IAB Global Summit 2014

Oct, 2014 - This year's annual IAB Global Summit on Oct. 1 and 2, 2014, at the IAB Ad Lab in New York City, brought together participants from 33 countries for a global town hall. IAB leaders and influential members from creative agencies, ad tech companies, publishers and media agencies from China and India to Europe, the Americas and beyond converged for two days of discussions and idea sharing about the future of digital in a summit sponsored by Google and Rubicon Project.Linda Gridley, Partner & Co-Head of Digital Media Group, AGC Partners, shared some incredibly helpful insights about digital advertising’s financial future, suggesting that growth and collaborative innovation between major players in ad tech, e-commerce and content were inevitable. Gridley explained that investors were now developing confidence in financially sound content and digital advertising companies despite a trend toward consolidation in ad tech. “It’s been a great year for M&A,” she said. “Buyers are getting back their digital courage - they realize that the digital genie is not going back in the bottle.” As in so many other areas of the industry, Gridley noted how mobile is the broadest theme in the investment arena, and how “mobile scalability is increasing dramatically,” which is leading to new market opportunities.