Latest / IAB Europe podcasts / Scaling Intelligence: Inside DMEXCO 2026

Transcript

Scaling Intelligence: Inside DMEXCO 2026 · IAB Europe podcasts

• 0:05
  SPEAKER_01: Hello and welcome to IVS podcast Digital Door, the podcast that brings insights and learnings from the digital advertising and marketing industry to light, spark new ideas into existence, and help our industry to thrive.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_01: In each episode, we invite a different guest from across the industry to share their inspiring insights and explore innovative ideas.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_01: From DENI and AI, the latest technical advances across a variety of channels, we cover it all for leaders from across Europe.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_01: Whether you're tuning in for a deep dive into emerging trends or to hear first hand experiences from the people shaping our industry, you're in the right place.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_01: Enjoy.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_01: So hi everyone and welcome to this special edition of our Digital Dawn podcast, where I'm delighted to have Verena, who is the host and director, brand and communications of De Mexico, joining us today for a special edition to dive into all things about the event.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to the podcast.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for having me.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: I'm very excited to tell you a little bit more about De Mexico.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_01: We're very excited to have you.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_01: So this is just to start with, it'd be great if you could just introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your role and what you're focused on in the lead up to this year's event.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, I'm working for De Mexico since two and a half years now.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: So it's my third DeMexico as a host.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: Before I attended Demexico for many, many years as a journalist, I was editor-in-chief before for a German marketing specialist magazine.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: So I worked in the industry for many, many years.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: And so what I'm doing now most, of course, I do the strategy together with my colleagues from the Demexco board.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and we're shaping the future of Damexco, but uh I also talk to journalists, I host the Demexco podcast, I do the VIP strategy, things like that.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: So I talk a lot with the industry outside.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: I go outside, meet people, listen to what the yeah, what the topics, what the issues, what the new movements are, and um yeah, so I see myself a little bit like the minister of foreign affairs, so to say.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_01: And very important for creating such a successful event to be able to be in touch with everybody across the industry and making sure that you say hitting the right topics and things like that.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_01: I think most of our listeners are going to be familiar with Demexico, but anyone that maybe doesn't know or isn't isn't quite so familiar with the conference, could you give us a little bit more of an overview?
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_01: How would you describe it uh and its role within within our industry, within digital advertising and marketing?
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: Sure, sure.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, Demexico is Europe's leading business event for digital marketing, media and uh technology and commerce, of course.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: Um but so it's like a trade show, but I think it's even more than that.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: This because since many, many years, it's a place where the future of the industry is shaped, where the industry meets.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: So every September, 40,000 decision makers from the industry come together and cologne, meet from global brands to agencies to tech companies to retailers and startups.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: And uh they discover the new tools, uh, they try to understand what's up for the next years, and of course, they do their business there.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's everything you could want in one place, essentially.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_01: So before we dive in a little bit more around um around the event, we always love to ask our podcast guests this this similar question.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_01: It just gives it a nice little start to the just get a bit more of an idea of you and what's happening uh outside of your work.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_01: So um we like to ask our guests what your peak of your week has been.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_01: So any highlights from the last seven days, we're kind of at the start of the week whilst we're recording this, but anything that's been for you most recently that's been the peak for you.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: That's funny that we're recording now because my peak in the last seven days was definitely I did a half marathon on the weekend and I trained for it for many for a long time.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: I it was the first since seven years, so I challenged myself and um it came out good.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_00: So I reached my goals and I was very happy about it, and many people um yeah, celebrated, so to say, with me, my friends and family, and that was really, really nice.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: So I had a great weekend, and uh yeah, I'm still a little bit in the mood of um this nice flow from the weekend.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_01: Well to knew that's an amazing achievement.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think I'd even know where to start in Jenga Half Marathon.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_01: So hats off to anyone that does any any kind of work.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_01: I can tell you everything about the podcast just on running.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_01: Definitely amazing and good.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_01: And also I imagine quite hard in what has been quite a hot summer.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_01: So again, double, double hats off to you for that one.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_01: Definitely warm, yes.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so bringing it back to Dometico.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_01: So it would be great to just talk a little bit around the legacy of Dometico.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_01: You kind of touched on it there when you were sort of sharing a bit more about what the event encompasses over the years and all the different kinds of things that go into it.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_01: But what do you think has given it such a lasting relevance and legacy within our industry?
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_01: Like, what's the kind of the main thing that keeps it such a central point for us all?
