To be sure, brand-side marketers have been prioritizing silo-busting internally for years now, recognizing that marketing is a cross-department practice that benefits from access to other thinkers and skill sets within an organization. Likewise, agencies have been breaking down walls to reflect the multiplatform realities of effective and seamless consumer engagement and experience.  

But that silo-busting now transcends internal walls and extends to the industry beyond. We all learn from each other—but more important, we learn from the dissimilar. We learn from the different. And given the dynamic, ever-changing realities of the advertising, marketing and media industry, and given that nothing is static, exposure to and connection with the different, even the opposing, is critical. That’s how real knowledge happens.  

At Adweek X, we’ll bring together business leaders and experts from within and outside our industry for a day-long symposium of thought and action. We’ll engage in conversation and debate. We will learn, confront and challenge. We will seek to understand one another. And we will leave attendees with new knowledge, new tactics, new approaches, and a new empathy to bring to their brands, clients, communities, and our world. 

A physical metaphor for the concept of Adweek X, this inaugural event will be held at a unique, open space at Deutsch LA, a blank canvas that will come to life through a different stage model: a circular stage at the center with attendees’ seats in the configuration of an X. This will make the audience feel just as much of the conversation as the people on the stage, with many opportunities for interaction and dialog themselves, creating a true whole-room participation experience. 

Programming will be varied too, with firesides and solo, TED-style talks, as well as opposing-view sessions, brand-mashup spotlights, conversations between academics and practitioners, mentors and mentees, poly-hyphenates and economists, CMOs and CFOs, creative thinkers and tech trailblazers, data analysts and storytellers, and more. CMOs who moonlight as startup investors. Startup founders who are celebrities. Celebrities who have changed the game—literally—by working with sports organizations. And of course, brand mashups, long a staple but increasingly unique and unexpected. 

Collaboration, connections and convergence power this industry now more than ever. They bring together diverse talents, foster creativity, spur innovation, facilitate agility, enhance efficiency and drive ROI. The increasing importance of digital marketing, cost efficiencies, data-driven decision-making and the need to adapt to evolving consumer preferences requires marketers to double-down on doubling up. 

Join us for this unique event as we seek to deconstruct the intersections of expertise, skills, thinking, viewpoints, visibility and metrics that power this industry forward. This will be the first of many moments throughout the year where Adweek will focus on this important dynamic.