AdMonsters Network Ad Ops Forum

AdMonsters, the on-line advertising industry’s only professional association exclusively dedicated to operations and technology, will be hosting a new, one-day forum in New York on December 3rd specifically tailored for those who run or manage ad ops and technology teams at networks. Over the last 10 years, AdMonsters has proved an invaluable resource for senior leaders in publisher operations in both the US and in Europe and for the first time we will be hosting applying our unique formula to forum specifically designed to address the particular needs of ad networks and exchanges.

Unlike other, larger, events, everything we do is led by those who are closest to the operations and technology side of the on-line advertising industry. This unique focus allows our members to get serious work done at the forum and return to their offices with specific, actionable tasks that have an immediate positive impact on their ability to deliver effectively and efficiently. Members quickly build up a large network of peers on whom they can rely to answer questions and with whom they can collaborate, long after the forums are complete.

Overview

It is the era of ad networks. Various reports tell of publishers with 60-70% of their display inventory being turned over to networks. A Collective Media Survey found 89% of respondents would be using networks in 2009.

It’s clear that the importance of networks to the online advertising industry has grown from the efficiencies they offer both advertisers and publishers in streamlining the buying and selling of display advertising. That coupled with the targeting capabilities networks have developed have made networks one of the most important topics in online advertising.

Networks however have a myriad of operational issues to contend with. Many of these issues mirror those of publishers and agencies and some are unique to networks themselves. In many ways, network operations leaders are on the cutting edge of the industry mirroring what the very first publishers and agencies to traffick online ads had to contend with.

It’s in that spirit that AdMonsters has developed the first event of its kind to focus specifically on the operational issues of managing networks. The Network Ad Ops Forum is a one day designed for operation leaders at networks, publishers and agencies to gather in AdMonsters unique format to discuss issues specific to them and to look at ways to address operational challenges as well as share best practices on helping their respective companies generate efficiencies and most importantly revenue.

If you are responsible for the operations aspects of an online network, you do not want to miss this event.

Who should attend

The Network Ops Forum is designed to address the specific challenges of those responsible for managing advertising networks at media owners and agencies as well as ad networks themselves. All members are subject to approval by AdMonsters and, in order to qualify, should have at least a manager level position or or manage a specifc functional area within the operations or technology team (e.g. inventory, data, yield, optimisation, systems integration). A typical member profile is as follows:

• Works at an Advertising Network, Publisher, or Agency
• Has 5+ years experience in online advetising operations
• Manager or higher
• Decision maker within their organization
• Should be the most senior person within the team responsible for ad operations staffing and purchasing decisions
• Titles similar to: Director, Ad Operations; Commercial Director; Inventory & Yield Specialist; Network Operations Manager, etc.

Keynote: The Online Advertising Power Struggle: Redefining Roles of Agencies, Networks and Publishers

Darren Herman’s presentation, The Online Advertising Power Struggle: Redefining Roles of Agencies, Networks and Publishers will set the stage for the first Network Ad Ops Forum by AdMonsters in the United States. As the President of Varick Media Management and Head of Digital Media at MDC Partner’s leading media agency, The Media Kitchen (part of kbs+p), Herman brings 12 years of digital media experience, senior level leadership, and the ability to drive both simple and complex strategies to solve marketing problems using the Internet. Before joining The Media Kitchen in 2007, Herman was no stranger to Silicon Valley and Silicon Alley having raised over $50MM in venture capital for his own successful digital media startups and over $30MM for startups he was advising. From 2004-2007, he was the founder of IGA Worldwide, the leading independent in-game advertising platform for retail distributed video games.

Varick Media Management is wholly owned by MDC Partners and is the next generation Demand Platform for agencies and brands.  VMM provides Audience Driven Media™ and Insights for both MDC agencies and brands directly. VMM is headquartered in New York, NY and launched in September of 2008.

Herman will be speaking about the rapid changes in our industry and how we’ve seen over the past few years a shift in the balance of power. Where once traditional publishers and portals were able to command the CPMs they wanted for all their inventory, they now struggle to provide differentiated, premium inventory that they can sell directly. Agencies have gone from thinking of online as an afterthought to seeing significant investment in systems to help them drive performance for their clients. Networks continue to evolve in every way possible as they attempt to develop their own secret sauce that will make them a top player among hundreds of others.

Following the shift of power is complicated by the fact that all the players are continually redefining their roles:  publishers and agencies are creating their own networks and ad exchanges. Publishers and networks are offering services akin to digital agencies.

This redefinition of roles not only applies to the companies themselves, but internally as well. The importance of Ad Operations for all the players has grown tremendously in the last couple of years. Ad Operations ability to help connect technology and process to the business side of online advertising makes it a focal point for our further evolution.

This focus is of particular interest to Networks who sit at the center of many of these changes and must remain nimble to survive. This creates unique challenges for Ad Operations leaders.

Darren’s keynote will take us through the macro level shifts in the balance of power, how that is redefining the roles of all the players involved and focus on how Ad Operations need to position themselves – especially at networks – for today and the future.

Topics

AdMonsters events are open discussions with peers focused on providing tactical solutions around topics that are common across the industry and not on issues that involve proprietary solutions. Topics addressed at the event are determined with assistance from attendees insuring that those at the event receive maximum value for attendence and participation. Sample topics include:

Preliminary Agenda Overview

The summit will run all day on and includes an important reception and dinner afterwards.

Conference proceedings are open to members only (i.e. closed to sponsors) unless specifically noted.

Location

Digital Sandbox – 41 Madison Avenue  New York,  NY

Sponsor Information

AdMonsters events are generously supported by the industry’s leading technology and services companies. We greatly appreciate their ongoing and important role in our unique organization. If you would be interested in sponsoring this event, please contact us and someone will get in touch with you to discuss the various opportunities available.

About AdMonsters

Founded in 1999, AdMonsters is the only professional association dedicated exclusively to online advertising operations and technology.

By maintaining our exclusive focus on ad operations, AdMonsters provides a much richer forum than broad industry trade shows. AdMonsters participants are all direct peers, and we focus on specific, technical, actionable topics such as ad serving and related technologies, rich media, video advertising, the trafficking process, workflow optimization, inventory and yield management, advertising product development, best practices in policies and procedures, and industry standards. AdMonsters is about real conversations, real learning, and real best practices — participants come away with immediately actionable solutions that provide real value.

AdMonsters provides a unique forum for peers in the field to communicate, collaborate, and identify best practices. We focus primarily on topics such as ad serving and related technologies, ad production, inventory and yield management, advertising products, policies, procedures, and industry standards.

Ad operations and technology professionals working together across the industry can dramatically reduce the friction in online ad operations, reducing the cost and time required to implement, deploy, and track online advertising, and facilitating the growth of the online advertising market.

AdMonsters is supported in part by the sponsorship of companies interested in building strategic relationships with our members. Please see sponsorships for further information.