A Pivotal Year Ahead: Upcoming Advertising, Marketing, Media, and World Events!

The new year wake-up call of CES® 2025, the world’s most influential technology event, returns to Las Vegas on January 7-10, 2025. It is soon followed by the 54th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum, which will again descend upon the Swiss village of Davos from January 20 to 24, 2025. The focus? Collaboration for the Intelligent Age or “Responding to geopolitical shocks, stimulating growth to improve living standards, and stewarding a just and inclusive energy transition.”

Pope Francis (age 88) has inaugurated the 2025 Holy Year with a Catholic Church celebration expected to draw 32 million pilgrims to Rome. According to the AP, this is a test of the pope’s stamina and the ability of the Eternal City to manage an unprecedented number of visitors while “already groaning under the weight of overtourism.” Fortunately, the main Jubilee undertaking is now finished: a pedestrian piazza leading to St. Peter’s Square. However, two-thirds of the 323 designated projects have not yet been completed. (The first Holy Year was proclaimed in 1300.)

Chinese New Year ushers in the Year of the Snake on February 10, which symbolizes a time for introspection, transformation, and wisdom. Rio de Janeiro is preparing for Carnival from February 28 through March 5, so note that offices throughout Brazil will be closed.

The Internationalist provides an online calendar of marketing, advertising, media and world events, updated daily.

ALL EVENTS & LINKS ARE ON THE INTERNATIONALIST CALENDAR

Advertising & Marketing Associations Plan for Key Gatherings

IAB’s Annual Leadership Meeting kicks off the year in Palm Springs, California, from January 26-28.

The 4A’s Decisions 2025 takes place in two locations this year– Atlanta on February 12 and Minneapolis on March 26. Both sessions explore the theme, “Data Informs, Creativity Delivers,” and are free to members.

ANA is adding several conferences to its growing industry event roster in early 2025:

• ANA Creator Marketing Conference in Santa Monica, California (Jan 29-30)
• ANA/AEF’s Future of Marketing Leadership in partnership with Columbia University at the New York City campus on February 12-13
• ANA Nonprofit Conference in Oxon Hill, Maryland on February 25-27
• 2025 ANA AI & Technology for Marketers on March 26-28 in Austin, Texas

WFA Global Marketer Week 2025 will be held in Brussels in partnership with UBA, the Belgian national advertiser association from March 18-21.

I-COM, the Global Forum for Smart Data Marketing, has announced its Annual Summit is in Menorca, Spain from May 6-8 with the theme, “Foundations for the Future.”

Trade Shows, Sports, Fashion, and Ad Festivals across Continents

• Also, this quarter, Super Bowl LIX charges into Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on February 9.  
• Fashion Weeks sashay from Berlin to Paris, New York to London to Milan from late January through early March. 
• MWC (formerly Mobile World Congress) returns to Barcelona in early March as the world’s largest connectivity event. SXSW is home in Austin, Texas, from March 7 to 15.
• ITB Berlin, the world’s leading travel trade show, is at Germany’s Messa Berlin from March 4-6. 
• Creative Festivals Dubai Lynx and AdFest Thailand occur in early spring. 
• Advertising Week Europe (AWEurope) meets again in London from April 1-3 at 180 Studios– 180 The Strand. 
• TED returns to Vancouver in April with the provocative theme, Humanity Reimagined.

The Seventeenth Annual Internationalist Awards for Innovation in Media: January 24 ENTRY DEADLINE.

Other Marketing Conferences Around the World

From Vilnius to Vegas, from Brno to Bologna, from Sydney to Singapore, and from Brighton to Brazil, marketing topics abound! Gain expertise on Crisis Communications, eCommerice, Digital Marketing, Social Media, SEO, AI, etc..

ALL EVENTS & LINKS ARE ON THE INTERNATIONALIST CALENDAR

Crisis Communications Summit focuses on managing reputational risk and effective crisis response. It’s essential for PR, Marketing and Media professionals aiming to master strategies for high-stakes situations. Feb 12 | London, UK

B2B Marketing Exchange explores B2B marketing strategies, focusing on content, demand generation, and account-based marketing. It’s ideal for professionals looking to boost engagement and ROI. Feb 24-26 | Scottdale, Arizona

eTail is the top event for eCommerce and digital marketing professionals, offering insights into the latest trends and strategies. It’s ideal for those looking to boost online retail success through innovation. Feb 24-27 | Palm Springs, California

Marketing 2.0 Conference brings marketers together to explore trends in digital marketing, branding, and customer engagement. It’s ideal for professionals looking to elevate their marketing game. Mar 4-6 | Las Vegas, Nevada

SMX focuses on search marketing, and provides in-depth sessions on SEO, PPC, and digital strategy. It’s essential for marketers looking to better optimize online visibility. Mar 18-20 | Munich, Germany

Digital Marketing Europe is a premier event for digital marketers, covering the latest in SEO, social media, and data-driven strategies. It’s designed for professionals looking to enhance online engagement. Mar 19-20 | Vilnius, Lithuania

brightonSEO is a top search marketing conference held in the UK and US, bringing together world-class speakers and enthusiasts. It offers deep-dive training and sessions, ideal for search marketers looking to enhance their skills. Apr 10-11 | Brighton, UK

