SCOTTSDALE, AZ - Next year, the "desert air" won't be blamed. After a conference destined to be remembered for a blunt speech by Euro RSCG CEO Ron Berger that took on industry leaders, the networks and the trade press, the American Association of Advertising Agencies' annual management conference will shift locales next year from Arizona to Florida.

SCOTTSDALE, AZ - Creative poster child Crispin Porter + Bogusky added yet another honor to its heavily laden awards portfolio, taking home the 2006 American Association of Advertising Agencies' O'Toole Award for Creative Excellence in the large-agency category.

SCOTTSDALE, AZ - An industry executive who's helped craft some of the most memorable 30-second spots in recent memory sought to reassure colleagues the sky is not falling - not yet anyways. Linda Kaplan Thaler, CEO and chief creative officer of the Kaplan Thaler Group with clients such as Aflac and Revlon, employed thick sarcasm as she spoofed the drumbeat that the 30-second spot is dying or even dead.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - The death last week of DDB President-CEO Ken Kaess brought a poignant backdrop to the AAAAs Management Conference for Agency CEOs here.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - New AAAA Chairman Anthony Hopp today urged the industry to embrace clients' increasing desire to hold agencies accountable for their work. "Accountability in our industry is nothing new," he said upon taking his new role at the AAAA Management Conference for Agency CEOs.