Reimagine What's Possible: Step into The Innovator’s Lab, a dynamic half-day experience designed for marketers, brands, and agencies ready to disrupt the status quo in programmatic advertising. This isn’t just another session—it’s your launchpad for breakthrough ideas. Through expert insights, interactive discussions, and collaborative strategy-building, you’ll tackle today’s biggest challenges and uncover fresh opportunities to drive your business forward in this ever-changing landscape.

PRESENTATION: For marketing leaders ready to move beyond buzzwords and into meaningful AI integration, this talk offers a roadmap for the future, focusing on three key areas where AI will catalyze change in marketing. First, learn how marketers are reimagining customer interactions using AI Avatars, digital personas that understand nuance and deliver personalized experiences. Second, learn how to use AI systems as strategic partners to drive marketing initiatives, not passive tools. Finally, learn about Accountable AI, or processes to ensure transparency, fairness and maintain consumer trust as you implement AI into your marketing.

COLLABORATIVE ACTIVITY: Paricipate in a high-energy, interactive networking experience designed to break silos, spark conversations, and connect people beyond their usual teams. We get moving—literally—by using a simple but dynamic visual system to form spontaneous discussion groups based on real-time responses to key questions. Facilitated by Ariel Raz from Projectory.

*This session is part of the Innovator's Lab. An additional fee is required to attend. You can learn more about the Innovator's Lab here. Add on to your conference pass during the registration process. 

Marketers, here’s a question for you: Do you know how your ad dollars are actually performing? If your answer is “yes,” we have some unfortunate news: You probably don’t, not really. Most brands don’t know how much of their performance is being driven by media for the simple reason that large ad platforms – we’re looking at you Facebook, Google, TikTok, et al. – have a tendency to claim too much credit for conversions. But don’t worry, we’ve got attribution expert Madan Bharadwaj on hand to help you understand exactly how to benchmark each channel in your mix and use multiple measurement approaches so that you can forecast properly and optimize with your eyes open. Bring your pencils, let’s do some quick benchmark math and see if you’ll make your H2 2025 forecast.

*This session is part of the Innovator's Lab. An additional fee is required to attend. You can learn more about the Innovator's Lab here. Add on to your conference pass during the registration process. 

PRESENTATION: In the race for lower costs and greater efficiency, have advertisers lost sight of what truly drives value? Procurement teams push for cheaper media, agencies are pressured to deliver high-volume impressions, and publishers are caught between monetization and quality control. But does efficiency come at the expense of effectiveness? IAB SVP Cintia Gabilan unpacks the hidden costs of chasing efficiency in media buying.

COLLABORATIVE ACTIVITY: Engage in a “Futures-Envisioning” activity, where you and your fellow participants will work together to gain a deeper understanding of today’s trends, challenge assumptions and uncover blind spots, ultimately fostering a long-term perspective. Facilitated by Ariel Raz from Projectory.

*This session is part of the Innovator's Lab. An additional fee is required to attend. You can learn more about the Innovator's Lab here. Add on to your conference pass during the registration process. 

New to the event? Or just need a quick refresh on all the cool new things we’ve added this year? Either way, we’ve got you covered with this fast, fun, and interactive session! Think of it as part meet-and-greet, part VIP tour—where we’ll spill the tea on must-see sessions, can’t-miss experiences, and pro tips from Programmatic IO veterans on how to squeeze every last drop of value from the event. Then join us immediately following this session for our First-Timers Reception in the Live Exchange area.

Join us for a welcoming reception designed exclusively for first-time attendees to connect, network, and make new friends in our Live Exchange area. Enjoy light refreshments, engaging conversations, and the perfect opportunity to start your event experience on a high note!

Kick off the event in style at our welcome reception, where you can mingle with fellow attendees, speakers, and industry tech providers in a lively and relaxed atmosphere. Enjoy great conversations, refreshing drinks, and a perfect start to an unforgettable experience!

Our guided 5K run and sightseeing tour departs from the lobby and takes you down the Vegas strip and back. You never know what you’ll see when the sun comes up in Sin City! 

Technology is no longer just something we see; we hear it, feel it, and wear it. As AI, sensors, and smart interfaces reshape behavior, we are witnessing a profound technological and cultural shift. Although people crave deeper, more meaningful connections, with over 6 billion smartphones demanding our attention, how do we move from passive consumption to intentional engagement? 

And what about the digital revolution? Were Web3, NFTs, Blockchain red herrings, and AI simply the next evolution? This talk explores the future of marketing in an era where human connection meets intelligent technology. Are we mastering the shift, or just trying to keep up? Let’s dive in.
What You'll Learn:
How can you future-proof your own skills as AI tools develop?
What brainstorming methods can I take back to my team?
How can you embrace the skill of creative thinking in a highly technical world?

COLLABORATIVE ACTIVITY: A wild idea-generating, networking, and conversation mash-up. This session fosters connection and creativity, using an adaptable set of prompt cards to inspire forward thinking. Facilitated by Ariel Raz from Projectory.

Discover how to connect with 275M+ U.S. customers across the open internet. We’ll demonstrate how Amazon DSP’s AI-powered solutions help brands engage audiences across Prime Video, Twitch, and leading publishers, sites, and apps—from awareness to purchase. Learn proven strategies from real customer success stories and walk away with actionable tips for building effective full-funnel campaigns.

Take a break and connect with like-minded professionals during our networking break, featuring dedicated meet-ups for specific groups. It’s the perfect opportunity to share insights, exchange ideas, and build valuable relationships within your community! Meet-ups designed for Newbies in Ad Tech and Women in Programmatic will be taking place during this networking break.

