GLOBAL IAB EVENTS Globally, the various IAB organisations stage a variety of events which are aimed at building the profile of the association, as well as engaging with the digital marketing community.

Events are aimed at existing IAB members (to develop professional skills and meet fellow practitioners), as well as the wider digital marketing community (to increase awareness and understanding). A range of events also provides a variety of regular contact points for existing and potential members of the IAB.

The range of events staged by the various IABs include regular networking and social events, seminars and forums, conferences, awards and webinars.

EXISTING DIGITAL ADVERTISING EVENTS IN SINGAPORE

Large-scale commercial conferences are provided by a number of conference organisers; seminars and forums are provided by some of the existing advertising industry associations; networking sessions are organised by groups working within the industry.

The advertising industry itself already stages numerous awards ceremonies which recognise creative and effectiveness achievement in advertising (many of which have a strong digital component).

However, the opportunity exists for the Singapore IAB to add to the current calendar of events. The association can deliver a consistent and credible message throughout all the events that it creates itself or stages in collaboration with others. A selection of the main events is listed below.

PLANNED IAB EVENT INITIATIVES IN SINGAPORE

The IAB in Singapore will aim to stage a number of events itself.  Events should seek to attract participation from advertisers, agencies, advertisers and publishers. The content of events will be aligned with the needs and goals of the target attendees, and should provide a forum for practitioners to interact with their peers.

REGULAR NETWORKING/SOCIAL

As a way of establishing a regular way to connect with its members (and potential members), the IAB will consider staging regular informal networking events designed to encourage interaction between different areas of the interactive advertising community.

The IAB has access to a wide range of interesting speakers, able to give the local industry an opportunity to meet to hear about the latest insight on a relevant topic and to interact with industry peers.
Networking events will be aim to gain the support of the online marketing and advertising industry in Singapore. The ideas for topics and speakers will be generated by the working committee to be established by the IAB.

The IAB will also consider partnering with existing networking events such as Web Wednesday in order to add to the effectiveness of these sessions.

SEMINARS AND FORUMS

As an internet industry association, the IAB seeks to facilitate debate on all the focal issues within the industry, and amongst its members about its agenda, industry issues, and key developments. Seminars will encourage members to engage in discussions which further the evolution of digital advertising in Singapore and generate new ideas and thinking.

The association will lead a number of regular seminars and forums that aim to further internet advertising debate and knowledge-building. These sessions will be planned and organised by the relevant working committee.

FOR THE GENERAL ADVERTISING COMMUNITY:
Specialist events can be created when significant topics for debate occur in the advertising calendar. An event of particular note would be the announcement of the results of the internet ad revenue report.  A special event should be investigated to draw attention to the release of the summary of this data and the work of the association.

FOR MEMBERS AND OTHER PRACTITIONERS:
IAB seminars will be a series of regular events which draw on the highest levels of expertise within the online advertising industry to inform and educate attendees of best practice, current hot topics issues and the latest research. These will be relatively informal sessions where a number of industry experts present on the key issues and share the latest research and case studies with delegates.

FOR ADVERTISERS:
IAB forums may be established where advertisers will be able to learn more about the opportunities available in their sector and find the best role for online within their overall marketing strategy.

These will be informal events, centred on a particular topic for debate, where industry leaders of various verticals from travel to entertainment to automotive will share insights into the current challenges the industry is facing, backed up with relevant case studies and research.

ONLINE EVENTS

Online events such as live webinars or recorded seminars will extend the reach of other events that the IAB stages.  These will help to extend the influence of the IAB throughout the region.  Online events, such as webinars may feature industry experts taking a look at some of the similar hot topics covered in the seminar series.

CONFERENCE (FUTURE)

The IAB may wish to stage either a headline event or a series of shorter conferences to showcase information, key case studies and the latest industry research on various different topics. The association has access to senior industry experts who can provide key insights to what is happening in the market today, the challenges facing the industry and case studies from advertisers which will serve to highlight to marketers the effectiveness of increasing their investment in interactive marketing.

While this may be a goal for the association in the future, the conference schedule in Singapore already has a number of relatively large-scale events that address the topic of interactive advertising given the size of the industry in the region. In the shorter term, a more productive and practical approach may be to work with the existing events in various ways to ensure that the IAB agenda is being represented (see the IAB communications plan).

However, as the association (and the interactive industry) grows regionally, an opportunity may emerge for the IAB to co-ordinate with its regional affiliates to establish a broader regional congress or conference that focuses specifically on the topics that the IAB focuses on specifically.

AWARDS (FUTURE)

In the US, UK and Australia the IAB sponsors its own advertising awards, which recognise and reward campaigns that elevate the creative and measurement standards of the industry. IAB awards aim to judge to all key facets of an interactive marketing campaign, including strategy, creative development and execution, media placement and integration, effectiveness and ROI.

Awards focus on the work produced by one section of the value chain, advertising agencies; however they are judged by representatives of the entire interactive advertising ecosystem.

Awards events are generally staged in conjunction with other organisations (including publishers such as Microsoft Advertising and Advertising Week), with results displayed through the IAB website to showcase the best of interactive advertising. The collection of winning campaigns creates a valuable platform to educate the broader advertising and marketing industry about the potential impact interactive can have as part of the overall marketing mix.

Awards may be a goal for the association in the future, and they can act as a useful profile-building mechanism.  However, the advertising industry in Singapore already has numerous awards events, many of which cover interactive advertising. In the immediate term, a more productive and practical approach may be to work with the existing events in various ways to ensure that the IAB agenda is being represented.