years, and we thank her for her commitment and dedication to the group.

The event featured a series of interactive sessions, workshops, and discussions aimed at enhancing branding, communication strategies, and stakeholder engagement.
The event opened with a welcome presentation from HEAnet, followed by a session on Employer Branding, chaired by Lonneke Walk (SURF). Participants explored best practices in employer branding and recruitment communications, sharing insights on collaboration with HR departments and the dos and don’ts of building an attractive workplace culture. Presentations included perspectives from SURF, GÉANT, and FCCN, offering valuable strategies and real-world case studies.

Following this, the Milestones Communications session, led by Laetitia Lagneau (Belnet), focused on effective ways to share organisational milestones with various audiences. Key highlights included success stories from PSNC, RENAM, DFN, and Sikt, showcasing how different NRENs have communicated major achievements such as anniversaries and leadership transitions.

A dynamic Brand Workshop, facilitated by Owen Barry from Create provided an opportunity for attendees to assess and refine their brand identity. Discussions covered external and internal brand perceptions, competitive analysis, stakeholder engagement, and company culture. Through interactive exercises, participants explored brand attributes, mission and vision alignment, and the impact of core values on brand strategy.

The second day of the event began with an icebreaker session, setting the stage for collaborative discussions. The first session of the day, Learning Circles, chaired by Silvia Fiore (GÉANT), encouraged peer-to-peer learning on key industry topics. Attendees participated in focused discussions on 2025 planning strategies and the effectiveness of paid versus organic marketing campaigns, sharing insights on project management tools, budgeting, and performance evaluation.

The event concluded with “Raise Your Challenge” session, chaired by Elis Bertazzon (GARR). This session encouraged all face-to-face participants to present updates on their current communications activities and challenges. It provided a platform for open discussions, allowing attendees to share their experiences and seek advice from peers. Presentations included OCRE 2024 comms best practices and how to best work together for OCRE 2024 by Laetitia Lagneau (Belnet) and I have a dream… FileSender case studies by Olga Popcova (RENAM ).

The SIG-Marcomms Group, a dedicated community within the GÉANT organisation, brings together marketing and communication professionals from National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) worldwide. This platform fosters collaboration, knowledge sharing, and the development of best practices to strengthen communication strategies across the sector
Thank you to all attendees for your wonderful participation and we look forward to further engagement with the group in the near future.

The meeting slides and agenda can be found on the dedicated wiki page.

Thank you to all attendees for your wonderful participation and we look forward to the next scheduled meeting on Monday morning 9 June at TNC25, hosted by Jisc in Brighton, UK. For more  information on the ‘Side Meeting Pass’ required to attend SIG-Marcomms, see here:  tnc25.geant.org/register.