“How can you create the industry you want? You’re not just a reflection, you’re an active part of it.” The words of Ruth Mortimer, Global President of Advertising Week, bring to life the important role that we all hold as individuals to push the industry forward and shape the workplace of the future.

In a little under a week,180 Studios will play host to Advertising Week Europe. Over three days over 7000 attendees will come together to meet and learn from some of the best minds in advertising and marketing. This year's headline speakers include marketers from brands such as Ryanair, Burger King, Jaguar and Boots. With big names such as Gary Lineker, Paddy McGuinness and Davina McCall delivering the star power.

“We are trying to get that magic mix always of useful enough that you take away something, with a few moments that you can tell everybody ‘I was there’,” says Mortimer.

The power of storytelling

Creating the ‘I was there’ moments means finding a story and creating a programme of sessions that resonate with audiences. Mortimer has always had a passion for storytelling and finding a compelling narrative. 

Before working in advertising, Mortimer had been an archaeologist and undergone journalistic training. She shares that archaeology taught her to look at the story of our past to learn how it might shape the future. “History makes you who you are today and who you will be next,’ she says.

“In archaeology, you take small fragments of a story and build out a narrative. The same with journalism,” explains Mortimer, adding: “You learn how to deep dive into a subject very quickly.” She shares that this background has provided her with the basis to understand the important points of a job or task quickly and build a compelling narrative around that. 

“As Global President of Advertising Week, my job is to make sure we tell the most interesting, exciting and educational stories on our stages year-round,” she says.

Evolving the events landscape

Advertising Week has become a mainstay of the industry events calendar. Since moving to 180 Studios last year, the event has doubled down on its focus on bringing the industry together and providing a moment of both connection and education. 

“180 has allowed us to create a different experience,” says Mortimer. “This year we have the Innovation Lounge and the Empower Lounge, effectively they are stages that can be transformed into experience spaces where you can do much more interesting content.” 

Be it a live cooking demo or a cocktail hour, this year’s programme will be filled with sessions that take on a variety of forms. “That is closer to the way people want to experience events now,” explains Mortimer, adding: “You’re not in the office all week so you want it to feel special and different.”

The events industry was struck hard in the pandemic, yet since lockdowns were lifted the category has blossomed with people more than ever placing value on in-person connection. As many other marketing categories have seen budgets slashed, the IPA Bellwether has reported that ‘Events’ maintains significant growth (+12.3% in Q4 or 2024 alone).

While the appetite for events remains, Mortimer shares that the events landscape is evolving alongside the changing nature of working life. “I definitely feel there's been a shift in people's working behaviour in general,” she explains. “For example lots of our events we’ve made more concentrated because people aren’t in the office from Monday to Friday,”

She continues: “That lack of office environment has removed so many of the social and networking occasions. I think one reason why face-to-face events have become so important is because they are replacing what you might have done just by being in the office.”

Yet, rather than simply returning to post-pandemic style events, Advertising Week has retained a digital presence too, enabling attendees to watch sessions back on demand and live streaming for those who can’t attend in person. Embracing a hybrid approach has enabled the event to reach new, wider audiences.

“There’s an interesting cycle that always takes place in events where you have people doing large-scale events and then more companies doing their own events. Then they need new business and they come back to larger third-party events again,” says Mortimer on the importance of the events industry at large.

“I think you’ll see lots of interesting niche events emerge,” she adds, continuing: “As we are seeing in global politics lots of different shits I think there will almost be a de-globalisation with lots of individual events in different regions, lots of niches, specific events that are really helpful for people.’

Masterclasses and community

This year’s Advertising Week will include sessions that span a range of topics relevant to people from all different corners of the industry. Notably, since seeing a 75% growth in brand attendance last year, this year’s programme will offer more brand case studies to encourage CMOs to learn from one another. A masterclass series will be available only to brand marketers and will include in-depth sessions from high-profile brand marketers who will share their knowledge and learnings. 

Speaking on the programme of events, Mortimer underlines that: “B2B events need to be educational, you need to go back to the office having learnt something and being better at your job but we want to do it in a way that brings it to life, it's entertaining and you don't feel bored.”

As well as educational sessions, Advertising Week also makes space for meet-ups. This year the likes of WACL, MEFA and Outvertising will host meet-ups serving as an opportunity to build community. There will also be wellness sessions, careers advice and coaching.

“For the last few years we’ve had a scheme for people who've lost their jobs or people who are returning from parental leave because we don’t want to lose the most talented people out of our industry by accident,” adds Mortimer. There will also be careers coaching for talent across different levels.

Shaping the industry for the better

Advertising Week has given Mortimer the opportunity to make a real impact in the industry. She shares that a career highlight at Advertising Week was working with Lilly Ledbetter. 

“Last year we did a podcast and gave an award to Lilly Ledbetter, who is a woman in the US who got Obama to sign the equal pay legislation into law in the US,” she says. “We gave her an award and did a podcast with her and it even got mentioned in her obituary. That was something where you feel like ‘wow I got to take part in something that was part of history with somebody that was a real historical figure.’”

As much as Advertising Week aims to be a reflection of the industry, Mortimer is passionate about being a part of shaping the industry for the better. Through Advertising Week’s Future is Female and as an active member of WACL, she strives to break down barriers for women through education, lifting others up and creating a community.

“We need to make sure women have access to great roles,” she says. “Mentoring but also sponsorship and sponsorship where you have someone who puts you forward actively for things. Not just giving you advice but really endorsing you and helping you.”

She continues: “Sometimes, if you leave the industry for even a year your confidence can feel so knocked because things move so quickly, things like AI. I think we need to remove the barriers that mean women leave the industry.”

Mortimer is also passionate about bringing men into the conversation. She says: “Number one is to empower men to have a fuller role in family life to be partners to women. I think without things changing for both women and men it's only 50% of the population trying to change things.”

Mortimer has seen first-hand the importance of representation, of bringing people into the conversation and of better representation. She explains: “Our data shows that the more people of differing backgrounds and I mean all backgrounds such as class, ethnicity, gender, sexuality and more, makes for better attendance and better audience feedback.”

Working with external groups like WACL and It Takes A Village Collective to curate a lineup that is representative and engaging, Mortimer adds: “We think we are responsible for creating the industry we want as well as reflecting it.”

Advertising Week Europe will take place on 1-3rd April. For more information, please click here.