Base•Camp Red Rock Canyon Agenda

From broken workflows and buy-side dominance, to compliance strategies and game theory, we’re tackling it all. To learn more about the event, how to request your invitation, sponsorships, and more, please visit the full Base•Camp Red Rock Canyon event page. As a note, this agenda (although never final) covers our session topics in great detail. Will you find a break down of every break or meal below? No. But rest assured, there will be plenty of pauses for refreshment, times to commune, and scheduled meals to break bread together.

Sunday, March 2, 2025

Session Time	Session Title	Session Description
3:00 pm to 6:00 pm	Registration	Swing by, grab your swag and badge on your way up to your room.
5:30 pm to 6:00 pm	New Attendee Welcome	Base•Camp opening night reception for new attendees.
6:00 pm to 9:00 pm	Base•Camp Opening Night Reception	Nothing is quite like that first night of Base Camp: seeing old friends and meeting new ones.

Monday, March 3, 2025

Session Time	Session Title	Session Description
8:00 am	Registration + Breakfast	Is this the most important meal of the conference? You bet! This is the long day.
9:00 am	Base•Camp Kickoff: The Numbers, Our Purpose, Our Pledge	Considering everything impacting publisher monetization strategies, there is really only one way forward: collectively elbow ourselves into a position of success. We’ll do that by looking at how we measure success, identifying what actions we can take – both big and small – and committing to making a difference.
9:45 am Breakouts
	Better Ads, Better Brand Safety	Two organizations – The Brand Safety Institute and The Coalition for Better Ads – are at the epicenter of creating a better ad experience for both advertisers and consumers. Let’s learn more from Neal Thurman, who sits at the center of the epicenter. Neal Thurman: Co-founder + CEO, Brand Safety Institute; Director, Coalition for Better Ads
	The Case for Automating the Front End of the Sales Process	From creative collection, approval and trafficking to screenshots, much of the direct sold process is ready for automation. Let’s discuss what that looks like. Laura Boodram: CRO, FatTail Anne Thiel: Sr. Director of Advertising + Revenue Operations, Cox Automotive
	The Case for Improving Data Reporting	This session will explore the challenges of data reporting and how to solve them. The session will provide practical insights into automating workflows, enhancing collaboration between teams, and driving business outcomes through smarter data practices. Ju-Kay Kwek: CEO, Switchboard Software
	Instream Video: Plain Vanilla Can Taste Pretty @#)^$#)^ Good	Everyone (from the IAB to your Aunt Marie) has been prattling on about how to express real and premium inline video from reputable publishers into the programmatic marketplace. Using both technical protocols and some common sense around how these opportunities are labelled, this session will open the discussion for best practices to follow for instream video. Andrew Rosenman: Founder + President, Arise Communications
10:15 am to 10:45 am	Networking + Snacks	Start now. Increase your network.
10:45 am Breakouts
	The Privacy Project	What if we could arrange time and resources to help you become a privacy-first organization, from the operations level and up? Rob Beeler + Mark Wolly
	The Case For Forecasting… Accurately	Accurate advertising inventory forecasting is essential for publishers to maximize revenue, manage client expectations, and avoid over- or under-delivery. This session will explore the critical role of forecasting in optimizing ad placements, maintaining advertiser trust, and ensuring operational efficiency. Chris Starr: Sr. Manager of Inventory Operations, Hearst Autos Shay Brog: CEO, Burt Intelligence
	The Case for Tapping into New Real Estate for Ads	This session is focused on harnessing untapped real estate triggered by reader disengagement behaviors, and boosting net-new revenue, while maintaining UX excellence and editorial integrity. Saajan Patel: Sr. Director of Business Development, Wunderkind Pranav Chandrasekhar: Programmatic + Partnerships Lead, The Weather Company
	The Potential for Outstream Video Is Huge … But Reputational Risks Abound	Lots of publishers have pinned their hopes (and pages) on a third-party partner to bring some outstream video revenue to their treasuries. The tradeoffs are many, including inconsistent and interrupted UX, brand suitability misalignment, and outright distraction from the primary editorial product. So, what is the best way to include outstream video as an option for advertisers on a publishers domain? And what are the best ways to manage a third-party outstream relationship? Andrew Rosenman: Founder + President, Arise Communications
11:30 am Breakouts
	The Case for an Identity Graph	Discover why relying solely on first-party data may limit your publishing strategy in today’s privacy-centric digital landscape. This session explores how identity graphs can enhance audience understanding, improve cross-channel targeting, and future-proof your monetization efforts. Learn how integrating an identity graph with your first-party data strategy can drive deeper insights and sustainable growth. Tim Bradbury: President, 5×5 Justin Wohl: VP of Strategy, Aditude
