Trailblazing Newcomers & Long-Standing Brand Powerhouses Unite in Phoenix for 2019 IAB Annual Leadership Meeting

Sir Martin Sorrell, Executive Chairman, S4Capital, Headlines the
Event in a Must-See Fireside Chat with Pete Kim, CEO, MightyHive

PHOENIX–(BUSINESS WIRE)–IAB
commenced its 2019 Annual Leadership Meeting today at the JW Marriott
Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort and Spa in Phoenix, AZ, with more than 1,500
digital advertising marketing and brand executives. This year, with the
largest-ever slate of speakers for the event, the annual three-days of
debate, discoveries, and decisions will be centered around the theme:
“The Theory of Revolution: Sparking Growth in the Direct Brand Economy,”
helping publishers, brands and their partners learn how to thrive in the
emerging direct brand economy where young direct-to-consumer brands can
compete with the largest global brands on earth.

“When newcomers and historic household names become eye-to-eye
competitors, massive change is afoot for this industry,” said Randall
Rothenberg, CEO, IAB. “It happened first in publishing—that was the
advent of the internet. Now, it’s happening across consumer-facing brand
segments. This is the revolution through which all brands, publishers,
and their partners must learn to survive—and this is what the brightest
minds are working out here at the 2019 IAB Annual Leadership Meeting, on
stage, at intimate breakout sessions, and face-to-face networking
events. This event is a must-attend for the leaders of today and leaders
of tomorrow.”

The biggest names in the business will spearhead these historic
dialogues. Tomorrow, the conference opens with a keynote presentation
from direct brand royalty: ThirdLove Co-Founders and Co-CEOs Heidi Zak
and Dave Spector. Together they will share with the audience the
realities of what it takes to succeed as a direct-to-consumer brand, and
what the shift to direct brands means for the media and advertising
industry. Monday, Brian Lesser, CEO, Xandr, who has a prescient eye for
what sticks, will offer his perspective on the changing dynamics of the
TV advertising business. Tuesday morning, Linda Yaccarino, Chairman,
Advertising Sales and Partnerships, NBCUniversal, and Laura Correnti,
Partner, Giant Spoon and Co-Host of the “Adlandia” podcast, will discuss
the future of disruption in the world of premium advertising. Closing
the conference with a not-to-be-missed session, Sir Martin Sorrell,
Executive Chairman, S4Capital, will engage in a one-on-one discussion
with Pete Kim, CEO, MightyHive about the trends they are seeing, and
choosing to respond to, in their keynote entitled, “A View from the Top
of the (R)evolution.”

In addition, many other luminaries will take the mainstage. These
include:

• Per Bjorke, Senior Product Manager, Google
• Jeffrey Cole, Director, Center for the Digital Future, USC Annenberg
  School for Communication and Journalism
• Seth Dallaire, Vice President of Global Advertising Sales and
  Marketing, Amazon Advertising
• Kelly Day, President, Viacom Digital Studios
• Tamer Hassan, CTO and Co-Founder, WhiteOps
• Jon Kaplan, Global Head of Partnerships, Pinterest
• Ralph Newhouse, CEO, Chefman
• JB Osborne, Co-Founder and CEO, Red Antler

The breakout sessions this year are notably numerous and distinctive,
exploring the greatest challenges and opportunities that impact the
day-to-day operation of the digital advertising, marketing and commerce
and their convergence today. Topics span the EU’s General Data
Protection Regulation, mobile marketing, biases in media, data quality
and transparency, and alternative revenue models for publishers.

To share the most important, thought-leading moments of the event, IAB
will be providing video highlights of stage presentations throughout the
event at www.iab.com.
For more information or to view event recaps and summaries following the
event, visit www.annualleadershipmeeting.com.

About IAB

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) empowers the media and
marketing industries to thrive in the digital economy. Its membership is
comprised of more than 650 leading media and technology companies that
are responsible for selling, delivering, and optimizing digital
advertising or marketing campaigns. The trade group fields critical
research on interactive advertising, while also educating brands,
agencies, and the wider business community on the importance of digital
marketing. In affiliation with the IAB Tech Lab, it develops technical
standards and best practices. IAB and the IAB Education Foundation are
committed to professional development and elevating the knowledge,
skills, expertise, and diversity of the workforce across the industry.
Through the work of its public policy office in Washington, D.C., IAB
advocates for its members and promotes the value of the interactive
advertising industry to legislators and policymakers. Founded in 1996,
the IAB is headquartered in New York City and has a San Francisco office.

Contacts

IAB Media
Laura Goldberg
347.683.1859
laura.goldberg@iab.com