Press Release: Interact 2017 – The New Rules of Engagement: Online Advertising Industry leaders drive solutions to business, policy and societal challenges
Brussels, 10 February 2017 – Interact, IAB Europe’s flagship annual conference, goes to Amsterdam for 2017. The conference will take place on 23-24 May at the NH Collection Amsterdam Barbizon Palace.
Interact is the premiere annual gathering of Europe’s digital advertising industry. It brings executives from across the ecosystem – advertisers, agencies, technology platforms and publishers – together with academics, industry analysts and regulators to analyse emerging business and technology trends and reflect together on the challenges for the coming 1-2 years.
The conference falls at a critical time for the industry, with consumers increasingly able to block ads, undermining the business model that currently delivers a universe of online content and services to consumers and small businesses at little or no cost. Aggravating the challenges, EU regulation continuing to chip away at interest-based advertising’s ability to support European digital media.
As the relationships between advertising, media and audiences are quickly changing, consumers are adopting new platforms, demanding new experiences and new forms of value exchange. Interact 2017 will provide enriching insights and offer thought-leadership on today’s digital advertising industry, under the all-encompassing theme: The New Rules of Engagement, which will explore what a new formula for advertising could mean for Policy, Creativity, Profitability and Future Planning.
“In a way, we are at a ‘moment of truth’ for the industry, with high-stakes risks but also dazzling opportunities if we can get it right”, notes Townsend Feehan, IAB Europe CEO. “It feels as if literally everything is in play. On the industry side, marketers need to earn consumers’ attention on the merits as never before. This means we need to accept responsibility for the conduct that has provoked users to turn to ad blocking, including disruptive and excessive advertising and a failure to give consumers sufficient insight into how the technology works, where the real risks to privacy are and where risks are negligible or non-existent. On the user side, there needs to be an acknowledgement that the Internet is not some kind of parallel dimension where valuable information and services can be had for free, including the quality news on which our democracies depend.”
A thriving digital ecosystem for Europe depends on advertising – and it is only by successfully recalibrating the terms of engagement that it can thrive.
Confirmed speakers include David Shing (AOL Digital Prophet), Chris Clarke (Chief Creative Officer, Digitas LBi), Sarah Mansfield (VP Global Media Europe & Americas, Unilever), Nicola Mendelsohn (VP EMEA, Facebook), Gian Fulgoni (CEO & Co-founder, comScore), John Montgomery (EVP, Global Brand Safety, GroupM), Nigel Gilbert (VP Strategic Development EMEA, AppNexus), Daniel Knapp, Senior Director, Advertising Research, IHS Markit,
Other highlights of the conference include the MIXX Awards Europe and the IAB Europe Research Awards ceremonies, taking place at Gala dinner on 23 May 2017 at the staggering Amsterdam Maritime Museum.
Current sponsors confirmed as of today include ComScore, AOL, GfK and Integral Ad Science.
We currently have a very attractive EARLY BIRD Rate. Don’t miss it.
For additional information please contact Townsend Feehan, CEO (feehan@iabeurope.eu, +32 (0) 478 27 50 74).