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's actually pretty amazing.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: I I'm doing I'm working for Demexico since two years or two and a half years, so it's uh not uh what I achieved, just a little bit, but um Demexco started um 2009, so already a long time ago.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_00: And I think uh the key is that Demexco brings together the community that is a meeting point for all the people inside the digital economy in Europe and also abroad from Europe.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: We're bringing decision makers from all the industry that I already told you.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: We discussed the challenges, we discuss uh what's going to be next.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: We show the whole industry which is growing and growing and getting more fragmented and more complicated, actually.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: And um, yeah, it's the place where you shape the next year for your business because it's in September.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: That's where you make the plans for the next year.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: And um, I think you go home from the Mexico and have a lot of ideas, new contacts uh for the next year.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's yeah, the key of success of the Mexico, I would say.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, definitely.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_01: And you mentioned there, like as an industry, we have you know a lot of challenges, a lot happens.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_01: If we even talk about the last 12 months, how much has changed within our industry?
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_01: If you're talking back to like 2009, like that's a long time to kind of keep adapting and evolving as as things sort of change.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_01: Like, how do you feel Demexico has adapted and been able to retain that value amongst people?
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_01: I guess you've kind of touched upon it there, where it's the networking, it's the community, it's bringing those ideas there.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_01: But anything kind of extra you want to add on to kind of that point?
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, Demexico has changed, of course, within the last uh many, many years.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, I think the industry has grown up, and Demexico has also grown up a little bit with the industry.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_00: Years ago, the Mexico was a lot like higher, faster, further, a lot of pushy was very crowded.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: For some, it was even too much.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_00: Now the the industry has a little bit matured, a little bit settled down, it's more about business, more serious decision makers, and that's what Demexico also represents.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: And the second thing I already mentioned, and you mentioned the fragmentation.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we're showing the whole fragmentation, we're showing the whole industry.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_00: Every decision maker has the problem to because it's so complex, the industry.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_00: They need to have the answer, they need to have the overview, and we're trying to give the people the overview of the growing and uh more and more complicated industry.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_00: And so we are growing alongside the industry, and um I think that's how we're evolving together, of course, with the industry, because of course it's not that only our team is preparing the Mexico.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: Everybody who's joining the Mexico, all our partners, all our visitors are part of the Mexico and are shaping the Mexico together with us.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_00: So honestly, to be honest, it's a product that we all do together, more or less.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: We just open the doors and then it's uh the industry that's making the Mexico.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_01: Fantastic.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_01: And if we kind of turn a bit more to the event specifically this year, what do you think that you know attendees are going to be going this year?
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_01: They might have attended many years in the past, they might be coming for the first time.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_01: What do you think will feel new or different um to this year's event versus maybe other years?
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think when you entered a Mexico, it's clear that AI is all over the place, not like a hype like last year or two years ago, but more as a business strategy that really creates value.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_00: We have this year's theme scaling intelligence, which reflects this also growing up AI market.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_00: So the conversations are moving, and I think you will see that in every conversation that you have on site and every talk and every presentation on stage.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_00: And we, of course, we build the program around this topic from our thought leader summit to the CMO summit, and then on the topic stages where we dive deeper into the different industries, but always with uh how AI changes the industry in mind.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_00: And I think yeah, you will feel this atmosphere ever everywhere around when you enter the halls, and uh you will see the incredible commitment also of our exhibitors to the topic, but also to the Demexical.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we see interesting brand experience on site uh again this year, and I'm very curious how that will look when it's all built up and all is ready.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's always interesting when you see all the booths and things come together.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_01: Actually, in a past role, I I was on the ad tech side in marketing and I've done it before where we built the booths and things like that, and it's such a fun time to experiment and see what you can do.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and it's always good then when you see them all come together.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: Totally.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_00: When you when you walk around the halls the the day before, the afternoon before, when everything is set up but nobody's there, only some people still uh fixing the last pieces of the booth.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_00: Uh that's that's very nice to see everything, uh then everything comes to life, so to say.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_01: And you mentioned there briefly about some of the summits that you've got and you and some of the sort of um stake stages.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_01: Are there any kind of particular new formats or stages or general experience that have been brought into the program maybe this year or in the last couple of years that are newer that that would be interesting for people to know about?