Web Summit Rio is Latin America’s premier tech conference, bringing together global innovators, startups, and thought leaders. It offers keynotes, networking, and insights on the latest tech trends. Apr 27-30 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Marketing Festival is a premier event for digital marketers, offering in-depth talks, cutting-edge insights, and actionable strategies. Connect with leading experts to elevate your marketing game. Apr 28-30 | Brno, Czech Republic

OMR Festival is a top digital marketing event, covering trends, eCommerce, and influencer marketing. It’s ideal for marketers pursuing digital innovation. And this year features NYU’s Scott Galloway, among other industry luminaries. May 6-7 | Hamburg, Germany

eTail Asia covers the latest in eCommerce, retail strategies, and digital marketing, bringing together industry leaders. It’s perfect for professionals navigating Asia’s retail market. May 14-15 | Singapore

SocialDay (which lasts 3 days) is a key event for social media marketers, covering engagement strategies, content creation, and platform trends. It’s perfect for those elevating brand visibility. May 20-22 | London, UK

Mumbrella 360 explores media, marketing, and digital innovation, featuring talks from industry leaders. It’s essential for professionals shaping the media landscape.May 27-29 | Sydney, Australia

Gartner Marketing Symposium/Xpo offers insights into digital marketing, analytics, and customer engagement, ideal for marketers aiming to stay ahead. It’s a key gathering for industry leaders. Jun 2-4 | Denver, Colorado

We Make Future (WMF) is an innovation-focused Trade Fair and Festival exploring digital trends, startups, and future technologies across industries. It’s a vibrant space for B2B meetings and discovering emerging digital advancements. Jun 4-6 | Bologna, Italy

DMWF (Digial Marketing World Forum) Global is a leading digital marketing conference, featuring insights on content marketing, social media, and digital strategy. It’s perfect for marketers aiming to excel in the digital space. Jun 24-25 | London, UK

ELECTIONS: Does the Year of the Challenger Continue Worldwide?

While 2024 was a critical national election year for 80 countries, with 4 billion voters going to the polls, political advertising spend was also at the highest in history (not to mention concerns about Generative AI amplifications).

Without question, 2024 was the Year of the Challenger. Voters across the globe, including in the US and the UK, sent incumbents packing. Long-serving parties in India, Japan, South Africa, and elsewhere held on to power but saw their political majorities narrow. Regardless of country or region of world, voters railed against the status quo. 

This year features just a few notable races, and we’ll see if that anti-incumbent mood carries over into 2025. Among them:

Belarus’s Presidential Election, January 26. President Alexander Lukashenko (age 70) will run for his seventh term, despite vocal opposition, and likely with the support of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ecuador’s General Election, February 9. Incumbent President Daniel Noboa (age 36) is seeking reelection in Ecuador’s national election. He was elected only last year. He is running as an opponent of what he calls Ecuador’s “old politics.”

Kosovan Parliamentary Election, February 9. Kosovo’s February parliamentary election will mark a milestone in the country’s fourteen-year history. Prime Minister Albin Kurti‘s Lëvizja Vetevendosje (LVV), or Self-Determination Party, will become the first Kosovan party to complete a full, four-year term in office. The 2025 elections will take place in the shadow of continuing tensions with neighboring Serbia, which insists that Kosovo is a Serbian province and not an independent country.

German Bundestag Election, February 23, 2025. Germany’s February election could be the most consequential vote in 2025. Germans are headed to the polls earlier than scheduled because the governing coalition composed of Social Democrats, the Green Party, and the Free Democrats collapsed late 2024 amid conflicting policy visions, personal animosities, and poor performances in recent state (länder) elections. The center-right Christian Democrats now look to be the party to beat.

The stability of Germany’s next coalition government will depend on whether it can address rather than avoid the significant economic and foreign policy challenges facing both Germany and Europe.

Australian Parliamentary Elections, by May 17 and September 27. Australians will have two chances in 2025 to select their national government. Elections for the roughly half the seventy-six seats in the Australian Senate will be held by May 17. All 150 seats in the House, which selects the prime minister, will be decided before September 27.

Incumbent Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hopes that the voters will give his center-left Labor Party a renewed mandate. That may not happen. Albanese’s popularity has dipped in recent months, and Peter Dutton, the leader of the center-right Liberal Party, has seen his popularity rise.

• Albanese is running on the slogan of “Building Australia’s Future,” which lays out an ambitious spending agenda on education, health, and other social programs.
• Dutton pledges to “get Australia back on track” by taming energy, housing, and living costs.

Canadian Federal Election, on or Before October 20. Incumbent Prime Minister Justin Trudeau heads into 2025 with less than one of three Canadians approving of his job performance and some of his fellow Liberal Party members calling for him to step down. The biggest beneficiary of Trudeau’s declining popularity has been the Conservative Party and its leader Pierre Poilievre. A Conservative government would likely champion lower taxes and less government regulation. While Canadian law requires the federal election to be held by October 20, it could come earlier—or later.

BOOKMARK THE INTENATIONALIST CALENDAR

This calendar is also the only single source that aggregates:

• National & Religious Holidays in the world’s top 35 markets.
• Essential industry conferences throughout the world.
• Major Advertising Festivals and Awards Shows, including Call for Entry Deadlines.
• Trade Shows- categories range from Auto to Luxury to Travel to Technology.
• Key political, entertainment and sports events– from the Davos World Economic Forum to the Academy Awards to the Masters Golf Tournament to Fashion Weeks.