The Independent Media Agencies of Australia (IMAA), the national industry body representing independent media agencies, is gearing up for another year ahead amid record member numbers and a raft of events, initiatives and professional development opportunities.
The organisation today unveiled its 2025 program, with a stellar line-up of events and projects designed to empower the indie sector, strengthen its commitment to education to enhance the skills and knowledge of its member agencies and reinforce its Reconciliation Action Plan initiatives.
Key events and initiatives in 2025 include:
- Indie-Pendence conference: this year’s annual conference, dubbed Indie-Pendence Day, will include a panel of top marketing executives, along with keynote speakers. It will be one of the first events of 2025.
- The Byte Series: building on the success of the inaugural Digi-Byte series, the IMAA will collaborate with the CRA, OMA, ThinkTV and our media partners to deliver Audio Bytes, Outof-Home Bytes and TV Bytes in 2025.
- The return of Pitch-Chella: the pitch competition, designed to provide emerging talent with opportunities to learn from seasoned industry professionals, successfully launched last year.
It will return in 2025, with kick-off events in Melbourne and Sydney. - Female Leaders of Tomorrow Programme: the popular mentoring programme is now available in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth will run throughout 2025, with plans to launch the 2026 intake later in the year.
- First National Leadership Delegation to Alice Springs: a delegate of senior media executives will visit Alice Springs in 2025, as part of the IMAA’s commitment to reconciliation.
The IMAA also has a number of networking and charitable events slated for the next 12 months, including mixers in several states. The organisation’s annual Indie Census, Pulse Surveys, IMAA Awards, and In-Front Series will also return in 2025.
“2025 is set to be another monumental year for the IMAA. We have achieved more than we could have ever imagined over the past five years; our focus now is on doubling down on our efforts and ensuring we’re continuing to offer a first-rate event line-up, with a solid mix of professional development, networking and training opportunities, along with our commitment to education, group deals and levelling the playing field for indie agencies,” said IMAA CEO, Sam Buchanan.
“This year’s calendar is already jam-packed, with many of our hallmark initiatives returning and the launch of new events, including our Indie-Pendence Day conference, which will be an important kick-off to the year. This year’s program has been developed to ensure we’re continuing to enhance our offerings and focus on providing opportunities for our members to learn, collaborate and grow, inline with our mission of celebrating and futureproofing the national indie landscape”.
“As we move into the year ahead, I want to extend my thanks to our members and media partners for their unwavering support of the independent media agency sector. The IMAA’s work is fuelled by our partnership with our many independent agency members who drive excellence across our sector, and our media partners who see the benefit of having a united and thriving indie sector. We’re looking forward to continuing our collaboration in 2025 – together, we’re shaping a stronger, more dynamic future for the independent sector”.
