The adtech industry is moving fast – AI, programmatic innovation, privacy changes, connected TV (CTV), retail media, and customer-centric experiences are redefining digital advertising. If you want to stay ahead of the curve in 2026, adding high-impact adtech events to your calendar is one of the best ways to learn, connect, and grow.
Here’s our guide to the top 20 adtech, media and marketing technology events worth attending this year, complete with dates and locations.
Table of Contents
Top 20 AdTech Events In 2026
CES 2026: January 6–9
📍Las Vegas, NV, USA
Kicking off the year, the Consumer Electronics Show brings together global tech innovators, showing breakthroughs in AI, IoT, connectivity, and consumer trends that influence how advertising technology evolves. It’s a must-attend adtech event for anyone looking at the interplay of tech and media strategies.
IAB Annual Leadership Meeting (ALM): February 1–3
📍Palm Springs, CA, USA
A cornerstone adtech event for senior digital media leaders, IAB ALM sets the strategic tone for the year ahead. Expect high-level discussions on regulation, measurement, trust, privacy, and the future structure of the advertising ecosystem.
Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona: March 2–5
📍Barcelona, Spain
The world’s premier connectivity and mobile tech event is highly relevant for adtech because it showcases mobile trends, 5G monetization, AI, data ecosystems, and cross-device experiences that marketers must understand.
Convergent TV World (CTV Connect): March 5–6
📍 New York, NY, USA
Focused entirely on connected TV and convergent video, Convergent TV World, formerly known as CTV Connect, explores cross-screen engagement, advanced measurement, ad formats, and monetization models. A strong choice for buyers, publishers, and adtech teams working in CTV.
TES 2026 Marbella: March 9–12
📍 Marbella, Spain
TES (Traffic & Conversion Summit Europe) focuses on performance marketing, traffic acquisition, monetization strategies, and growth tactics. Popular among affiliate marketers, growth teams, and digital entrepreneurs.
d3con: March 17–18
📍 Hamburg, Germany
One of Europe’s most respected programmatic events, d3con dives deep into automation, data, AI, and transparency in digital advertising. A must-attend for agencies, publishers, and adtech providers in programmatic.
Digiday Publishing Summit: March 23–25 / September 14–16
📍 Vail, CO / Miami, FL, USA
A high-level retreat for media executives focused on publisher monetization, audience strategy, subscriptions, and advertising innovation. Known for candid discussions and strong networking.
By the way, there are many Digiday events for media, publishers, retail marketers, and more. Visit their page to explore different opportunities.
IAB NewFronts 2026: March 23–26
📍 New York City, USA
The NewFronts showcase premium digital video and CTV inventory from major publishers and platforms. Essential for buyers and brands planning upfront-style investments in streaming and digital video.
Prebid Ascent London: March 25
📍London, UK
It is an annual, high-level industry summit designed for publishers and ad tech professionals, focusing on the future of open-source header bidding, privacy-oriented advertising, and programmatic trends in the EMEA region. It features expert discussions on CTV, in-app advertising, and navigating the evolving digital ecosystem.
New Video Frontiers by VideoWeek: April 15–16
📍London, UK
This specialised adtech event brings together video advertising and CTV leaders to discuss trends, measurement, monetization, and creative formats in next-generation video experiences. Videoweek hosts many adtech events; you can find them on the Videoweek official website.
AdExchanger Programmatic AI: May 18-20
📍Las Vegas, USA
A top forum for programmatic advertising. Just the real stuff: how to apply AI right now to plan smarter, buy faster, and automate creative that performs.
INMA World Congress of News Media: May 19-23
📍New York, USA
The INMA World Congress of News Media is the premier global event for leaders shaping the future of journalism. Bringing together publishers, editors, and media innovators from over 50 countries, it focuses on trust, innovation, monetization, and the role of AI in news.
The Congress offers high-impact insights, real-world case studies, and valuable networking for executives driving the next chapter of news media.
POSSIBLE Miami: May 27-29
📍Miami, USA
POSSIBLE is where the most influential minds in marketing, media, and technology come together. From emerging leaders to C-suite executives, this three-day event in Miami offers a dynamic mix of learning, networking, and inspiration.
