Welcome from Denver via Toronto! Digital Day Camp was incredible last week. Our speakers brought their A-game, our attendees bought into the experience, and the team executed flawlessly. Our hosts (Index Exchange) couldn’t have been more helpful. Thanks from David U.K. and me to everyone who was involved. The only mistake that sticks with me is that I thought the CN Tower was the Chuck Norris Tower. I mean, shouldn’t it be? I know he’s not Canadian, but…oh, never mind. 

Denver is up, and it’s a full house. I think I’m supposed to shout WE’RE SOLD OUT, but I never wanted to say we couldn’t try to fit someone else in – especially if they fought hard to get approval. That being said, it’s great to see who we have coming and what we have planned.

One of many discussions in Denver will revolve around the increasing disconnect between the buy and sell sides through programmatic channels. To Beelerphrase (a form of paraphrasing) a recent Chris Kane discussion, to monetize their inventory, publishers not only have to shout louder but multiple times the same thing in an attempt to be heard, and the buy side isn’t listening. The percentage of bids that get to the DSP is going down at a time when publishers are trying to get more out of our inventory. 

In Denver, we’ll discuss the pluses and minuses of curation and our relationship with our programmatic partners. We’ll talk about AI and the future. We’ll talk about privacy, people, and the user journey. We’re going to talk a lot in Denver, and we’re going to put some things in motion to make things better for the publisher community. I can’t wait.

Something else I can’t wait for? BASE.CAMP BARCELONA!!!!!!!!!