If you’re buying, planning, or trading media, creating the strategy, or informing teams who do, this is for you. From the changing shape of the commercial landscape to best in class media planning strategies, programmatic trading and how selling media continues to evolve, in this theme you’ll hear from leaders across media who will share insight into how commercial media is changing in 2024 and beyond.

Can reliance on measurement stifle creativity? Does data limit risks - when we need to take risks to deliver big returns? Or can data serve as a valuable tool to inform and enhance creativity? Can insight on consumer behaviour, preferences, and market trends, guide better decision making? Across this theme, we'll discuss how to strike the right balance, covering measurement, context, targeting, and consumer insights to drive better results for your business.

We'll explore the shiny new things that will impact media buyers, planners, and salespeople, asking innovation experts to showcase the revolutionary... and the not so revolutionary, on the road to the future of media. We’ll hear about all the new and emerging media channels, from developments in retail media to the evolving AV landscape and beyond. We’ll unpick AI, privacy and explore new opportunities in digital, plus the latest advancements from the wider world of tech.

You’ll hear from speakers who know how to breathe life into the heart of media. We’ll explore subjects such as whether we still need the 'big idea' in a fragmented world of media, the emotional impact of ads on consumers and the different effectiveness levers that advertisers can pull. We’ll cover topics such as creative optimisation and attention. And you can expect to see excellent examples of creativity in media planning along the way.

We’ll explore the ever-changing dynamics of our industry, the money flowing through it, it’s people and responsibilities to the world around us. We’ll take a deep dive into the emerging channels buoyed by strong advertiser sentiment and investment, such as commerce and retail media, CTV, digital OOH, short-form video platforms and more. We’ll also uncover subjects including the future of the agency and in-house operations and how businesses are investing in talent.