I just got an email from the 4A’s announcing a new conference entitled “Createtech” – a conference dedicated to looking at how technology and creativity are coming together in the world of advertising. The full announcement is listed below.

More specifically, the conference is centered around the idea of a new discipline and role at advertising agencies –  the “Creative Technologist.” The Creative Technologist appears to be a hybrid of a developer/programmer/CTO and a designer/Creative Director.

Is the 4A’s ahead of a trend coming to the ad business? Or is this a futile path towards creating more silos within ad agencies? Maybe this is just a lot of hype from big agencies and their trade group trying to “catch up” and stay relevant in a quickly changing digital world?

What do you think?

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THE 4A’S TO HOST ADVERTISING INDUSTRY’S FIRST CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY (“CREATETECH”) CONFERENCE

The advertising industry is no longer solely devoted to making advertising. Transformative ideas—with technology as an integral component—are changing the way to do business. And a broad group of minds—the creative technologists—are facilitating these changes. The 4A’s, in launching the industry’s first creative technology conference, “CreateTech,” is acknowledging the confluence of creative and technology, and the critical role played by creative technologists in the current advertising landscape.

“CreateTech,” a one-day conference to be held Friday, May 20 (8:30am-5:30pm), at the Sentry Midtown Conference Center (730 Third Avenue, New York), will explore the challenges facing creative technologists, bring together prominent practitioners currently working in the agency world, and establish an ongoing community of engagement in these issues. The inaugural conference will highlight client/agency collaboration from a technology perspective, explore some emerging marketing technologies and celebrate an increasingly important community in advertising.

The 4A’s is also establishing a new Creative Technology Committee to further the work of the conference with agencies and clients. The committee will be co-chaired by Scott Prindle, SVP, Executive Technology Director, CP+B and Trevor O’Brien, Creative Technology Director, McKinney.

Featured speakers include, J. P. Rangaswammi, Chief Scientist, Salesforce.com; Scott Roen, Vice President, Marketing, American Express; Glen Fellman, Group Creative Director and Trevor O’Brien, McKinney; Gary Koelling, Director of Emerging Platforms at Best Buy; Marcel Kornblum, Creative Technologist,  Stink Digital; Brian Skahan, VP/Creative Technology Director, Crispin Porter + Bogusky; Nick Parish, North American Editor at Contagious Magazine and Nancy Hill, President-CEO, 4A’s.

Select session topics include: “Agency Technology/Creative Methodologies and Technique”; “Technology/Creative Collaboration and Team Organization”; “Technology, Common Ground: Brands, Agencies, Specialists, Entrepreneurs”, “Digital Retail” and “Emerging Capabilities: APIs, Augmented Reality and more.”

“Establishing a conference like ‘CreateTech’ will bring together the senior managing digital technology community in one place,” said Chick Foxgrover, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer.   “There are brilliant innovative thinkers in agencies today and we are eager for them to participate, contribute and connect.’”

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