Bold statement: The IAB’s 2026 ALM agenda signals a pivotal shift in how digital advertising must think about AI, measurement, and the future of media—and missing this pivot could leave brands behind. But here’s where it gets controversial: embracing AI-driven strategies isn’t just a technical upgrade; it demands a rethinking of roles, governance, and trust across the entire ecosystem.
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The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), the foremost trade association guiding the digital advertising industry, has announced its agenda for the 2026 Annual Leadership Meeting (ALM). The event is scheduled for February 1–3, 2026, in Palm Springs, California. Alongside ALM, IAB revealed its complete slate of tentpole events for 2026, designed to steer innovation and policy across the digital media and marketing landscape.
ALM 2026 is being positioned as a forum to address the industry’s urgent transformations driven by AI. With the theme It Starts Here, the conference aims to be the definitive gathering where executives from brands, agencies, publishers, platforms, and adtech convene to align priorities, spark action, navigate disruption, and map the road ahead for the digital ecosystem.
David Cohen, CEO of IAB, notes that 2026 presents an environment unlike any previous year. He emphasizes that the entire value chain is undergoing transformation and that the full trajectory is still unfolding. He adds that collaborative discussion among industry players can yield clearer foresight than any single company could achieve alone.
The ALM lineup features a diverse roster of speakers, including Zack Kass (Global AI Advisor), Kevin Bacon (director, actor, musician, philanthropist), Remi Bader (creator), Allyson Witherspoon (U.S. Chief Marketing Officer, Nissan), and Bozoma Saint John (On Brand with Jimmy Fallon co-host and star of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills). Additional confirmed speakers include:
- Jamie Auslander, Senior Vice President of Research, Measurement and Analytics, Infillion
- Jonathan Halvorson, Chief Digital and Marketing Officer, Kenvue
- Jennifer Brown, Head of US Influencer Marketing & Talent Partnerships, SHEIN
- Keri Degroote, Senior Vice President of Sales Research & Analytics, SiriusXM Media
- Radhika Duggal, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Major League Soccer
- Jeremi Gorman, Chief Revenue Officer, Fanatics Advertising, Fanatics
- Jesser, Creator and Founder, Bucketsquad
- Marie Lee, Chief Marketing Officer, Princess Cruises
- Keith Lehman, Global Director of Digital Commerce Marketing and Retail Media, Colgate-Palmolive
- Austin Leonard, General Manager of DG Media Network, Dollar General
- Abi Subramanian, Group Vice President of Loyalty, Walgreens Advertising Group & Owned Asset Monetization, Walgreens
- Kendall Toole’s participation was canceled
- Gabi Viljoen, Vice President & Head of eCommerce, Nestlé Health Science U.S.
- Heidi Zak, Co-Founder and CEO, ThirdLove
For the latest on ALM speakers, visit the IAB events page.
ALM 2026 centers on themes that reflect the industry’s current priorities—especially the transformative role of AI in creativity, automation, measurement, and audience engagement. The three-day immersive program moves beyond hype to explore practical, scalable AI applications for media, marketing, and measurement. Key tracks include:
- Beyond Human: When AI Becomes Your Audience — Examines how AI agents increasingly make or influence decisions in the funnel, challenging marketers to adapt strategy, restructure operations, and design for attention from both humans and machines.
- Commerce Unboxed: Rethinking Retail, Media, and the Consumer Journey — Explores the expansion of retail media into commerce media, where AI-driven agents influence discovery and shopping, converging shopper and trade marketing with retail media and emphasizing transparency.
- Fortifying the Foundation: Measurement for a Modern Media World — Addresses fragmentation and outdated models, outlining steps to modernize measurement by redefining inputs, campaign attributes, and frameworks aligned with contemporary consumer behavior and evolving regulation.
- Storytelling Evolved: Influence, Imagination, and Impact — Looks at how creators shape culture and advertising, redefining ROI, AI-powered creative formats, and deeper brand–creator collaboration.
- The New World of Screens, Signals, and Outcomes — Analyzes the fragmented yet powerful video landscape across CTV, DOOH, video podcasts, and social platforms, with a focus on unified planning and outcome-based buying.
- Data, Identity, and Privacy in a Reshaped Ecosystem — Examines addressability amid rising privacy concerns, shifting identity availability, and active regulatory developments, including IP risk in AI and global privacy frameworks.
The complete ALM agenda is available on the IAB website, along with the 2026 State of Data Report, which provides practical insights into current measurement frameworks (MMM, attribution, outcomes, and incrementality) and discusses the realistic role of AI today and in the next 1–2 years.
Beyond ALM, IAB’s tentpole events for 2026 cover AI, audio, video, gaming, commerce, policy, and more. Highlights include NewFronts in March in New York City (hybrid format), the Public Policy & Legal Summit in March in Washington, D.C. (in-person), the Connected Commerce Summit in April in New York City (in-person), CreatorFronts in September in New York City (hybrid), the Podcast Upfront in September in New York City (hybrid), PlayFronts in September in New York City (hybrid), the Privacy Compliance Salon in October in Seattle (in-person), and the State Privacy Law Summit in November in New York City (in-person).
For more information and updates on IAB events, visit the official IAB events page.
About IAB
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) supports the media and marketing industries in thriving within the digital economy. Its members include more than 700 leading media companies, brands, agencies, and technology firms responsible for selling, delivering, and optimizing digital ad campaigns. IAB conducts essential research on interactive advertising and educates brands, agencies, and the broader business community about digital marketing. In collaboration with IAB Tech Lab, IAB develops technical standards and solutions. IAB is committed to professional development and enhancing the knowledge, skills, and collaboration of the industry workforce. Its public policy office advocates for members and promotes the value of interactive advertising to lawmakers. Founded in 1996, IAB is headquartered in New York City.
Media contacts: Kate Tumino Dougherty and Brittany Tibaldi
Email: [protected] / [protected]
Phone: 551-265-2825 / 516-974-2216
Related content links are provided on the IAB site for ongoing updates and reports.