	The Case for Margin-Based Planning	Proper product pricing is key to profitability. Jessica Boiardi: VP of Client Services, Group Black Chris Lane: VP of Sales, Boostr
	The Case for Direct Sales Through Video	This session will explore how publishers can leverage engaging video content to captivate audiences, showcase advertiser value, and create premium ad opportunities. Gain actionable insights into crafting compelling video campaigns that drive results and maximize revenue. Andrew Rosenman: Founder + President, Arise Communications
1:00 pm	Ask for More: Strategic Negotiation	No matter where you start, anyone can improve your negotiation skills and see quantum-leap results in your professional lives. In this innovative, interactive talk, Samantha Adler, Speaker from the Ask For More Group, gives audiences several powerful tools to achieve immediate, massive results in their negotiations. Straight from the pages of Alex Carter’s Wall Street Journal bestselling book, Ask for More: 10 Questions to Negotiate Anything, participants learn how to ask powerful questions and then “land the plane” for the greatest effect. The results? Better deals, fewer losses, and a lot more collaboration across the board. Samantha Adler: Speaker, Ask for More Group
2:00 pm Breakouts
	Achieving Revenue Viewability (Curation)	Publishers will adjust their strategies as the market demands, but only if they understand how the marketplace evolves. Let’s discuss what changes are happening, the impact on publishers, and how to ensure we’re making as much money as we can/should/want. Scott Messer: AdTech Therapist, Messer Media
	Moving Forward Without Search and Social	We built websites and people came to see them – primarily because search engines and search platforms pointed the way. That’s no longer the case. It’s time to talk about how to attract an audience and make most of the little time you have with them on your site.
	Will VPPA mean Consent or Pay?	The Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA) is raising critical questions for publishers about the future of monetization and user consent. This session will unpack the implications of VPPA compliance, exploring whether publishers will need to prioritize explicit user consent or pivot to subscription-based models. Gain insights into navigating this legal landscape while maintaining audience trust and revenue stability.
	Women in Negotiation	This session is designed for women and allies of women. Learn practical strategies to advocate for yourself, communicate effectively, and navigate challenging conversations with confidence. Whether negotiating salaries, contracts, or everyday interactions, this session will equip you with tools to achieve better outcomes and foster collaborative success. Samantha Adler: Speaker, Ask for More Group
3:30 pm Breakouts
	You Say My Inventory is Worthless. I Beg to Differ.	In a world with almost infinite supply, it’s hard to argue that everything you serve has value. However, when your inventory is poorly assessed or not even examined, that’s a problem. From miscategorization of impressions to impressions that don’t have the signals buyers are looking for, let’s discuss how to move the unmonetizable into the monetizable bucket.
	Direct Sold Innovation	We had a morning filled with remarkable case studies of people focused on direct-sold revenue, addressing the issue of efficiency and profitability. Yet, programmatic solutions garner all the attention. When will we begin discussing innovations in direct sales? I’ll tell you when: now.
	If CTV is the Holy Grail of Media, Are We Monty Python?	Ahh, CTV. Just saying it feels like a refreshing breeze of fresh air, as the revenue cops breathe down your neck for “More! More! More!” What does it take to start moving up the ladder from hosted video on a web site and app into building syndicated programming for other publishers to use? How much control should a publisher give up when moving into this brave new world—and would Alduous Huxley even recognize it?
	Can We Get Loud?	Let’s get this straight: publishers who produce content have a problem because not enough content is being written from their perspective in the trades? Beeler.Tech’s newestish (almost newest) member, Liz Moorehead has made a career of making sure you hear her. She’s going to bring some fire to our #amplifyourvoices efforts. Liz Moorehead: Content + Storytelling, Beeler.Tech
4:40 pm Keynote	Big Tech’s Next Moves	Alex Kantrowitz has written the book on how Big Tech companies like Google, Amazon, Apple, Meta and Microsoft operate and writes THE newsletter following their moves. Let’s learn from Alex what he thinks comes next in Silicon Valley… and what it means for publishers. Alex Kantrowitz: Founder, Big Technology; Author, Always Day One
5:00 pm to 5:30 pm	Wrapping Up Day 1	Let’s recap, and get ready for days two and three!
7:00 pm to Late pm	Base•Camp Legendary Monday Night Festivities	When it comes to having fun, ChatGPT comes to us. More details closer to the event.