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, definitely.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, if you haven't been at the Mexico the last two years, then there are two new formats that are still our highlight formats, which would be, as I mentioned, the Thought Leader Summit, where the big tech companies internationally come on stage and with their international access and talk about how the industry is shaped by tech, about by uh digitalization, by AI.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_00: On the second day, uh on the big stage, we have uh the CMO summit since two years now, the third year, where leaders from the marketing industry, from big international brands come on stage and uh tell us more about their agenda.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_00: But what will be really new this year, because of course we have something new like every year, the world of commerce is becoming a big upgrade.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_00: We have a two-day commerce summit for the first time with also B2B content, uh, content around the whole journey in the commerce industry.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_00: We built a very nice commerce lounge with an own stage, so another additional stage, so like two commerce stages, so to say, uh, where we and in this lounge, this should be a platform for the retailers, for the brands, for the technology providers.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, that's not all, of course.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we build an additional innovation stage, additionally to our startup stage, we because we see a lot of interest in this innovation and startup topics.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_00: So two new or one new smaller stage where we have content around innovation and young companies and so on.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_00: And as something that our partner, the BVDW, which is the German all know, transformed the guided tours that they are hosting every year.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_00: They uh prepare learning journeys for the guests, which means that they are that the content that they deliver on these journeys while guiding the people around the halls, is like a set of very small masterclasses to make the tours even more valuable and uh not only present new products, but to really learn something new.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_00: And I think this is a very valuable product for everybody taking place in these learning journeys.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_01: Amazing.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_01: And I think you know, you've we've talked about where you get feedback from people to be able to develop these contents, and obviously this is expanded based on your feedback from the industry and conversation you're having.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_01: I think so.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_01: Anyone that's going is going to be able to get involved, depending on wherever they sit in the ecosystem.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_01: So whether they are focusing on retail commerce, everybody's gonna be talking and focusing on AI, or like you say, the smaller startups, innovation, there's kind of something for everyone to get involved with at a kind of content level, but also with the people they're able to network with there as well, right?
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, sure.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, uh we were talking about the fragmentation of the industry.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_00: So we have to have um an offer, interesting um content, interesting parts in the expo for everybody out there out there.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_00: That's what we want to present, uh, to have something for everybody out there, and also to connect these different parts, because I think this is a very nice uh USP of the Mexico that we have so different parts of the industry and bringing them together.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_00: For example, marketing and commerce.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_00: I think there's not many events out there that have both together, but we see that 63% of CMOs rank e-commerce, social commerce, and uh connected e-commerce as one of the most important topics in 2026.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_00: So we see they are growing together, and so we are building or we are bringing them together at the Mexico too.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_01: Amazing.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_01: And you've already briefly sort of touched on the theme for this year being scaling intelligence and why that why that's obviously such an important topic um and focus for for this year.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_01: But what does that phrase mean to to your team, the Demexico team?
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_01: Like is how does it resonate with you as a as a team?
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, we we chose scaling intelligence because we see this next stage of AI adoption in the industry over the past year.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, two years ago we had um prompting the future, which was very uh up to date two years ago, but now it it feels already a little bit old, to be honest, which is amazing because we're still talking about AI is just two years ago.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_00: But now we have this new um this big step in AI.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_00: The the conversations they have changed.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_00: The question is not how can I do the best prompt, but how can I bring AI into my organization to really create value?
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_00: So this experiment experimentation phases over.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_00: Companies have to scale with AI, their business or yeah, their company.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_00: Otherwise, they will fall behind because the others will do it.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_00: And so the question is how can we how can we translate AI to a scalable business model and driving growth or efficiency best in the same time?
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_00: Both.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so that's why we said scaling intelligence would be the best topic for this year.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, one more thing I would like to add, uh, because some people ask why we didn't say scaling artificial intelligence.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_00: That was also on purpose, because we say that when human and artificial intelligence together, then the real superpower emerges.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_00: So we need both together, and that's the intelligence that we can scale this year, and of course, the previous years that will come with AI.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and you kind of beat me to my next question, which was going to be around how does the theme balance the kind of you know artificial intelligence with the human intelligence and creativity.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_01: So you've sort of answered my question there.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_01: But unless there's anything else you want to add, we can kind of go a bit more into the agenda.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_00: We see out there that most companies they don't yet create real value from AI.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's something we really have to discuss, and we will discuss at DMEXCO as well, because we're standing spending so much money in AI, but most people don't earn money with AI yet, or they don't have that big efficiency winnings that that yeah pays for AI.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_00: So that's something we have to work on, and that's something we will discuss, and which also underlines uh the theme scaling intelligence.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_01: And how do you think that this might actually change then when we go to Domesco 2027?
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_01: Do you think that we're gonna look at scaled intelligence?
