Sessions
June 5th, 9 am -4 pm. Happy Hour 4 pm - 6 pm.
8:30 am - 9:00 am: Registration Check-in
9:15 am: Welcome
9:30am - 10:20am, Main Hall C120
The High Price of Exclusion: What Happens When Inclusion is Ignored
Speaker: Danisha Lomax, EVP Head of Client Inclusivity and Impact | Digitas
This discussion explores the tangible and intangible costs of failing to prioritize Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in business. Beyond moral imperatives, exclusion leads to measurable business risks, such as lost innovation, reputational damage, and even financial underperformance. We'll uncover how companies that neglect DE&I initiatives face diminished consumer trust and missed market opportunities. In contrast, those who actively promote inclusivity gain a competitive edge, drive creativity, and future-proof their success. The real question isn't whether Diversity, Equity & Inclusion matter; it's whether organizations can afford to ignore it. Gear up, because the Marathon continues.
From Owner-Led to Team-Driven: A Journey to Scalable Biz Dev Success
Speaker: Jody Sutter, Owner, Sutter Company
For small agency owners responsible for driving revenue growth, business development can often feel like running a solo endurance race. And as your agency grows, so does the complexity of deciding when—and how—to delegate new business responsibilities. In this session, I’ll provide a clear roadmap to help agency leaders transition from 100% owner-led sales to a scalable, team-driven approach.
We’ll explore:
- Key milestones for delegating responsibilities without losing momentum.
- The critical role of the owner in shaping and sharing the agency’s story.
- Practical strategies for building a business development team that complements your strengths. Attendees will leave with actionable insights to balance growth, delegation, and their unique leadership role in driving revenue. Whether you’re starting to build your team or scaling your operation, this session will help you make smarter, more strategic decisions.
Innovating for the Long Run: Building Sustainable Momentum in an Era of Convergence
Nicole Prefer, Head of Strategy | Brand & Creative Strategy, Innovation, Research, D’Arcy Toffolo, Partner | Associate Vice President, Moore, Fred Hart, Design Strategist & Creative Director, Molly Katz, VP Strategy, Barkley
Brands today must innovate with a long-term vision, resisting the temptation to chase short-term wins at the expense of lasting impact. True innovation isn’t just about quick pivots or reactive strategies—it’s about building a foundation that sustains relevance, deepens consumer connections, and differentiates in meaningful ways. While new tools and technology like AI can support this process, the real challenge is maintaining consistency, authenticity, and a clear brand identity over time. Successful brands balance agility with patience, ensuring that each step forward contributes to a larger, enduring strategy rather than simple fleeting moments of attention. Agencies can guide brands in navigating this balance, ensuring they innovate while preserving their reputation and authenticity.
Sustaining Well-Being in the Digital Age: Building Mental Endurance for the Long Game
Speakers: D'Arcy Toffolo, Partner I Associate Vice President Moore, Audrey Goff, Partner | Vice President, Moore
Endurance isn't just physical—it's mental. In the fast-paced world of advertising, sustaining creativity and performance requires prioritizing well-being as part of the long game. As digital demands accelerate and screen time skyrockets, the challenge is not only to keep up—but to stay balanced.
This session explores how technology, especially AI, can become a powerful tool for enhancing well-being rather than draining it. From AI-driven applications that promote self-awareness to tools that foster connection and belonging, the right innovations can help individuals and teams build the mental stamina needed to thrive in an always-on world.
Join this session to learn how to:
· Leverage AI to support mental resilience and personal development
· Balance digital productivity with mindful practices
· Create agency cultures that prioritize mental well-being as a long-term advantage
· Use technology to foster connection and belonging in hybrid environments
Because in this marathon, success isn't just about how fast you move—it's about how well you sustain yourself for the journey ahead.
Small but Mighty: How Small Agencies Harness AI to Go the Distance
Speaker Panel
Small agencies are proving that agility and endurance can outpace size. By integrating AI into their workflows, these nimble teams are finding smarter ways to optimize efficiency, cut costs, and unlock new levels of creativity.
