UK industry events ad:tech London and Technology for Marketing (TFM) have joined forces to form the country’s largest marketplace for advertising and marketing technology at Olympia, London on 26-27 September.
The deal will see ad:tech London co-locate with TFM and eCommerce Expo to create a destination event that mirrors the convergence of advertising technology, marketing technology and ecommerce. More than 11,000 brands, agencies, media owners and tech providers are expected to participate in a programme of one-to-one meetings, multi-track conferences and social activities over the two days.
CloserStill Media and retail industry body IMRG will be responsible for delivering the integrated experience of ad:tech London, TFM and eCommerce Expo. The ad:tech brand and its suite of global events will remain part of Comexposium.
1,000 senior brands and agencies attended ad:tech London last year. Highlights included keynotes from former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg and L’Oréal CMO Stéphane Bérubé, an agency CEOs leadership debate and The Next Big Thing, a start-up pitch competition in partnership with Nestlé and McCann. TFM and eCommerce Expo were attended by over 9,000 industry practitioners and 200 exhibitors.
Justin Opie, Managing Director, IMRG and eCommerce Director, CloserStill: “I was part of the original team who launched ad:tech London 13 years ago and the event continues to be the beating heart of tech innovation and debate. Bringing ad:tech London, TFM and eCommerce Expo under the same roof is a genuinely exciting opportunity to extend our value proposition, break silos and reflect growing convergence in marketing, advertising and eCommerce technology.
“This portfolio creates scale that’s unrivalled in the UK and a forum for key decision makers from across the industry to come together, tackle key challenges and build relationships.”
Jan Barthelemy, Global Brand Director, ad:tech: “CloserStill has pedigree for delivering high quality technology events and this partnership will enable us to create an even more valuable, immersive experience for brands, retailers, agencies, publishers and tech providers. We look forward to building the definitive industry event here in the UK in partnership with CloserStill.”
Mayfield Merger Strategies acted as adviser to CloserStill Media.