PI LIVE debuted last week at London’s Old Billingsgate on October 24-25, attracting thousands of marketers to celebrate the global growth of the performance marketing industry in 2017.
With over 2,100 attendees – a near 100% uplift on last year’s equivalent event – the show was record-breaking for the PerformanceIN conference series which has operated across five international markets under various guises since 2006.
A breakdown of attendance saw delegates arriving from over 50 countries, while the show boasted an unmatched ratio of advertisers thanks to a newly-introduced ticket model for brands, who joined leading networks, agencies, technology companies and publishers.
Just some of the hundreds of brands on site included Nike, Oasis, Ralph Lauren, Emirates, Harrods, Tesco, IBM, The Guardian, Betfair and Net-a-Porter, demonstrating the importance of measurability and performance in mainstream digital marketing today.
Over the course of two days, over 80 speakers shared their wisdom across four stages, including the 600-capacity Keynote Theatre, which housed talks on the divisive growth of AI, operating ‘millennial’ organisations and performance marketing’s permeation into new channels.
Keynote speakers themselves took the form of Ben Ryan, an inspiring leader and coach of Fiji Rugby Sevens squad, and founder of Thought Expansion Network and former Ted Talker, Jonathan MacDonald. Meanwhile, praise was in no short supply for a presentation by Jules Lund, founder of influencer platform TRIBE, on the power of micro-influencers, in what was a key session for the co-located Influencer Marketing Show throughout day one, focused on the ROI, measurability, and standardisation of its namesake.
Ahead of PI LIVE itself, the International Performance Marketing Awards launched on the evening of October 23, backed by CJ Affiliate by Conversant, for the first time seeing the International industry compete for a number of brand new global and regionally-focused awards at the Hilton Bankside hotel.
Looking back on PerformanceIN’s three-day London residence, founder and director, Matthew Wood, said: “It’s clear from the conversations and deals being struck at PI LIVE that performance marketing is in rude health. We’ll be taking more space at the venue next year to cope with demand. That means increased meeting space, bigger breakout rooms to share insights and an even bigger expo.”
Following its successful launch and roundly glowing feedback, PI LIVE will return in Autumn 2018, once again providing a lively and colourful global platform for the industry to discuss and celebrate the advancement of measurable marketing.