For small agencies, AI isn’t just about automation—it’s a powerful training partner that helps them go further, faster. Whether streamlining processes, enhancing design, or sharpening strategic insights, AI empowers small teams to punch above their weight and stay strides ahead of the competition.
Join this session to discover how small agencies are:
· Leveraging AI tools to boost operational efficiency
· Enhancing the creative and strategic process
· Navigating the balance between human insight and machine intelligence
· Building endurance by embedding AI into everyday workflows
No matter the size of your agency, embracing AI with a marathon mindset can help you achieve more with less—going the distance without burning out.
The Endurance of Bold Ideas: How to Value, Protect, and Sell Creativity
Speaker Panel
In advertising’s long game, creativity is your greatest competitive advantage—but only if you fight to protect it. In an industry driven by speed and volume, the long game is about resisting the pressure to churn out ideas and instead championing work that makes a lasting impact.
This session explores how agencies can both maintain creative integrity and sell bold ideas in a world that often favors the safe and familiar. The journey starts by valuing creativity not as a deliverable, but as a differentiator—pushing back against the factory-line approach and redefining what great ideas are truly worth. But protecting creativity is only half the battle—getting clients to buy into those big, culture-defining ideas requires a different kind of endurance.
Join this session to learn how to:
· Reframe the value of creativity as a long-term business advantage
· Push back against the speed-over-substance mentality
· Build trust and guide clients toward embracing bold, risky ideas
· Develop a framework to position your agency—and your ideas—as irreplaceable
Because in this marathon, the ideas that go the distance are the ones that challenge expectations, shift culture, and prove that bold creativity is always worth the risk.
AI as Your Endurance Coach: How AI is Revolutionizing Digital Advertising
Speaker Panel
In the marathon of modern advertising, success isn’t just about sprinting ahead—it’s about endurance, strategy, and sustained optimization. Historically, only the biggest brands had the resources to go the distance, leveraging data-driven insights, real-time bidding, and sophisticated media strategies. But today, AI is leveling the playing field, allowing advertisers of all sizes to run smarter, optimize faster, and stay in the race for the long haul. With AI acting as an always-on endurance coach, brands can pace themselves, make data-driven adjustments mid-race, and maximize every step toward the finish line—regardless of budget size.
This panel or session will explore:
- AI-powered campaign planning & media buying: How AI is giving advertisers of all sizes access to automated, data-driven media planning that was once reserved only for major brands.
- Bidding on autopilot: How AI-driven real-time bidding helps advertisers maximize budgets and efficiency, whether they’re spending millions or just starting out.
- Predictive insights & autonomous optimization: How AI can analyze trends, identify opportunities, suggest optimizations, and even activate or adjust campaigns automatically to improve performance.
- Balancing automation with human oversight: How brands and agencies of all sizes can combine AI’s power with human expertise to maximize results.
- AI’s role in identity & measurement: How AI is helping all advertisers—big and small—navigate cookieless targeting, multi-touch attribution, and cross-screen measurement.
- What’s next? The future of AI in CTV, programmatic, and omnichannel advertising, and how brands of all sizes can prepare.
Resource Resilience: Mastering the Ups and Downs of Advertising Workloads
Speaker: Joe Kaufman - CEO of Elite Media Group
Managing resources isn’t just about keeping pace—it’s about building resilience to navigate every twist, turn, and uphill climb. With fluctuating workloads and last-minute client demands, agencies must balance efficiency without compromising creativity.
Just like endurance training, resource management requires adaptability and a steady approach. Agencies that thrive are those that build flexible systems, optimize their teams, and leverage technology to fuel both productivity and inspiration.
Join this session to explore how agencies can:
· Adapt to unpredictable workloads without losing creative momentum
· Optimize resource allocation while protecting space for big ideas
· Leverage technology to streamline operations and enhance collaboration
· Foster a culture of resilience to weather both sprints and marathons
Mastering resource management isn’t just about crossing the finish line—it’s about sustaining creativity and performance every step of the way.
