This industry needs fewer conferences and more conversations.

That’s why Rubicon Project is hosting an off-the-record, invite-only discussion with select CEOs, CMOs, and senior decision-makers.

To encourage candid conversations, there will be no press or recordings.

We look forward to your thoughts about the ad tech space and how we can help you navigate it.

HUDSON MERCANTILE

500 West 36th Street (between 10th & 11th Avenue)

Thursday, April 19th, 2018
9:30 AM – 4:45 PM

Reception Starting @ 4:45 PM

Music by DJ Alex Merrell

WELCOME

Michael Barrett, President & CEO, Rubicon Project

THE GREAT AD TECH SHAKEOUT: FACT OR FICTION? 

Adam Soroca, Global Head of Buyer Team, Rubicon Project

TRUST, TRANSPARENCY & AD SPEND: MORE THAN JUST LIP SERVICE? 

Transparency may be the industry’s favorite new buzzword, but ask an agency, media company or DSP to define it, and you’ll likely get three very different answers. Outside of fees and take rates, what does transparency in ad tech mean? Has the push for openness in the past year led to a shift in dollars or business relationships? And are buyers and sellers still feeling the pain of the “ad tech tax” – or have industry-wide developments changed things for the better?

Moderator:

Adam Soroca, Global Head of Buyer Team, Rubicon Project

Panelists:

James Rooney, VP, Advertising Technology, New York Times

Kolin Kleveno, VP, Programmatic, 360i

Lewis Rothkopf, GM of Media & Growth Channels, MediaMath

Conversation Starter:

Chris Kane, Founder, Jounce Media

THE EXCHANGE IS DEAD (LONG LIVE THE EXCHANGE)

Joe Prusz, CRO, Rubicon Project

HEADER BIDDING 3.0: FROM APPS TO AUCTION DYNAMICS 

What will header bidding look like by the end of this year? In 2019? In 2020? With the proliferation of bidders and wrappers, as well as the decision sellers face in choosing to “go server side” or do some sort of hybrid, it’s safe to say that the state of header bidding is still in flux. As the market matures, which features and formats do publishers see as crucial to driving short- and long-term revenue? Meanwhile, how are DSPs and agencies adapting to the broader shifts in auction dynamics (and the plethora of available inventory)?

Moderator:

Joe Prusz, CRO, Rubicon Project

Panelists:

Ari Paparo, CEO, Beeswax

David Pond, GM, Display & Programmatic, Vox Media

Erik Requidan, VP Sales & Programmatic Strategy, Intermarkets

Conversation Starter:

Ashlee Roenigk, Senior Director, Revenue Solutions, Rubicon Project

PRODUCT VISION: 2018 & BEYOND

Tom Kershaw, CTO, Rubicon Project

UNIVERSAL IDS: THE ONLY WAY TO BEAT THE DUOPOLY?

Data is what makes Google and Facebook the ad industry’s billion-dollar juggernauts. Data is what buyers need to effectively target their audiences – and what sellers need to prove that those audiences are valuable. But both sides face challenges in collecting, packaging and acting on data, challenges largely attributed to an over-reliance on cookies. “Universal” ID initiatives like DigiTrust and the Advertising ID have been hailed as the solution to the cookie problem – so what’s keeping sellers and buyers from teaming up to beat the duopoly at their own game?

Moderator:

Garrett McGrath, VP, Product, Rubicon Project

Panelists:

Stephanie Layser, VP, Ad Technology and Operations, News Corp.

Frost Prioleau, Co-founder & CEO, Simpli.fi

Felix Zeng, Head of Programmatic Sales, Watson Advertising at IBM

Conversation Starter:

Mark Balabanian, VP, Global DSP, Rubicon Project

PMPS IN THE HEADER: AN EVOLUTION 

Univision & Fusion Media Group’s programmatic team has developed unique strategies for packaging inventory and prioritizing deals in the header. Get a glimpse into some of the company’s learnings from over the past year.

Interviewer:

Ashley Wheeler, VP, Seller Accounts – East, Rubicon Project

Featured Guest:

Eyal Ebel, SVP, Programmatic Revenue, Univision & Fusion Media Group

THE FUTURE OF PROGRAMMATIC DEALS

Header bidding fundamentally changed the business of programmatic, and nowhere is this more evident than in the current state of direct deals. Sellers and buyers alike are still trying to figure out how to prioritize, protect and profit from deals in the header. Programmatic Guaranteed has emerged as an option, but is it the best way to reduce friction for buyers and help sellers capture more direct spend? And will the move to server-side header bidding help or hinder deal growth?

Moderator:

Ryan Mulcahy, Head of Revenue, North America & APAC, Rubicon Project

Panelists:

Eyal Ebel, SVP, Programmatic Revenue, Univision & Fusion Media Group

Tim Sims, SVP, Inventory Partnerships, The Trade Desk

Jon Mansell, SVP, Marketplace Innovation, MAGNA Global

Conversation Starter:

Jon Cooke, VP, Global Agency Sales, Rubicon Project

VIDEO EVERYWHERE (OR NOWHERE)? 

As more people “cut the cord” and use game consoles, smart TVs and devices like Roku to watch “TV,” the hype around OTT inventory continues to grow. But is that hype translating into real revenue?

Interviewer:

John Peragine, Global Head of Video, Rubicon Project

Featured Guest:

Jonathan Levinson, Sr. Manager, Business Development, Adobe

SINK OR SWIM: WILL AD TECH CAPTURE THE NEXT $20 BILLION IN VIDEO SPEND?

$20 billion. That’s the latest forecast for programmatic video spending in just two short years. But buyers face a fragmented market – with different player types, ad types, attribution models and more – while digital-first sellers face the challenge of adapting to TV business models like the upfronts. Will these obstacles prevent the bullish video forecasts from coming to fruition, or will the industry develop solutions to capture that spend?

Moderator:

John Peragine, Global Head of Video, Rubicon Project

Panelist:

Jonathan Levinson, Sr. Manager, Business Development, Adobe

Mike Rosen, EVP, Advanced Advertising & Platform Sales, NBCUniversal

Monica Perschetz, Director, Audience & Automation Sales, Fox Networks Group

Conversation Starter:

Vanessa Farrar, Director, Revenue Solutions – Video, Rubicon Project

HOW LAW ENFORCEMENT FIGHTS AD FRAUD

Ad fraud represents a whole new world of crime. Learn more in this exclusive interview with an special guest from the front lines.

Interviewer:

John Clyman, VP, Engineering, Marketplace Quality & Security, Rubicon Project

Featured Guest:

Special Guest

2018: THE YEAR BRAND SAFETY GOT REAL 

It seems like there’s a call to arms around around brand safety and inventory quality every year – but something about 2018 is different. From Google’s decision to block publishers from earning revenue on low quality ads, to DSPs banning inventory without an Ads.txt tag, all the talk is turning into action. Are both sides looking for new tools, platforms and solutions, or are there too many “solutions” already? And how can buyers and sellers get on the same page in terms of the lingering low price vs. quality inventory paradox?

Interviewer:

John Clyman, VP, Engineering, Marketplace Quality & Security, Rubicon Project

Panelists:

Michael Tiffany, Cofounder & President, White Ops

Dan Fichter, VP, Software Development, MOAT

Conversation Starter:

Jon Cooke, VP, Global Agency Sales, Rubicon Project

GUEST SPEAKERS

RUBICON PROJECT SPEAKERS