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Instead of organising individual press conferences, the PENNY Romania communications team designed the PENNY la zi (PENNY today) series, in which not only colleagues from the company but also experts and scientists have their say - depending on the topic at the centre of the event.
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PENNY Romania
More than just a press conference
by Stefan Weber

Why waste the many good stories that Romania has to offer at a single meeting with media representatives? A series of events would be better. That's what the communicators at PENNY International thought and developed PENNY la zi. The innovative format has now received one of the most prestigious international PR awards.

Strong year-on-year revenue growth, a rapidly expanding store network and high popularity ratings among customers: PENNY is going from success to success in Romania. This is actually a comfortable situation for communicators. But what is the right format to best communicate the outstanding development of PENNY Romania? "We wanted to show how intensively we have worked on the brand and developed it further. A lot of work has gone into this, and it should be visible to employees and customers," emphasises Mike Podobrin, Head of Strategic Marketing at PENNY International.

Sending a long press release with all the facts to media representatives? Invite them to a press conference at which CEO Daniel Gross and his team explain PENNY's development and answer questions? These more traditional formats did not seem appropriate to those responsible. "We wanted to present good figures and announce growth targets more than just once. We would much rather tell continuous stories about how PENNY has achieved its strong market position, what challenges we have to overcome and what we have planned for the future. And for this we needed a completely new format," explains Marco Sandner, Head of Corporate Communications at PENNY International.
This intention gave rise to the idea for "PENNY la zi" (PENNY today), an innovative format for a series of events in the style of a press conference. The idea was then conceived together with national and international colleagues from Corporate Communications, Marketing and HR.

Media representatives are invited, but the target group is actually much larger. Colleagues and business partners should also find out what moves PENNY on these occasions. It's not always just about the internal perspective and internal company developments. At PENNY la zi, external experts and scientists also have their say - this opens up a broader view of the topics and makes the events interesting for a wider audience. "We only invite people if we really have something to share and not because the calendar dictates a certain rhythm. This is how we keep curiosity high," emphasises Irina Butnaru, Corporate Communications Manager in Romania. Each event has its own theme, is moderated by CEO Daniel Gross and is recorded in a professional TV studio. Those who are unable to attend will have the opportunity to experience PENNY la zi on screen as a live stream.

"I am always delighted to see so many colleagues as PENNY experts on the PENNY la zi stage. We know that great things can only be achieved by a team in which every voice counts. For me, this series of events is a wonderful journey dedicated to everyone involved along our value chain. We see it as a contemporary evolution of what corporate communication means today," says Daniel Gross, CEO of PENNY Romania.

The premiere in 2020 was followed by four editions of PENNY la zi in 2021, with one event having taken place so far this year and another in preparation.

After winning several awards in the national communications industry, PENNY la zi has also recently been recognised in the international PR scene. The innovative format was honoured with "Gold" in the "Retailers" category at the Emea Sabre Awards 2022, one of the world's most prestigious awards ceremonies. At the IN2 Sabre Awards 2022, the competition that honours innovation in various fields, PENNY Romania was awarded the "Certificate of Excellence" for PENNY today in the Online / Virtual Events category.


ENGLISH VERSION


PENNY Romania
More than just a press conference

We have a lot of great stories to tell here in Romania. Why, then, should we try to pack them all into a single press conference? With that in mind, the communications team at PENNY International created PENNY la zi (PENNY today). This innovative format has now received one of the most prestigious PR awards.

In a year of sharply increasing sales, a rapidly expanding store network and high customer appeal: PENNY is going from strength to strength in Romania. This is actually a great situation for the Communications team. But what format works best for sharing PENNY Romania's outstanding development? "We wanted to show how intensively we've been working on the brand and how we've refined it. A lot of work went into that, and we wanted that work to be visible for our colleagues and customers," enthuses Mike Podbrin, Head of Strategic Marketing at PENNY International.

So, should we send a long press release with all the facts to media representatives? Or invite them to a press conference, where CEO Daniel Gross and his team explain and answer questions about how PENNY has developed? These traditional channels and events do not feel quite right to the Communications team. "We wanted to present good figures and announce growth targets more than just once. We'd much rather tell stories on an ongoing basis, about how PENNY has developed its strong market position, about what challenges we're still facing, and what we plan for the future. We needed an entirely new communications format for this," explains Marco Sandner, Head of Corporate Communications at PENNY International.

This led to the idea of PENNY la zi (PENNY today), an innovative format for a range of events in the style of a press conference. Colleagues from Corporate Communications, Marketing and HR both in Romania and internationally worked together on the idea. Media representatives are invited to the events, but PENNY la zi actually targets a much larger audience. Colleagues and business partners should also learn about what's happening at PENNY from these events. But it's about more than just the internal perspective and corporate developments. PENNY la zi also serves as a platform for external experts and scientists, which offers a broader view of the topics covered, whilst making the events themselves appeal to a wider audience. "We send out the invitations only when we really have something to share, and not just because the calendar says it's time to do so. That fosters engagement and curiosity," emphasises Irina Butnaru, Corporate Communications Manager in Romania. Each event is organised around a single topic. CEO Daniel Gross moderates the events, which are filmed in a professional TV studio. Everyone has the chance to watch the PENNY la zi events, whether in person or live on screen.
"I'm happy to see so many of our colleagues taking the PENNY la zi stage as PENNY experts. We know that great things can only be created by a team in which every voice counts. For me, this event series is a wonderful journey, dedicated to all stakeholders along our value chain. We see this as a modern take on what corporate communication means today," says Daniel Gross, CEO of PENNY Romania.

Four PENNY la zi events in 2021 followed the 2020 première. One event has been held so far this year, with another in the works.
After winning several awards in the national communications industry, PENNY la zi has also recently received high recognition from the international PR community. The innovative format received a 2022 EMEA Sabre Award, one of the most prestigious in the industry, winning gold in the Retailers category. At the 2022 IN2 SABRE Awards, which recognises innovation in a variety of areas, Penny Romania was awarded a certificate of excellence in the online/virtual events category for PENNY today.

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