Lets be honest: advertising and marketing are competitive fileds. Good ideas move fast, the industries change rapidly and you need to keep up with the industry standards because other young professionals (YPs) would kill for your position in your company. That’s why if you are in advertising, marketing or communications and live in Toronto (or anywhere else in the country, for that matter), you better be in town January 27th-31st for FFWD Adweek, Canada’s biggest industry gathering.
The five-day event is packed with influential speakers, awards and, of course, parties as the week celebrates the essence of advertising and marketing: creativity, ideas, and communication. Oh, and did we mention that the emcee is Notable.ca founder Julian Brass? And that we’re kicking off the week with our own party? You know, the type that you return home from with pocketfuls of business cards (and maybe even a number from a fellow sexy single YP)?
Here’s what we are most excited about:
Monday
Notable’s FFWD Advertising and Marketing Week Opening Night Party
The week kicks off with a little mixing and mingling with yours truly as Notable.ca and FFWD Advertising and Marketing Week co-host the opening night party. Join some of the leading young professionals in the advertising, marketing and communications industry at The Spoke Club to celebrate the week, share ideas and trade business cards over cocktails. Not to mention, it’s a rare occasion that you get to party on a Monday night in January (and not feel bad about it). Get your tickets here.
Tuesday
The Change Makers: ARB Conference
The Change Makers: ARB Conference showcases innovative social marketing and public sector campaigns, with the keynote speaker none other than Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, who will share his experience in space and his skillful and impressive use of social media. It also explores the future of digital and offers insight about open government and highlights great examples of public sector work from Canada, the US, and around the globe.
Facebook Canada Session
Facebook hosts an engaging discussion on how to leverage the power of mobile to build close, lasting connections with people in a panel lead by Steve Irvine, Group Director, Global Marketing Solutions at Facebook Canada. Because these days, it is all about connections…
Wednesday
Wharton’s “The Future of Advertising”
There’s no time like now to prepare for advertising in 2020. Lessons From the Wharton Future of Advertising Program’s Advertising 2020 Project will answer questions on what advertising will look like in 2020, and what we should do now to prepare for the future in an interactive session led by Professor Jerry Wind and WFoA Executive Director Catharine Hays.
Thursday
Google Speaker Series
Gunnard Johnson, the leader of Google’s Market Insights team in the Americas, will outline Google’s brand measurement vision and share the future of its cross-media measurement strategy. He will address three very relevant topics: how the most sophisticated marketers measure brand impact in a digital world, how Google measures the success of its own advertising efforts and the key lessons that emerge, and how advertisers can accurately measure, compare, and optimize the performance of their online campaigns to offline media.
Ad Ball Galaxy Gala
Because every YP loves their Thursdays, another highlight is the AdBall gala, which kicks off at 8pm at Uniun nightclub. The event invites guests to zoom into the future of robots, aliens and cybernetic romps and offers a chance to finally network with other industry people you’ve seen all week. This, of course, is also an occasion to get glitzed and glammed out near the end of what will be a packed week. Come dressed to impress, or as your favourite cosmic entity, future idoru, or melancholy AI. Get your tickets here.
Friday
Yahoo Canada Insights
Yahoo Canada Insights focuses on an interesting and increasingly prevalent topic in our digital age in a discussion on how digital technology is both helping and hampering our memory in everything from phone numbers to photographs, as digital tools allow us to delegate more to devices and the web.
Other highlights of the week include the Yahoo Canada Speaker Series (Monday, 4pm) Microsoft Breakfast Speaker Series (Thursday, 10am), the 2013 Cannes Winning Commercials (Friday, 12:30pm) and the Marketing Hall of Legends awards ceremony (Friday, 6:30pm).
Cover Image by: Jason Cipparrone for GrasshopperReps.com for FFWD
Want more updates on the most Notable things happening so you know before your colleagues do? Get our exclusive newsletter here and follow us on Twitter for all the latest.