Revolutions can only last so long — it’s time to secure the future of audio

The Future of Audio Europe

Next year’s event will bring together the audio community across the continent to solve global challenges.

The previous editions of The Future of Audio Europe have paid tribute to an intoxicating time for audio — an explosion of opportunity in the medium that has benefited businesses both big and small.

We celebrated the renewed success of audio as something of a revolution, a regeneration of the long-standing medium, and that feeling of revitalised consumer love and attention. But a revolution can only last so long, and now it’s time to mobilise the success story and start to secure the future. That’s why this year we’ll be waving goodbye to the revolution and saying hello to sound investment.

At The Future of Audio Europe in March 2023, the audio community will come together once again in London — where the leaders of today and tomorrow will debate and challenge the status of audio as a media channel. The event will be a space to learn from each other, and we’ll continue to embrace a philosophy of disruption, inclusion, courage, and innovation across the full suite of sessions on the programme.

And with votes, debates, discussions, and networking, there’ll be more time than ever before for you to have your voice heard.

Ensuring buyers are confident

At next year’s event, you’ll find out how today’s buyers are really thinking about audio across a morning dedicated to enhancing confidence.

With businesses across the globe facing unprecedented challenges, advertiser demand and cash flow is changing to reflect a need for higher reach, higher quality of reach and higher targeting capability.

It’s no longer enough to sell broadcast radio as a cheap bolt-on. Buyers are looking for full audio campaign lifecycle management and measurement as a core part of the media plan. Which is why there will be a discussion about how to achieve full-funnel campaign objectives with audio, and where it sits in the media mix in the minds of the UK’s biggest spenders.

You’ll also find out what most advertisers think about brand safety on podcasts, whether it’s time to start focusing on alternative measurement currencies like attention and carbon impact, and whether personalisation is worth the added cost and complexity (following Direct Line Group’s Wendy Moores assertion last year that we’re at risk of overcomplicating audio).

Next year you’ll see significant focus on enhancing measurement, too. Speakers will be asked how close we are to a reality where advertisers consistently put audio front and centre on their media plans because there is a clear, measurable impact of campaigns.

You’ll find out the latest about the transition from traditional forms of measurement in radio towards a comprehensive verification standard in podcasts, and whether cross-media measurement will be a silver bullet for additional spend.

Continuing our dedication to the entire European landscape

We launched The Future of Audio Europe in London in last year with speakers representing Norway, France, Belgium, Italy, Germany, and the UK taking the stage across a series of presentations, fireside chats, and debates.

Next year will be the second year that we’ve included ‘Europe’ in the event name. We want to recognise that the audio community must come together to solve global challenges that transcend UK borders. And one of the most valuable elements of extending the invite to our neighbours is that we learn from each other and develop solutions together.

In his 100% Media 0% Nonsense column, The Media Leader editor Omar Oakes argued that the key challenge for the audio industry rests in the future of radio distribution and radio accessibility: that the tech giants, whose smart speakers are becoming increasingly popular as radio players, ensure radio remains freely available online.

During the previous event year’s event, Kenneth Andresen, VP, head of radio, Norway, Viaplay Group, said: “We can tackle TuneIn, but the only way that we will be able to do that as broadcasters is standing together. You have come really far in the UK [with the Future of Radio report, published last October] and we are lobbying for the same in other European countries.”

This kind of collaboration across borders, and open discussion concerning the future of audio, is exactly why there will be a continued focus on the entire European landscape — for the betterment of everyone in the industry.

Developing the ‘Future’ in The Future of Audio Europe

At Mediatel Events, we run a series of world-leading events (mostly) all titled ‘The Future of…” and we want to double down on our efforts to focus on the future. 

Following a successful session at The Future of Media in October, we’ll be engaging in an hour of audio innovation and future-gazing where everyone can share their predictions — and more importantly, plans — for how our industry will look, feel, and work by 2030.

We’ll cover the megatrends defining the European audio landscape and the strategies companies are using to adapt and grow in an increasingly digital world. And we’ve got some big questions to ask: how will broadcast radio distribution develop? Will we have left AM and FM behind? Is DAB a transitional technology to an IP-only future?

We must also ask whether radio/audio can remain in pole position for advertisers in the future in-car experience — and how do we ensure we are all working towards that.

And, following many conversations we’ve had across The Media Leader, including this recent interview with Radiocentre CEO Matt Payton, we want to engage in a discussion about how important it is that radio remains as freely available and accessible to everybody across devices as possible — and how can this be achieved.

Together, we’ll place the future firmly on the front foot.

Read the agenda in full and tell us what you think

You can read the agenda here. As it develops over the next few months, I’d love to hear your thoughts. And as an easy-read guide, I’ve listed our core 10 discussion points below.

Do you think we’ve missed out something crucial? Would you like to request a particular speaker on stage? Want to cop yourself a ticket before they sell out?

1. How today’s buyers are really thinking about audio
2. Achieving full-funnel campaign objectives
3. Simplification and standardisation of audio buying
4. Personalised and contextual creative that improves effectiveness
5. Cross-media measurement and alternative measurement currencies
6. Ensuring brand safety and trust in programmatic
7. The environmental, social and governance impact of audio
8. The future of radio distribution and radio accessibility
9. Making noise about audio by including everyone at the table
10. Securing audio’s pole position in the future in-car experience

Let us know in the comments or by contacting me at [email protected].