This year marks a milestone for the Ad Age Small Agency Conference & Awards, as it goes into its 10th year with a special lineup of speakers and topics specifically tailored to helping small and independent shops maintain momentum and share strategies for growth.
Among the headliners confirmed so far are Badger & Winters co-founder Madonna Badger; Sunday Dinner's Lindsey Slaby; Pete Carter, group director of brand building integrated communications at Procter & Gamble; and Pereira & O’Dell founder P.J. Pereira.
The event opens July 30 with a lunch with the editors of Ad Age, followed by the Small Agency Studio sessions—two 4A's Management Practitioners Forum sessions and a hands-on workshop hosted by Slaby about what clients look for in a credentials presentation.
On July 31, we'll cover building a durable agency; how to play nice in an increasingly crowded sandbox of competing shops; what an independent agency looks like today; and how to survive in a project world. We’ll also take a look inside campaigns created by small shops. And we'll end the day by celebrating the best of small, independent agencies at the Small Agency Awards.
Here’s just a partial lineup for the conference, to be held at the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans:
Badger, along with OKRP co-founder Tom O'Keefe and Bryan Yasko, president of Johannes Leonardo, will talk about the evolving independent.
TBD creatives Rafael Rizuto and Sara Uhelski will detail how they dreamed up StubHub’s holiday campaign and closed the deal in a stunningly short time.
Carter and AAR Partners President Lisa Colantuono will participate in a panel on how to collaborate with competing other agencies on an account.
Walrus co-founder Frances Webster and Verb's co-founder Shannon Simpson Jones will share how they are future-proofing their agencies.
Cal McAllister will explain why, after 15 years of quirky work for clients like Microsoft, Darigold and Sparkling Ice at Wexley School for Girls, he decided to close his shop and what he’s up to now.
Bill Oberlander and Drew Train will share why Oberland is confronting the bias that exists in agencies and how they plan to get others to change.
Pereira & O’Dell’s PJ Pereira and Ken Wheaton, one of the founding editors of Small Agency Diary will talk about where the industry has come from and where it is going.
Click here to buy your ticket before the early-bird discount expires May 31. Register and stay up to date on the speakers, agenda and more here.
