On Thursday Sept. 1, IAB held its Council Refresh, attended by 50 of the sharpest minds in the industry, to organize and prioritize the important work of the IAB councils. AdRoll hosted the meet at their incredible offices, and also put on a great spread that included an array of adult Refresh-ments. A big shout out goes to Cat and Jacqueline, who went above and beyond to ensure it all went off hitch-free.
In attendance were members of the IAB Mobile, Video, Standards and Guidelines, Measurement, Technology and Audio Councils.
This was an unusual meeting in a number of ways, primarily that it’s quite rare outside of large conferences to find assembled in one room 50 people of the caliber we had, all representing the biggest names in digital advertising and from every area of the industry. It was also the first time that all the IAB councils had come together at one time, and it prompted more than a few comments about how it was great to be part of such an inclusive, diverse and highly specialized community.
Basically, the theme was: “Let’s get s*** done.” And if you want s*** done, these 50 are certainly the people to do it. Beyond that, our new leader Vijay Solanki (or as we call him, “Dude Who Writes on Walls”) pushed our philosophy that “You are the IAB. Get involved.” He has a philosophy for the councils too: “Leave your swords and shields at the door.” And it apparently is getting a lot of traction amongst the council members, as evidenced by the community spirit in the room.
The contents of the meeting are confidential for now, but rest assured that the results of the meeting will be apparent in the form of great output to advance the digital advertising industry – from standards to whitepapers to measurement and recommendations on some of the hot topics of the moment (and those to come). Each council chair was given the floor to highlight that council’s purpose, the key issues they are examining, and the work that will be forthcoming from the group over the next few months.
We also have appointed many new council chairs in the past few weeks, bringing new energy and a fresh perspective to the organisation. More about that next week.
So stay tuned. There are many great things to come from the best and brightest in the business.
