Bigger is not always better, but as I sat in the 2026 global meeting for the Worldcom Public Relations Group, I was pleased and proud of the growth of the organization in recent years. The room was packed with long-standing partners (some celebrating more than 40 years) and new partners from India, Ireland, Mexico and beyond. We’re now at 94 partners in more than 110 cities on 6 continents.
RLF joined Worldcom 17 years ago as a way to better serve clients with global needs, benefit from best practices and provide support to companies around the world who are coming to North Carolina. It’s been a home run for our agency and clients. Over the years we’ve engaged Worldcom partners in countries such as France, Spain, Germany and China to provide local knowledge and hands-on support for trade shows, internal communications, acquisitions and crisis. We’ve never been disappointed.
A big part of that is because the global board (of which I was fortunate to be a member for five years) has remained committed to growth without compromise. The vetting process to become a partner in the organization is rigorous, and once an agency becomes a partner, there is a required peer review every 2.5 years to ensure quality standards are being met and best practices shared. Worldcom is not a “send in your dues and everything is okay” organization.
One of the requirements is for every partner to attend the global All Group Meeting every spring. Three days of meetings spanning a range of topics (such as incorporating AI into workstreams, global crisis communications models, navigating and mitigating fake news, generating agency growth) and events for partners to get to know each other better. In Paris, that included an evening river cruise on the Seine and a dinner looking out over Paris at the Eiffel Tower.
In an age of remote work and online meetings, Worldcom continues to understand the power of in-person connections and first-hand experiences with different cultures. While it is exciting and fun to visit cities across the globe, the true value of our meetings is creating conversations, and conversations build trust. In an increasingly polarized world driven by digital trends and artificial intelligence, trust is still the most important asset.
RLF Communications is proud to be @WorldcomStrong.
By RLF Communications Founder & CEO Monty Hagler