Tuesday, March 4, 2025

Session Time	Session Title	Session Description
8:00 am	Breakfast	Have a little nosh and get ready for day two!
9:00 am	Publisher Pledge Report	We started Monday by asking people to talk about what they can commit to in the new year. Let’s check on what’s come together so far.
9:20 am to 12:00 pm Breakouts		There will be a refreshment break at 10:45 am
9:20 am Breakout	How does your Stack Stack Up?	If someone asked you to evaluate your adtech stack, what would be the first question you would ask? What would you look for? Thinking through your approach and sharing is going to open up all sorts of interesting conversations.
10:40 am Breakout	Short Term, Long Term or Short Term/Long Term Table Talks	Sometimes it’s about what can be done this quarter. Sometimes it’s about a long term strategy and sometimes it’s about building today for the future. Pick from a number of attendee suggested topics to make money now, in the future or both.
11:30 am Breakout	What Will Publishers Look Like in the Future?	Big topic but we have the right people in the room to discuss what the future might hold and how to start building toward that future.
	Additional Breakouts Under Construction	This set of breakouts is currently under construction, but we have already have a plan in motion. If Tuesday morning was an old vaudeville joke, it might start like this, “A CEO, CTO and a CDO walk into an operations-focused conference…” We also have some unique ideas to give structure to our #amplifyourvoices initiatives.
1:00 pm	Lunch and Activities	Adventures will be had, lifelong friends will be made.
6:30 pm	A Dining Experience You Won’t Soon Forget	We’re doing our best not to spill the beans on this one. It’ll be historic.

Wednesday, March 5, 2025

Session Time	Session Title	Session Description
8:00 am	Breakfast	Charge up for our final day together.
9:00 am	Morning, Sunshine!	Let’s kick off our last half day and squeeze the most out of our time together.
9:30 am Breakouts		There will be a refreshment break at 10:15 am
	Repairing the Publisher / SSP Divide – Part I	Let’s start with publishers sharing where they see opportunities to work better with their demand partners with some key demand partners in attendance.
	New Revenue Will Come in Smaller Packages	Whether it be through self serve or just the changing dynamics of how buyers buy, it’s a safe assumption that we need to accommodate smaller deal sizes. How do scale small sales?
10:45 am Breakouts
	Repairing the Publisher / SSP Divide – Part II	Taking from the first session, we’re going to break up into smaller groups and work the problems laid out and make an action plan to move forward.
	To Do: Hire, Outsource, Automate	You will do more with less. Your team will need to provide or learn new skillsets. Get on board with change and let’s make a plan.
11:45 am Wrap-Up
	Repairing the Publisher / SSP Divide – Finale	We’re going to bring everyone back together to see where to go from here.
1:30pm	Goodbye for now!	We’ll send you on your way home, chock full o’ ideas to inspire yourself, your team and your company.