Lisbon 2023 World Congress

Delegates travelled from New Zealand, Malaysia and the Republic of Korea, with a huge influx from Latin America, China and Japan. WOO President Tom Goddard opened by declaring that OOH has recovered the ground lost during the pandemic — and that the industry must now shift focus from maintaining its five per cent market share to reaching ten per cent by 2030, one incremental point at a time.

Christian Schmalzl, CEO of Ströer, delivered the keynote on demystifying digital and creating true incremental value for advertisers — while Nick Parker of Kinetic named the ‘5% syndrome’ that underpinned the whole Congress. The Sustainability Task Force panel established that sustainability is no longer a topic of conversation but a permanent factor in media planning, while Annie Rickard and Marc Fenty made the corporate-responsibility case for diversity and inclusion.

The highlight of day one: Victor Ivanchenco of Prime Outdoor, Ukraine, who took the stage wrapped in his country’s flag to describe an advertising market down 80% — and a determination to rebuild. He received a standing ovation.

Day two opened with Cathy O’Connor of oOh!media on the effective use of data, followed by Talon’s Barry Cupples and Debbie Benadiba on OOH’s place in the omnichannel mix, the buying-and-selling panel, and Dino Burbidge closing with the weird and wonderful frontier of technical innovation. Tom Goddard’s closing address thanked the sponsors, the speakers, and the team led by Anna Pisano.