I had a moment while in Base.Camp San Antonio to reflect while hiding (some say napping) at the bottom of a ball pit. Here are some of the things that went through my mind at the time:
- Vibe coding is the flashy new term for what ad ops has always been doing – connecting up systems as efficiently as possible. No one is better suited to figure out how to put all the pieces together.
- Somehow, we’ve created an event where going through the attendees' notes is almost as much work as getting prepared (and the sessions aren’t recorded). I can’t wait to pore through them.
- We tried a new format for a session. It didn’t work. The people in that session spent time working with me to make it better next time. Our attendees are invested in the events they attend.
- AI was the big topic, but not the only topic. Ad tech is a big topic, but not the only topic. No one comes to our stuff to sell themselves the idea that the shiny stuff is real. It’s all about what is actually real, what actually helps, and whether it will make real money.
Maybe I need to buy a ball pit at home. This is comfortable.
Here’s the latest news, and yes, it’s all true:
- AdEF is almost here (March 18 & 19), and space is running out This year, the Advertising Economic Forum will combine both of its signature formats for the first time into a high-impact, two-day experience. Day 1 is dedicated to our popular Founder and Investor Pitch Day. Founders present their theses across buyer-seller agents, agentic commerce, creative, and emerging agency models. Then, we debate. On Day 2, along with 400 senior leaders across venture, private equity, corporate development, and equity research, we will convene to have the closed-door conversations that will define the future of our industry.
- Save the date: Post-San Antonio Camp.Fire on March 24 Camp.Fire is where publishers and partners come together to talk about the top topics within our community monthly. In this edition of Camp.Fire, we’ll come together to discuss the big takeaways and action items from Base.Camp San Antonio. Camp.Fire is exclusive to our existing publisher and partner community
- Less than 2 months away: Navigator NYC is happening May 5! Navigator NYC is right around the corner! Not only are Justin Evans and Dr. G joining us as keynotes, we also have publishers from Automattic, NASCAR, Time Out, Weatherbug, MediaNews Group, Tribune, Yahoo, and Crain who have already committed to Navigator NYC this May. Will you be there?
- The AI Publisher Response agenda keeps growing for publisher teams AI Publisher Response is a working session built for publisher teams who want a clear, practical path through the noise of AI. This event brings publishers together to focus on the questions that actually matter to you: what should be automated, what must stay human, how your org should evolve, and how you protect your content and revenue in a market moving faster than your resources.
- DEAL: Landmark Executive Roundtable Series on March 20 (Virtual) In a landscape defined by constant disruption, DEAL – Dialogue on Exits, Acquisitions & Landscape– offers a rare forum for unfiltered conversation and strategic connection. Curated and hosted by Landmark Ventures’ Investment Banking team, this off-the-record series is designed to illuminate what’s next: from emerging market signals to transformative deal opportunities.
- Join us for AI Publisher Response Live: Publisher Feedback from San Antonio on April 10 As you know, we just got back from Base.Camp San Antonio. Was AI a hot topic during our time with our community? Absolutely. So, we’re going to come together to discuss the hottest AI topics from the publisher perspective, the challenges we’re facing, and what solutions are actually worth looking at.
- The DanAds Summit is coming to Stockholm on April 15, 2026 The DanAds Summit is where the future of ad sales takes shape, offering a unique perspective on the European market, comparing and contrasting trends with North America, and providing actionable insights tailored to today’s global ad tech landscape.
Here are a few of our favorites from the start of the year. Get caught up now, because we’re about to drop a lot of new editorial goodness in the coming weeks:
- Turning premium CTV into performance revenue with EX.CO’s Lior Yossef In this conversation, Rob Beeler joins Lior Yossef, Director of Product at EX․CO, to unpack where CTV monetization is falling short, and what media owners should be doing differently. Together, they explore the disconnect between “premium” perception and practical yield mechanics, the risks of biased optimization, and why machine learning must move beyond buzzword status to real-time execution.
- Camp.Fire: Rob’s RevenueScape Publishers aren’t short on industry conversation. They’re short on clear, usable options that can move revenue without turning into a three-month research project. That was the context for February’s Camp.Fire meeting: a practical conversation about building a structured repository of revenue-generating opportunities for publishers. This recording is for our exclusive publishers and partners only community.
- The backyard test: a framework for publishers in the AI era For publishers navigating AI, working sessions like AI Publisher Response Live are all about pressure-testing assumptions before they calcify into strategy. As we learned in the latest episode, where Rob was joined by guest speakers Amanda Sabreah and Scott Messer, the AI moment is forcing publishers and adops teams to confront an uncomfortable question: what do you actually control?
- The future of publisher revenue lives beyond the page This isn’t an article about AI. This is an article about viewing publishers as more than just owned and operated traffic and views. Instead, we should view publishers as brands that reach audiences. Not just any audience or individual on your website and/or app, but your audience all across the internet.
Want to get caught up on everything we’ve published? Start here.
A full list of all 2026 events we’re involved in, all in one nice little package:
- Advertising Economic Forum NYC - March 18-19, 2026
- Digital Day Camp: Spring - April 15 & 16, 2026
- Navigator NYC - May 5, 2026
- AI Publisher Response Event - May 6, 2026
- Navigator London - June 9, 2026
- Base.Camp La Jolla - October 4-7, 2026
- Digital Day Camp: Fall - October 21 & 22, 2026
- Base.Camp Madrid - November 8-11, 2026
Chicago AdTech Happy Hour
🗓️ March 18, 5:00 PM CT
📍 The Publican @ 837 W Fulton Market in West Loop
Sponsored by our friends at Burt. I'll be there at 5pm! Join the Community!
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