• by Tom Hespos , October 3, 2006

Dear Greg and Ken:

Well, we've made it through yet another Advertising Week here in New York. We survived the maelstrom of advertising conferences, speaking gigs, clients in from out of town, and meetings with new business prospects. Yet, as I put the week behind me, I'm left with a feeling that perhaps I didn't get everything out of it that I should have.

I'm not privy to the exact details of what led the IAB and MediaPost to halt their collaboration on the OMMA conference [* See editor's note below] and split it up. I understand there were some legal proceedings and hard feelings, and that's about it. We now have OMMA and the IAB's MIXX conference simultaneously competing for speakers, exhibitors, attendees and--perhaps most importantly--attention. And it's been this way for a couple of years now.

The interactive industry is finally beginning to come into its own, and to play a serious role in the marketing mix of A-list players. We're at a critical point in our development, in which I think we would be better served by showing a unified front.

Yet, every Advertising Week now kicks off with both OMMA and MIXX running on parallel tracks. Marketers, agency folk, publishers, technology companies and other interested parties are often forced to make a choice between one or the other. Those that can't choose are doomed to shuttle back and forth between the two conferences. I think the words of one of my own clients sums it up best: "I was sitting in one conference wondering what I was missing at the other."

Gentlemen, I'd like to suggest to you both that you figure out a mutually profitable and strategically sound way to merge these two conferences back into one. Or, at least stop competing for the same time slot every year.

Ken, you have one of the must-read trade publications and a proven track record of successful events in this industry. Greg, you have a similar track record with respect to conferences, and you head up what is arguably the trade association of record for this industry. Working together simply makes more sense than working apart. I can't help but wonder what the combined interactive conference would look like with the heavy-hitting speakers from both camps coming together, the foot traffic in the combined exhibit hall raising the level of chatter, and the workshops that both organizations could put together.

Surely it would show the rest of the media industry that we're serious, and that we can put on a must-attend event that showcases the innovation and bright ideas within our sector of the larger marketing landscape.

Again, I understand there's been some negative juju exchanged over the split, and I also know things are much easier said than done. But please look at the bigger picture. We don't see this sort of division in other media, and given that we're trying to convince marketers to move money from these other media to interactive, perhaps a united front makes more sense.

Editor's Note: MediaPost and the Interactive Advertising Bureau have never collaborated on the OMMA conference. In September 2004, the two organizations collaborated on the Internet Advertising World conference in New York. MediaPost and the IAB also jointly produced the OMMA Awards and an accompanying ceremony in September 2004.