With a strong focus on innovation and emerging technologies, POSSIBLE creates immersive spaces for meaningful conversations, interactive sessions, and exclusive meetups.
IAB Tech Lab Summit: May 28
📍 New York, NY, USA
A deeply technical event dedicated to standards, privacy-first architectures, interoperability, and adtech infrastructure. Ideal for product, engineering, and operations teams shaping the future of ad delivery.
Programmatic Pioneers Summit: June 2-3
📍 London, UK
The Programmatic Pioneers Summit is Europe’s leading, high-level event for brand leaders, agencies, and publishers to discuss the future of digital advertising, focusing on AI, privacy-compliant solutions, and first-party data. Held annually, it offers networking, case studies, and workshops on navigating cookie-less, data-driven, and automated media buying.
Shoptalk Europe: June 9-11
📍Barcelona, Spain
Shoptalk Europe brings together the most forward-thinking retailers, brands, and technology providers shaping the future of how people discover, shop, and buy. With thousands of attendees and hundreds of speakers, it’s the go-to event for discovering trends, innovations, and transformative strategies in retail media, data, AI, and more.
Learn more about Shoptalk from Adtelligent team!
Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity: June 22–26
📍Cannes, France
While a broader creativity festival, Cannes Lions remains impactful for adtech and martech professionals who want creative-driven innovation tied to brand technology, data storytelling, and future audience engagement.
Affiliate World Conferences: July 9–10 / July 27–28
📍 Budapest, Hungary / New York, NY, USA
One of the largest affiliate and performance marketing events globally. It brings together global affiliates, advertisers, and tech platforms to discuss performance marketing, scaling strategies, and cross-channel growth. Strong focus on traffic acquisition, partnerships, monetization models, and growth strategies across digital channels.
DMEXCO (Digital Marketing Expo & Conference): September 23–24
📍Cologne, Germany
DMEXCO is where creativity meets cutting-edge technology. As Europe’s leading digital marketing and tech event, DMEXCO brings together business leaders, digital marketers, adtech vendors, and industry experts to explore the latest innovations, trends, and ideas shaping the future of marketing and advertising.
Get inspired by Adtelligent’s insights from its visit to DMEXCO as an exhibitor.
The CTV Advertising Leadership Forum: October 20–22
📍 Seville, Spain
A senior-level forum dedicated to connected TV advertising, bringing together decision-makers to discuss strategy, measurement, monetization, and the future of CTV across markets.
Other Notable AdTech & Media Events
- OMR Festival – One of Europe’s largest marketing and tech events, blending digital innovation, media, and advertising.
- SMX Munich – A key event for SEO, paid search, and performance marketing professionals.
- Advertising Week Europe – Global thought leadership across advertising, media, and technology.
- NAB Show – A major hub for video, broadcast, streaming, and adtech innovation.
- Netcomm Forum – Italy’s leading e-commerce and digital retail event.
- PI Live – A global performance marketing event series across multiple locations.
- Israel Mobile Summit – Focused on mobile advertising, apps, and emerging technologies.
- ATS by ExchangeWire – Deep dives into addressability, identity, and privacy-first adtech.
- MIPCOM – A leading content and media market intersecting with streaming and advertising.
These events complement the core adtech calendar with strong perspectives on media, performance, commerce, and technology.
How to Prioritise Events in 2026
- Business impact: Choose events aligned with your focus – programmatic, retail media, video and CTV, privacy & data strategy, or automation.
- Networking value: Major global summits (CES, DMEXCO, Cannes Lions) offer broad connections; niche summits provide targeted discussions.
- Location & timing: Spread learning throughout the year — and mix global events with local meetups to balance travel and ROI.
Final Thoughts
2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal year in adtech. From AI-driven programmatic strategies and retail media acceleration to CTV monetization and next-generation measurement, these events offer unparalleled opportunities to stay informed, innovate and connect with peers across the ecosystem. Mark your calendar, plan ahead and make this year your most strategic yet.