4A’s Media Conference: Most ‘Thought-Provoking’

NEW ORLEANS Media flexed its new muscle in the Big Easy last week, as a confident, record-setting crowd of 1,300 media agency and client executives laid to rest old scores with their creative agency partners and debated new technologies at the 11th annual American Association of Advertising Agencies Media Conference. And the 4A’s had the data to back up the vibe: A survey of attendees revealed that 68 percent said their company’s forecast for 2005 would be better than 2004—although 41 percent said the future was “what keeps you awake at night.” Converging at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside, attendees participated in varied panels and workshops, including the event’s first-ever panel featuring creative executives, discussions on growing technologies, such as video on demand, and the future of research. Time Warner global marketing svp John Sedlak called the three-day gathering “the most thought-provoking media conference in some time.”