Find Enlightenment at AdTech Economic Forum

We launched the AdTech Economic Forum (ATEF) in NYC last April and smashed it out of the park — at least that’s what attendees told us. Back then, we called it the “Davos of AdTech”, and now it has taken on a life of its own as the one and only “Davos of AdTech.”

AdTech Economic Forum is where advertising and finance leadership convenes to address industry challenges, opportunities, growth, and value creation viewed through economic fundamentals and valuation.

Expectations for the second annual NYC AdTech Economic Forum are very high. We aim to exceed them with another highly curated experience like no other across the adtech space.

Constant change, driven by the forces of creative destruction, is happening everywhere in AdTech. The Media money flows analysis by the Quo Vadis newsletter illustrates a clear picture of the challenges and opportunities ahead. There has never been a more important time than now for the critical discussions that ATEF brings to the fore. Opportunities for some will come at a cost to others. If you think things were competitive before, be prepared for what’s coming.

A Hershey’s factory makes chocolate kisses. The chocolate candies coming off our production line are wrapped in enlightenment, as many of our attendees from last year already said,

“AdTech Economic Forum is curated down to the last little detail… even the chocolates were from the best chocolatier in NYC.”

Whether in New York or London, or anywhere else ATEF might show up next, our unit of economic production is enlightenment. We rely on four raw materials to make our enlightenment factory hum: Content, Connections, Conversations, and Collaboration.

“AdTech Economic Forum’s content and speaker lineup are better than any other AdTech conference by a country mile.” We heard that sentiment throughout the day of the event and many times afterward. Comments like that make all the effort and attention to detail worth it. At ATEF 2025 in NYC, we are taking content to a whole new level. “It’s like getting a mini-MBA in adtech” — yes, we’ve heard that sentiment too.

If the networking atmosphere doesn’t click at a conference, all the networking value that everyone wants will probably not happen. ATEF is curated at every point, including our invite-only or apply-to-attend setup. When our guests mix it up in our five networking sessions from the breakfast reception to our full-service lunch and from the two networking breaks to our plus-up cocktail mixer, new and old connections are made. Some are anticipated, while others are quite unexpected, making every moment at ATEF one of enlightenment.

Most good things in business, and life, start with a conversation. We specifically curate ATEF down to the last little detail, igniting one conversational spark after the other. “A single conversation across the table with a wise man/woman is better than ten years of mere study of books,” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. You’ll find that person many times over at ATEF.

We define “collaboration” as a process where two parties work together to achieve an outcome. That’s why we curate such a robust environment to foster fresh and open conversation and knowledge sharing. And for us, effective collaboration is ultimately about deal-making. You have to make deals. It’s not just about sales pitches and sales deals — that should be obvious, but too often it is not. You have to make deals with internal parties just as much as external ones. Making deals everywhere and with everyone is about trade-offs. The study of economics comes down to trade-offs. Salespeople need to make deals with our product people and vice versa. Hiring managers have to make deals with new hires and vice versa. When companies let people go, there is a deal to be made. Every time AI plays a new role, somewhere in the advertising space trade-offs are taking place. Come to ATEF, and be a part of the content. Make fruitful connections, strike up amazing conversations, and get deals done!

Returning Speakers with New Speaker Announcements Coming Your Way!