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_01: I've thrown this in as a bit of a curveball, but just wondering, because it has moved so quickly when you think about the last 12 to two year time period.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's what's gonna happen in the next 12 months?
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_00: Definitely.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, since when are we discussing the token prices since three months, not longer?
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_00: Before AI was more or less free.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_00: Everybody used ChatGPT, Gemini more or less for free or for a few dollars a month.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_00: And now AI is becoming really expensive.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_00: So companies are thinking about it when does it make sense?
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_00: What can we do with it that we're really having a return on invest?
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm sure next year we will have we will make a huge progress in that.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_00: Otherwise, I mean we're burning money and we cannot afford that, of course.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_00: But I think we will see more progress.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_00: It's like uh we we didn't talk about a gentic AI yet.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, uh you and me we didn't talk about that.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_00: That will be uh that will have a huge progress as well, I'm sure, about it, not in the the way we work uh in our office, also in the way we I don't know, we buy media, we um deliver our campaigns, we buy with online things, we purchase things online.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_00: So agentic AI will make a huge step in the next year, I'm sure, about that.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, definitely.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_01: We've actually uh IB Europe's we have a working group on AI.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_01: And we've actually done, I think we've done two now webinars where we've invited some of our members to come in and actually present some of their agentic the case studies and things that are actually doing in the real world to start kind of kicking off and seeing what's actually happening and how it's actually working in the real world.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_01: So again, be interested to see how that how that uh develops over the next 12 months.
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_00: Do you bring that to the Mexico?
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_00: That would be I mean, you were um you were having some um some presentations on the stage too, right?
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so we have um we have a masterclass that we're doing on AI.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_01: So we actually have just um completed a piece of research, which is the second or second, I think it's the second year that we've run it now, um, around the impact of AI on the digital advertising industry.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um so we're gonna be tying up the results of that now and we'll be releasing it as a first a first look on stage at Domexico.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um so it'll be a very quick snapshot of what the top level results are, and then we have a very short discussion with some of the experts from our working group um around those results.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_01: So I don't know what they're what they are yet.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_01: It's gonna be first heard in the masterclass of Dometico.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um and we also have our chief economist, Daniel Knapp, who I'm sure many will be familiar with, um, taking the main stage at various points to discuss latest, you know, ad trends, outlooks, all the kind of latest stats and facts you need around general digital advertising.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_01: But I think he's also doing something on retail and commerce media as well.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, lots of different content.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_01: But we are, yeah, we do have a masterclass on AI with with our experts there.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_00: So I always like very much when Daniel's presenting on stage because you learn so much.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, many numbers, but he still, I don't know how he does it.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_00: It's still always very interesting.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_00: You get go out there and think you're entertained and a little bit smarter than before.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, exactly.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_01: So definitely, and always a nice full room.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_01: So hopefully many people come along again this year as well.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um so we've kind of talked a bit about obviously AI, we've talked a little bit around commerce and the innovation stuff.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_01: Is there anything else across this year?
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_01: So, gender, any other major conversations that you think are going to dominate the event outside of those?
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_01: I guess they're pretty big, but is there anything else you think might crop up?
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, besides AI and maybe the fragmented media landscape, I think topics like retail media, commerce media, as you just uh mentioned also, the creator economy will definitely be a topic.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, AI search in particular, because every brand outside there asks how we will be visible in search or in the LLMs in the future.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_00: And of course, the big question how can you build a brand in the AI area where touch points.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: Different, where visibility is different, uh, where uh the customer journey changes, of course.
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_00: So building a brand in the AI area is uh is different than before, and companies have to think about that, company have to discuss it, and um yeah, that's that will be definitely topics that uh we see.
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_00: And um not forget, I think digital sovereignty will be also something we will discuss.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_00: Strengthening the open web is something that came up also as far as I remember a lot in the last 12 months.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that we discuss how to to to strengthen the open web and the players inside the open web to put the money into the channels to support journalism and to support democracy.
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_00: That would be something um not an easy topic, of course, but something that we definitely have to discuss.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_00: And I see more and more discussions and more and more things going out there, which is good news, I think.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, fantastic.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_01: Sounds like it's gonna be uh super exciting.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_01: And obviously, we've talked about Daniel Knapp getting on the stage and our masterclass, but are there any other sessions in particular or speakers that you're particularly excited about this year?
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_01: Or you know, I think everyone should be very excited to go in.
