The AdForum Summit, held twice a year in selected cities across the globe, will include Johanna McDowell and the Independent Agency Search & Selection Company (IAS) as part of an exclusive, captive audience of search consultants.

The 2024 AdForum Summit will take place in New York City between 13th and 17thtMay 2024, providing the IAS with the opportunity to assess and forecast global communication industry trends; and, with up-to-date information constantly being exchanged, an exclusive forum to share ideas, challenges and opportunities. The major theme running through the Forum this year will be AI, from a multitude of angles, looking at the value it can bring across areas from creativity to customer relations.

The AdForum summit is an invitation only event that brings top players in the industry together, and offers them the chance to grow their business, network, and experience how they are shaping the future. The IAS is the only South African pitch consulting company that has been participating consistently in the summit over the past 17 years.

More than 20 participating agencies including big names like WPP Group, DDB Worldwide, Uncommon and Stagwell, as well as some new independent players, will be visited during the summit week. These participating agencies will have private meetings with more than 35 global search consultants at their respective offices in order to have 1-on-1 conversations about agency goals, strategies, key corporate messages and to showcase their creative visions and talents.

“The main reason we accept the invitation to attend is to ensure that the IAS continues to be at the forefront of global issues and trends facing the advertising and communication industry and the complex world of agency selection. AdForum offers us the chance to discuss the future of the marketing communications industry. This will be especially important this year with the rapid strategic shifts taking place within agencies as they grapple with the new needs of marketers, new ways an agency can partner with business, as they seek to break through the old, embrace change and bravely tackle the next frontier of challenges,” says Johanna McDowell, Founder and CEO of IAS and partner for SCOPEN Africa.

SCOPEN Africa will also be represented by McDowell at the Summit along with other SCOPEN colleagues from around the world.

For South African agencies, brands and marketers, IAS will be hosting a Masterclasses in June where insights and learnings, along with new case studies, from this summit will be shared. Look out for details on our LinkedIn page here.