Why Buyers Are Thrilled to Be Back in Person for Upfront Week

Upfront week has always been about pomp and circumstance. Each year in mid-May, advertisers would make their pilgrimages from Madison Avenue to various stages in Manhattan, where TV networks would show off their shiniest new toys ahead of negotiations for the upcoming TV season. But then the pandemic hit in 2020, forcing media companies to cancel their annual events. And as the advertising world adjusted to virtual presentations, some marketers thought in-person upfronts were gone for good. “When Covid first happened, I thought they were done and would never come back,” Stacey Stewart, chief marketplace officer at media agency UM, said. After 2021's virtual presentations improved on the first year's "clunky" events, she continued, "my thought was that most of the media partners would look at it as a cost saving to do it virtually again.” But that didn’t happen. And this week, for the first time since 2019, in-person upfront presentations are back, to the delight of advertisers and publishers alike. The event won't be a complete return to form, with streaming playing a starring role and presentations offering hybrid viewing options. But mostly, people just want to see people again. Back to business The upfront business has always been conducted in the same way. Lisa Giacosa, media agency Spark Foundry's chief investment officer, told Adweek the upfront traditionally serves as a place for clients, networks, agencies and partners to meet in person and build meaningful relationships. This year's in-person upfront promises to bring that element back to the event. Dani Benowitz, U.S. president at media consultancy Magna, agreed, saying, “I definitely think magic happens when people are together. I think people are excited to travel and see each other.” But it's not just buyers who are thrilled to be back in person. Media companies echo the same sentiments. Speaking at Adweek’s Convergent TV Summit East, Jo Ann Ross, Paramount’s president and chief advertising revenue officer of U.S. advertising sales, put it succinctly: “There's nothing like playing to a live audience and seeing all our clients and our friends and colleagues.” Your Upfront Week Calendar Here's this week's schedule of presentations in New York: Monday, May 1610:30 a.m.: NBCUniversal, Radio City Music Hall4 p.m.: Fox, Skylight on Vesey6:30 p.m.: Telemundo, Ziegfeld BallroomTuesday, May 1711:30 a.m.: TelevisaUnivision, Javits Center4 p.m.: Disney, Pier 36, Basketball City8 p.m.: YouTube Brandcast, Imperial Theater Wednesday, May 1810 a.m.: Warner Bros. Discovery, Hulu Theater at MSG4 p.m.: Paramount, Carnegie Hall Thursday, May 1911 a.m.: The CW, New York City Center That's because everyone feels the need for the marketplace to collectively have face-to-face discussions about advertising inventory and lock in prices, according to David Campanelli, evp, co-chief investment officer at media agency Horizon Media. But it's not going to be business as usual this year. “The complexity of the upfront now is like night and day versus what it used to be," Campanelli said. "It used to just be a bunch of conversations about price. Now, certainly, we're still talking about price, but it's so much deeper and more complicated.” Conversations start much earlier in today’s upfront to set the table for what networks, publishers and buyers are looking for. The pandemic has also had lasting effects on the television industry, rapidly accelerating the shift to streaming, which presents new opportunities. Christa Carone, president of media tech company Infillion, said she's looking forward to seeing how streamers "are advancing the advertising experience through more digital innovation." Into the unknown Though in-person events are returning, 2022's upfront week will be hybrid, with virtual viewing options still in play, even for those in New York. "I'm going to be in person and virtual for some of the meetings," Matt Sweeney, chief investment officer at GroupM U.S., said. "If it was two years ago, I'm not so sure the virtual event production would have been as solid as what I'm expecting from our media partners." Though the hybrid model allows more people to participate, there are also several unknowns for marketers, especially as Disney and Fox have switched to new venues this year, upending the traditional ticket allotment. Companies now must make difficult decisions about who goes in person and who watches virtually. For Sweeney, the benefits of in-person presentations are evident. “The opportunity to reengage with people and see them face to face I think enhances relationships and helps create culture and allows for serendipity, the kind of stuff that you can’t always do on Zoom or Teams calls,” he said. But, as in 2020, things could always change, even at the last minute, especially with Covid-19 cases on the rise again. “If this bump we're having here turns into a spike like omicron, maybe I have a different opinion," Campanelli said. "But at the moment, I’m comfortable and ready to get out.”