More than 300 media industry heavyweights descended on Sydney’s iconic WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo, Darling Harbour, last night for the Independent Media Agencies of Australia (IMAA)’s interactive Who’s Who in the Media Zoo event.
Sipping bubbles amid the zoo’s collection of native animals, including koalas, crocs, snakes and spiders, the indie media agency industry got the chance to network and hear important updates on the latest developments in the digital, audio, TV, out-of-home, and publishing and news landscapes, courtesy of the IMAA’s media partners.
Who’s Who in the Media Zoo has proven to be a must-attend event on the media calendar, with executives from more than 70 independent media agencies across Australia travelling to Sydney for the night.
An impressive total of 31 IMAA media partners created activations for the event including ACAST, ACM, ARN, Bishopp, Blis, Crimtan, Criteo, Fabulate, Go Transit, Gumtree, GWI, IAS, Insticator LinkedIn, Meta, Moove, News Corp, Nexxen, Nine Radio, Nova, oOh!media, Paramount, QMS, Quantcast, Reddit, SCA, Scentre Group, StackAdapt, Taboola, TorchMedia, and Weatherzone. Those activations included 3D audio experiences, 1:1 consulting sessions, demonstrations, video-making courses and giveaways – all set among the zoo’s animal displays.
The event also included a panel discussion hosted by IMAA Leadership team member and Affinity Media’s chief executive officer Angela Smith, offering a candid discussion around marketers’ perspectives on pitching.
What precipitates the pitch in the first place, what’s worked for them in finding the perfect partner, and what makes for a healthy agency-client relationship to avoid a pitch being needed at all. Panellists included Arnotts’ marketing director Krishma Sood, Spirits at Lion general manager Ed Stening, and CMC Markets APAC & Canada head of marketing Liam Loan-Lack.
“We are absolutely overwhelmed with the turn-out for Who’s Who in the Media Zoo – it’s wonderful to know our outside-the-box approach to networking has really resonated with our members,” said IMAA CEO, Sam Buchanan.
“We are committed to keeping our independent sector across the advancements and innovations occurring across the national media landscape. Who’s Who in the Zoo was a chance for our members to chat with our media partners on what’s happening in their channels, and to hear from some of the industry’s leading CMOs on navigating the ever-changing agency world”.
“I’d like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who attended. Last night’s event was highly successful – and we couldn’t have found a better location to host it – all the animals were truly engaged!”
The night was capped off by a jungle-themed after-party hosted by Criteo for members and partners. Who’s Who in the Media Zoo is part of the IMAA’s mission to provide in-person networking and learning opportunities for its members.
This year, the IMAA also hosted the launch of its Female Leaders of Tomorrow program in both Melbourne and Sydney, along with networking events in Brisbane, Cairns and Perth.