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_00: Everybody should be very excited, and it's really hard to choose because I know you've got so many.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_00: We have yeah, thousands, more or less thousands speakers again this year, so it's really a lot.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_00: And we um yeah, I would say I'm looking forward to meet analyst Benedict Evans and his view on uh scaling intelligence and how AI changes uh the market.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm really happy that we have a whole female panel on uh the topic on the question turning AI into a competitive advantage for a company with uh the CMO of Gamma, with the CEO of Lukom Group, an e-commerce player, and with um executive partner from IBM Consulting.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_00: So that will be very exciting.
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_00: And uh maybe for the brands, I also would like to pick out one brand.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_00: I'm looking forward to meet uh the CEO of Tony's Chocolone, Douglas.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, I love Tony's Chocolone.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, everybody would love.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_00: So you can meet it in person at the Commerce Summit if you want to.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_00: So some yeah, small tips from my site.
• 24:36
  SPEAKER_01: Amazing.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_01: And everyone can view the whole agenda on the Metzco website.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_01: So we we're gonna set the link anyway with the with the show notes.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_01: But all of that, all of the agenda, all the speaker lines and stuff are all on the website.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_01: So everyone can kind of see what they can look forward to and start planning planning their days there.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_01: And I guess if we just move slightly from the specifics of the event and a bit more to like conversations around the wider industry, again, we've touched on some of this, but from the conversations you've had with some of the speakers, people that are partnering like ourselves or exhibiting at the event, how would you describe the general mood around digital advertising right now?
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_01: Where do you think we're at in our sort of cycle of digital advertising?
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_00: I think I would I would describe it as um optimistic, so to say.
• 25:22
  SPEAKER_00: I would say last year or one and a half years ago, um it developed since then.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_00: So I wouldn't say it was more pessimistic, but maybe a little bit more pessimistic.
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, there's a lot of uncertainties out there with the economy, with the geopolitical developments, which are hitting some of the companies very hard, of course.
• 25:43
  SPEAKER_00: But the AI brings also kind of a momentum into the industry because um companies see this time frame where they can rebuild their chances, so to say, where they can start new and uh develop something new.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_00: And um most of them know they have to transform with AI.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_00: I see it a lot in our industry, which makes me really comp confident and happy.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_00: And so I would say optimistic.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, good.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_01: I like the word optimism.
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_01: And again, we've sort of touched on this a little bit, but maybe if there's more you want to delve into around it.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_01: So we're if we have this conversation in 12 months' time, what do you think the industry could be discussing differently to what we're discussing now?
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, we've talked a little bit there about the agentic AI stuff, like how we're actually scaling it.
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_01: Do you think there's anything more we could be discussing in 12 months' time?
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but yeah, by the time that the event returns again next year, what do you think else we could be talking about that might be a bit different?
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_00: I would go with AI again because right now we're still discussing AI as a technological topic, but yes, I would hope for it that we think it more integrated into leadership, organization design, for example, skills, customer relationship, and uh maybe also competition between competition uh strategy.
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_00: So I think AI will go deeper into the organizations, into all our discussions, and not be only the technology layer on it.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_00: Also, for example, the question how is or how does leadership have to be in times of transformation, which is a huge topic that we're not discussing enough, I would say, because 70% of all transformations fail, and transfer stress among the employees rises uh up to 136% if transformations fail or don't work well.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_00: So you can imagine how big uh stress in the industries are, and of course, um so leadership is a real success factor in this I era, and I think we have to discuss that a lot in the future.
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm looking forward to connecting again in in 12 months' time and having this conversation again to see to see where we're at and what what's changed and how's developed.
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we will have there in a time one year.
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_01: So just before we kind of round up, for anyone that is potentially attending for the first time or has maybe been, but not for a few years, what advice would you give to them to help them make the most out of those two two days at Metz?
• 28:28
  SPEAKER_01: Because it isn't it is big, there's a lot to wander around, there's a lot to see, there's a lot of content.
• 28:33
  SPEAKER_01: Like, is there any advice that you could give to our audience around how they can make the most of their time there?
• 28:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, one can easily get lost at Demexco, I would say.
• 28:42
  SPEAKER_00: My biggest advice is you should come with a plan, but you should leave room for serendipity, maybe 60-70% plan, 30-40 percent serendipity.
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, we have so many talks on stage.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_00: So go into the Demexco app, redeem your ticket, and then you can bookmark all the talks that you're very much interested in.
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_00: You can also see the other people inside the app.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_00: So you can write them, ask them for meetings, so make the meetings that are very interesting for you, maybe with people you usually have no chance to meet.
