On Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 November, The Media Leader’s annual The Future of Media London conference returns to King’s Place, bringing together senior figures from across brands, agencies, media owners and technology.
Now in its sixth year, the event puts the industry’s biggest questions centre stage. This year’s theme, ‘Media means business’, explores media’s ability to build brands, change behaviour and deliver commercial value.
With a jam-packed agenda across the two days, here’s your guide to what to expect.
The world’s biggest agency groups take the stage
The conference opens with a rare gathering of global and EMEA CEOs from Omnicom, dentsu, WPP and Havas for ‘How to build a Holdco that’s good for media’.
Chaired by Advertising Association president Andria Vidler, the panel will explore how the world’s biggest agency groups are evolving, and what a modern holding company needs to deliver for clients, talent and media owners.
With consolidation, automation and connected data reshaping the agency landscape, expect a discussion about how scale can translate into better outcomes for brands.
A new stage for independent agencies
Independent agencies will have a dedicated home at this year’s event, with the launch of the Challenger Stage on Wednesday 4 November, in partnership with the Alliance of Media Independents (AMI).
Shaped by an advisory board of independent agency leaders, the programme will tackle the commercial and strategic challenges facing the sector.
One session highlight is ‘12 Months On: What I’ve Learnt Moving from Holdco to Indie’, featuring Josh Krichefski, EMEA president of PMG. After more than a decade at WPP, leading GroupM in the UK and EMEA, and two years as IPA president, Krichefski made the move to an independent agency.
He will reflect on what prompted the change, how PMG’s emphasis on transparency, consultancy and engineering shapes its client offering, and where independent agencies fit into a market being reshaped by consolidation and AI.
Agentic media and the human touch
AI continues to shake up the media landscape, but deciding which tasks to hand over to AI agents, and where human input remains essential, is an increasingly important industry debate.
Some noteworthy sessions include ‘Agents of Change: Is Agentic AI Making Media Better… or Just Faster?’, which brings together perspectives from Havas Media, Star and Salesforce to examine what happens when AI agents take on more work across the media transaction.
The panel will explore how the technology could change agency and media owner relationships, what clients should expect from their partners, and where human judgement and trust remain essential.
Elsewhere, ‘Three Visions of an AI Media Future’ will examine whether AI could follow the same commercial trajectory as search, social and retail media. The presentation by Alex Brownsell, head of content at WARC Media, will outline three potential paths for advertiser adoption and the signals that could reveal which future is emerging.
How media proves its worth
As advertisers face growing pressure to demonstrate returns, the challenge for media businesses is to show how their channels deliver commercial value without losing sight of the bigger picture.
The question runs through several sessions at this year’s conference. In ‘Is TV the New Performance Channel?’, broadcasters, streamers and connected TV platforms will explore how TV can connect its established strengths in reach and brand-building with measurable outcomes such as leads and sales.
Meanwhile, Newsworks’ ‘Why Cultural Relevance Pays’ will examine the commercial value of trusted journalism, with research and insight director Heather Danise exploring how brands can connect with culture through news environments.
The focus shifts closer to purchase in ‘What If Creator Influence Didn’t Stop At The Scroll?’, where Tesco Media and WPP will look at extending creator content into retail environments, using Danone as an example. And in ‘From Reach to Results: How PepsiCo Defines the Role of OOH’, Bauer Media Outdoor, PepsiCo and Talon will explore how audience insights, first-party data and creative optimisation can strengthen OOH’s contribution to business results.
The afterparty
After two days of debate, insight and discussion, delegates can continue networking at The Future of Media London afterparty, brought to you by Empire and Bauer Media. A Bauer DJ will bring the soundtrack as guests can explore a gallery of Empire covers.
And this is just a taste of what’s on offer. Explore the full Future of Media London 2026 agenda for the complete line-up of sessions and speakers.
Still need a ticket? Register here to join the industry at King’s Place on 3–4 November.
Watch the highlights from last year’s event below.