Creative Endurance: How the Skills You Train for Today Fuel Your Future Career
Speaker: Ryan Reynolds, Storyteller. Creative Adventurer.
Advertising is a long game, and the most valuable skills often come from the unexpected miles. The long game isn't just about planned milestones—it's about how every project, no matter how small or off-course, becomes part of your endurance training.
Whether it's a passion project that unexpectedly opens doors or a challenging gig that secretly sharpens your skills, every experience adds to your future toolkit. The key is approaching every opportunity as a chance to build strength for what's ahead—even when it feels like extra work.
Join this session to explore how to:
· Shift your mindset to view every project as training for the long haul
· Recognize hidden lessons in unexpected opportunities
· Cultivate resilience and adaptability through continuous learning
· Turn small wins into long-term career momentum
Great careers aren't built overnight—they're built mile by mile, with every step preparing you for what's next.
Purpose is Performance: Making a Data-Based Case for Brand-Led Growth
Speaker: Lindsay Connors, Director of Brand Strategy, Moxie Sozo
As marketers, we know that brands with purpose last, but convincing data-driven decision-makers—CEOs, CFOs, and performance marketers—to invest in brand-building can be an uphill battle. How do you prove the business impact of purpose when short-term ROI is the focus?
In this interactive workshop, we’ll explore practical frameworks and real-world strategies for making purpose-driven branding resonate with analytical stakeholders. Through hands-on exercises, group discussions, and case studies, participants will leave with tangible tools to translate brand vision, mission, and values into metrics-driven arguments that drive buy-in across the organization.
Because in the marathon of brand-building, purpose isn’t a detour—it’s the fuel for the race.
Mental Stamina: Unlocking the Power of Instinctive Meditation
Speaker: Jane Loehr, Mentor/Meditation Guide
Endurance isn’t just about physical training—it’s about strengthening your mind for the long road ahead. Instinctive Meditation is a practice that helps you tap into your natural ability to reset, refocus, and find joy in the process. In a world that moves fast, this session is your chance to slow down, recharge, and build the mental stamina needed to thrive.
Unlike rigid meditation techniques, Instinctive Meditation embraces exploration and play, proving there’s no ‘wrong way’ to do it. Based on scientific research, this approach helps you unlock deeper creativity, resilience, and focus—key traits for anyone running the long race of life and work.
Join us to:
· Discover accessible, science-backed meditation techniques
· Learn how to naturally reset your energy and mindset
· Strengthen your mental endurance for long-term success
· Walk away with simple, effective practices to integrate into daily life
Because in this marathon, the mind is just as important as the miles. Let’s train it to go the distance.
From Pitch to Production: Building Endurance for Better Collaboration
Panelists: Bruce Borowsky, Boulder County Film Commissioner, Jasper Gray, Director Futuristic Films, Alex Dean Rodriguez, Chief Creative Officer, Lumenati
Great creative isn’t just about the big idea—it’s about having the stamina to see it through. From pitch to post, agencies and production companies must go the distance together, overcoming budget hurdles, maximizing efficiency, and pushing for the best possible work. But endurance in production isn’t about cutting corners—it’s about making smart choices that sustain quality without sacrificing creativity.
This session breaks down how agencies and production teams can build stronger partnerships that lead to better results. We’ll cover strategies for stretching budgets without compromising production value, aligning creative vision from the start, and setting projects up for success long before the cameras roll. Because in this long game, the best work comes from those who know how to pace themselves, collaborate effectively, and finish strong.
Join us to learn how to:
· Strengthen agency-production relationships for seamless collaboration
· Navigate budget challenges while keeping creative integrity intact
· Optimize pre-production planning for smoother execution
· Make production decisions that enhance, rather than limit, the final outcome
Winning in production isn’t just about sprinting to the finish—it’s about planning every step to ensure the best work crosses the line.
4 pm - 6 pm Happy Hour!
Sessions and times subject to change
Thanks to our Colorado Ad Day 2025 Sponsors!