• 29:17
  SPEAKER_00: So that would be my advice.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_00: And take the rest of the time for spontaneous meetings, for spontaneous conversations.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, at the booth parties, make sure to attend the booth parties because that's a fantastic opportunity.
• 29:31
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, something I would uh personally advise don't underestimate day two.
• 29:37
  SPEAKER_00: It's a little bit calmer, but that makes it more interesting for deeper conversations, of course.
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_00: People have a little bit more time, so take day two for deeper for deeper conversations.
• 29:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_00: And of course, and I think that's a not yeah, a networking tip for all events, but be bold, just present yourself to other people, even if you're waiting for the toilet or for the coffee or sitting next to somebody in the moments, right, where you end up having these conversations often and you realize, and often more often than not, you realize you have people in common that you've either worked with before or know, and the industry, and and you can start yeah, having these conversations.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_01: So, yeah, I I agree with you there.
• 30:21
  SPEAKER_01: It's definitely about making the most of just any opportunity to have conversations with people because we're all there for the same sort of reasons, really, and wanting to connect and network and meet the right people.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_01: So and the app is great.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_01: I will advocate for the app too because having have I didn't get to go last year, coming this year, um, but the year before, when I did attend, the app was very helpful for me because I was able to connect with people to meet them um quite easily.
• 30:45
  SPEAKER_01: So definitely, definitely use the app, it's very, very helpful.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_00: And with the whole plan, with the interactive hall plan, you have everything, the overview.
• 30:53
  SPEAKER_00: So it's very helpful.
• 30:54
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for getting that you mentioned this.
• 30:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then just finally, like, is there anything that you'd like attendees to leave the conference thinking, feeling, or ready to do differently?
• 31:05
  SPEAKER_01: Again, we've sort of touched on this a bit, but yeah, is there anything you'd really want attendees to go away with?
• 31:10
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_00: If there we have more or less 40,000 guests, if every guest goes home with one new idea or one good new contact or a new technology, there's yeah, that there's potentially so much that could come out of it.
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_00: And uh if that happens, if everybody goes home with one thing, then it will be a successful Demexico.
• 31:34
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe go home and think of it.
• 31:36
  SPEAKER_00: What is your one thing that you brought from the Mexico and that will help you the next 12 months in your work?
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_01: Amazing.
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then we're just gonna finish off with um one little little bit of fun, given we started with the peak of the week and your half marathon.
• 31:51
  SPEAKER_01: We thought we'd finish with something a little bit fun too.
• 31:53
  SPEAKER_01: Can you sum up the in three words?
• 31:56
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, that is a real challenge.
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_01: I do this to people sometimes and they get caught off guard, but hopefully you've got some good ones in the bank.
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 32:05
  SPEAKER_00: I would say that the Mexico is definitely business.
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, it's innovation and uh it's connections.
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_00: So I'd go, I would go with uh business and innovation and uh connections.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_01: Perfect.
• 32:17
  SPEAKER_01: Well a brilliant way to sum it all up.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_01: Rina, thank you so much for joining, having this conversation with me.
• 32:22
  SPEAKER_01: I've re I've really enjoyed learning more about what's going into the event this year.
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_01: I'm really looking forward to coming, uh coming in September and experiencing it all again for myself.
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_01: So we will, as I say, pop um more information around the event into the podcast notes and on our website for anyone that wants to find out more.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_01: Also, do visit the Mexico homepage because you'll be able to see more on the agenda, speakers, and everything you need to know.
• 32:47
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, and I will be going off from this recording and downloading the app again immediately for this year.
• 32:53
  SPEAKER_01: So, yes, thank you for thank you for going through this with us and really enjoyed the conversation.
• 32:58
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you, Lauren, for hosting me here.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_00: And of course, I'm looking forward to meeting you uh at the Mexico in person and uh to have you as uh IAB Europe as our partner because you always bring nice content and people and uh yeah, we really enjoy our partnership with you.
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_00: So looking forward to see you in Cologne.
• 33:15
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, likewise, looking forward to it.
• 33:17
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for tuning in.
• 33:18
  SPEAKER_01: We will be back with a new episode very soon.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_01: So be sure to subscribe and tell anyone else who might be interested to listen in too.
• 33:25
  SPEAKER_01: For more information on Iob Europe, you can visit our website at www.ibeurope.eu or contact us via at iob Europe on Twitter.
• 33:35
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks for listening and stay safe.