• by Masha Geller , June 18, 2003

The Ad:Tech San Francisco conference has come to a close. As the last day's presentations wrapped and exhibitors packed their booths, organizers counted the totals and by all accounts, the conference exceeded all expectations. According to Ad:Tech officials, more than 3,000 people attended the show, including nearly 100 exhibitors and almost 150 speakers.

As the final keynote presenter, Regis McKenna, author of Total Access, spoke about the new world of choice, variety, price, service, novelty, access and e-commerce, all of which have created a whole new customer. He said marketers should forget all old notions of brand, promotion, and consumer manipulation.

Following the presentation, the audience reflected on just how far the industry has come and how much work is ahead of online advertisers to continue proving the online medium's worth.

Conference organizers, sponsors, exhibitors and attendees all agreed that the conference has demonstrated the renewed optimism in the medium but as one attendee said, "We've come out of the Ice Age and now have Mt. Everest to climb."

Another, Chris Glenn, a Sales Executive at Real Branding, wrote to this reporter, "Everyone is talking about pitching some serious business and everyone is optimistic that the economy is about to turn the corner. Everyone all agreed there is a feeling of rejuvenation that is prevalent at the show."

Naturally, there are two sides to every story. Glenn, echoing the sentiments of some at the conference, said, "it appears a lot of people are willing to 'talk the talk' but when it comes down to brass tacks, they're not willing to walk the walk with their own spending."

Only time will tell, but judging by Ad:Tech San Francisco, the online advertising industry has a future to look forward to.

The Ad:Tech New York conference is scheduled for the beginning of November at the Hilton Hotel.