Refuel and recharge during our lunch break, a perfect opportunity to relax, enjoy a meal, and get ready for more great content ahead!

Take a break and make meaningful connections during our networking break, featuring exclusive "office hours" with speakers. This is your chance to engage in targeted discussions, expand your network, and get your burning questions answered by industry experts!

By using AI to develop ad concepts tailored to consumers’ seasonal stresses, mental health company Headspace drove 76% better conversion rates and a 24% better cost-per-trial. Headspace generated over 460 high-performing ad assets in under a month by harnessing the power of generative AI, in partnership with Monks. But as brands increasingly turn to generative AI for enhanced efficiencies, over 70% of CMOs are concerned about its impact on creativity and brand voice, according to recent BCG reports. Headspace will share how it's revolutionizing the marketing approach to balance the cost-savings of generative AI while producing premium, personalized, and brand-compliant ad experiences that perform.

Meta and Google dominate media budget – but it can pay to diversify. This group of top challenger platforms will discuss the products they’re building to compete with their Big Tech counterparts – and make the case for why they deserve a bigger slice of the media investment that today get gobbled up by the duopoly.

Ad Tech Feud is a fast-paced, interactive game show-style session where attendees test their knowledge of ad tech in a fun, competitive format. Modeled after classic trivia battles, participants go head-to-head answering industry-related questions while the audience plays along for an engaging and entertaining experience.

Soak up the Vegas vibes at our exclusive pool party at the NoMad Pool, where great music, refreshing drinks, and lively conversation set the scene for an unforgettable night. Mingle with fellow attendees and enjoy the perfect mix of relaxation and excitement under the desert sky!

Start your conference day with clarity and energy in an invigorating early morning yoga session, designed to awaken your mind and body for a productive and balanced day ahead—namaste.

ASICS knows a thing or two about running a marketing incrementality test (forgive the pun). In this session, Devin McGuire, ASICS Digital Manager of Global Paid & Personalization Marketing, will bring her perspective on the key considerations and challenges of implementing a measurement approach focused on incrementality. She will share the ASICS training plan that got the brand up and running on its incrementality tests. From setup to measuring results. Come to this session for key tips for how ad buyers can level up their measurement approach with incrementality testing.

As Managing Director at Atlas Technology Group, Brian Andersen is a leading M&A advisor. He recently advised on Uniphore’s purchase of ActionIQ, Rokt's acquisition of mParticle and DoubleVerify’s deal for Rockerbox, with more activity to come in the immediate pipeline. But what is the underlying linkage among these transactions? Answer: The changing data landscape. Brian will highlight the most important trends he sees in the martech and ad tech M&A market, and explain what they mean for your business.

Agentic experiences, AI-powered conversational chat, generative AI. Just try and get through a conversation either at this conference – or in general – without AI coming up. We dare you. Everyone knows that AI is transforming the world and how humans interact with information. There’s a revolution happening. But that begs an important question: The revolution may not be televised, but how will it be monetized? To answer that, we’ll sit down with Paul Longo, general manager for AI in advertising at Microsoft – one of the main companies leading the AI charge – for a candid chat about the collision of advertising and artificial intelligence.

Brands hunger for retail media networks’ troves of unique signals, sticky value exchanges with consumers, and highly measurable advertising. But many retail media networks project unrealistic growth and mask trade promotion as media. Unlocking retail media’s upside requires retailers to practice customer obsession and behave more like publishers. This presentation explains retail media’s dynamics and potential for both sides of the market: buyers and sellers.

Take a break and connect with like-minded professionals during our networking break, featuring dedicated meet-ups for specific groups. It’s the perfect opportunity to share insights, exchange ideas, and build valuable relationships within your community! Meet-ups designed for AdMonsters/Publishers and Agencies/Buyers will be taking place during this networking break.

It's time for lunch, the perfect chance to unwind, enjoy a meal, and gear up for more exciting content ahead!

Take a break and make meaningful connections during our networking break, featuring exclusive "office hours" with speakers. This is your chance to engage in targeted discussions, expand your network, and get your burning questions answered by industry experts!

Programmatic sells by audience, not context. And on the open web, the rise of audience-based buying has eroded the direct relationships publishers had with buyers. And it’s also put downward pressure on CPMs. But will the CTV market follow the same path? This panel will explore what changes, and what stays the same, as programmatic becomes a dominant way of buying CTV.

Earlier this year, it appeared as if the clock was winding down for TikTok in the US. But not only is TikTok still ticking, it remains one of the breakthrough advertising platforms on nearly every media plan. In this fireside chat, David Kaufman, TikTok’s Global Head of Monetization Product Solutions and Operations, will share how the company is evolving its ad product strategy during these uncertain times. From AI-powered automation and performance advertising to new sponsorship and content alignment tools, Kaufman will offer a behind-the-scenes look at TikTok’s monetization roadmap.

Let’s bring it home. After two-and-a-half days of learning at Programmatic IO, the AdExchanger editorial team will recap the a-ha moments of the event during a live podcast recording of The Big Story. With their signature insights and commentary, they will bring it all together and summarize the highlights from this year’s big event.

Join us for a lively happy hour reception to celebrate the successful conclusion of Programmatic IO: Innovate, featuring refreshing drinks, delicious bites, and great company. Unwind, network, and toast to new connections and shared experiences in a relaxed and festive atmosphere!