Entries open today for the ad:tech Digital Young Guns Shootout, a competition to find Australia’s sharpest minds in digital marketing under the age of 30.

Contestants will be given the opportunity to create a digital advertising campaign pitch for V Energy Drink on “V Powering Social Encounters”. Entries will be uploaded to YouTube or SlideShare for evaluation by the expert panel of judges including Nicolas Chu, MD, Expedia and Cathrine Dyer, Marketing Manager, Frucor, with further judges to be announced soon.

The top ten entries will be publicly voted on to whittle it down to the final four. They will then pitch their campaign live on the ad:tech show floor to determine who is the ad:tech Digital Young Gun 2012.

The winner takes home two return flights from Australia to San Francisco or New York, two tickets to either ad:tech San Francisco or New York and $1,000 spending money.

Mark Abay, VP Digital Marketing, dmg::events explains “ad:tech Digital Young Guns Shootout is a great opportunity for up and coming digital marketers to show their peers what they are capable of. As an integral part of the digital marketing and media industry ad:tech is thrilled to provide the platform for this.”

The ad:tech Digital Young Guns Shootout is part of ad:tech, ANZ’s leading digital marketing and media event which takes place from 14-15 March at the Sydney Convention Centre.

ad:tech strives to educate and connect the digital industry by producing Australia’s most thoroughly researched and targeted digital marketing and media events. The two day ad:tech Sydney CONFERENCE covers the most pertinent and timely issues, featuring over 100 leading minds. The adjoining EXHIBITION floor showcases industry leading solution providers.

Further information

Visit www.ad-tech.com/sydney
Contact: Gavin Stewart, National Marketing Manager, ad:tech and iMedia
gavin@ad-tech.com.au or call 02 8923 8363

ad:tech Australia is an integral part of the Australian digital marketing and media industry and is committed to its growth.  As part of our commitment to the industry, we want to provide start up businesses the opportunity to launch their company to the largest audience of digital marketing and media professionals in ANZ.

That’s why we’ve initiated the ad:tech Launchpad at ad:tech Sydney next year: to provide a place where companies with limited budgets can leverage the exposure of the ad:tech exhibition and take their product to market, gain valuable new business leads and build their networks.

We have reserved a 6m x 6m area on the expo floor that will house a limited number of small “pods”.  By securing a pod in the Launchpad, start up organizations will benefit from all the pre-event profiling we provide our exhibitors as well as the opportunity to showcase their products and services onsite.

The investment required to be part of the ad:tech Launchpad is small and space is limited to qualifying organisations only.  To find out if you qualify and to secure your pod please contact Tim Stuart-Harris on tim@ad-tech.com or 02 8923 8306.

We have had an overwhelming response rate for participate in this year’s ad:tech activities and as well as a torrent of speaker submissions. I’m reminded once again how lucky we are to be working in such a vibrant and active industry, where everyone wants to be involved in developing the industry for tomorrow’s marketer as well as today’s.

We have now finished holding the 9 advisory councils, made up of approximately 60 industry experts from across brands, publications, vendors and agencies. These meetings are critical for the ad:tech team to get to find out what’s really going on in the day to day lives of digital marketers from as many different angles as possible.

The insights given to us by our incredibly knowledgeable and generous committees are invaluable in ensuring that the ad:tech conference programme contains the topics that you, the visitors and delegates, truly want to hear about. So a MASSIVE thanks to all those who gave up their time to contribute. I’m looking forward to what tomorrow’s ad:tech Melbourne Advisory Council will bring now.

I am really excited to be reading through the speaking submissions that so many people have put so much time and effort in to producing and I’m sure that this year’s ad:tech conference programme will be a key part of every digital marketers education and training programme for 2012.

As always, the ad:tech team are keen to hear from you, the marketer, with any feedback that you think will help make his year’s ad:tech better than ever so please get in touch.

Don’t forget to tell us who you want to see as a keynote speaker this year ….

Genevieve Mayne
Content Manager

We’ve been busy at ad:tech HQ so I just wanted to give everyone a quick update of where we are up to for the 2012 ad:tech Sydney & Melbourne events….

The advisory councils – The final council meeting will be held Friday of this week with the initial conference grids due to be released early December

Event Registration – is due to open this week, with our first keynote announcements to follow shortly, so watch this space

The Young Guns Shoot Out – We’ve had a great response and will be announcing more competition details shortly, please get in touch to register your interest.

ad:tech Launchpad – If you are a start up and would like to profile you business on the expo, please get in touch

The Exhibition and Sponsorship – the next few weeks is the time to secure the key opportunities and best locations.  To leverage Australia’s #1 digital media and marketing events and profile your business to the largest gathering of digital professionals in Australia contact me, Tim Stuart-Harris, on tim@ad-tech.com or 02 8923 8306.

Some of the latest ad:tech 2012 exhibitors and sponsors include

LinkedIn Australia – http://au.press.linkedin.com/

Funbox Media Group- http://www.funbox.com/

Datarati – www.datarati.com.au/

Intela – www.intela.com /

Adobe Systems – http://www.adobe.com/marketing/
Xcom Media – http://www.xcommedia.com.au/

Strongmail – http://www.strongmail.com/

Planet49 – www.planet49.com/

The third installment of ad:tech University kicks off in Sydney next Wednesday 23rd November. If you or your team are looking for a cost-effective digital training course then you should consider joining us next week. Here’s 5 reasons why:

1. Accelerate your digital marketing & media awareness and skills. FAST.

In just one day you will truly cement your digital knowledge through a carefully crafted program of content, exercises and networking.  The learning experience is combines a highly interactive & practical onsite program, supported by e-learning modules.

2. Build your business network…because it’s not just what you know

ad:tech uni provides excellent networking opportunities: by spending the day with other, like-minded professionals who have similar challenges & opportunities to you, you can come away with a list of genuinely useful contacts.

3. Continue to study in your own time, at your own pace.

Following attendance at the ad:tech University you’ll receive access to the e-learning syllabus so that you can repeat modules that you found particularly useful or perhaps challenging, do exercises to practice what you’ve studied, and really reinforce what you learned at the ad:tech University.

4. It’s cost-effective and tax deductible

Attendance is just $650 and there are group registration discounts available. Register here

5. Our independant guest speakers are awesome

In addition to the course leader, you’ll hear from guest speakers who have been hand-picked for their expertise and experience in their field. No bias, no buying on to the program, just well respected talent, brought along for your benefit.

Learn from Google, The Monkeys, 303 and George Patterson Y&R