I ran into O. Burtch Drake last night at the bar in the lobby of the Rosen Shingle Creek during the opening night of the AAAA's media show in Orlando. "Burtch," I asked the past
association president. “What are you doing here?"
His answer, "I'm just here to party!"
That's fitting. The reason everyone else was partying here, and also, on occasion, doing business, is because of Burtch. He's the guy who envisioned, championed and oversaw the
creation of the AAAA's media conference 15 years ago, and it has since grown into the most important one for the trade association, and I would argue, Madison Avenue overall.
During this morning's opening session, conference chair and GroupM chief Marc Goldstein, acknowledged as much, noting, "As far as I'm concerned, we all owe
Burtch a huge debt of gratitude." Judging by the applause that followed, the room seemed to agree.
Thanks, Burtch!