Ad Club of Buffalo to host the American Advertising Federation District 2 Leadership Conference
A Message from Club President, Charlie Fashana
Each year behind the scenes, advertising clubs from across the country get together for a meeting of the minds. Usually a two day conference, it focuses on sharing club best practices, collaborating and making recommendations and resolutions that can be taken back to the local clubs. Buffalo belongs to AAF District 2, which includes the likes of Philadelphia, Washington, D.C.and Baltimore, among others in the northeast.
This September the conference is coming to us. For the first time in over 10 years, Buffalo has been chosen to host. Just think about what those folks saw a decade ago compared to what we’ve got going on now. We’re a city on the rise experiencing a creative revival all our own. Now we have the opportunity to showcase that progress to our peers.
I attended last year’s conference, hosted by the Pittsburgh Advertising Federation. It was a good experience. I learned about the AAF side of our business, networked a lot and had a great time seeing a side of Pittsburgh I hadn’t seen before. Some highlights included a tour of the Carnegie Mellon Educational Technology Center and dinner overlooking a life-sized dinosaur exhibit at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.
But now as the host city, our opportunity is so much greater. This is our chance to boast. From the rebirth of our region to the smart, innovative and energetic marketing pros that call it home, I can’t wait to show us off!
What does this mean for you, our members? While the conference is for board members, a big part of the conference experience is the showcasing of local talent among our peers in neighboring Ad Clubs. I think we all can agree that Buffalo has much more of that than many of our out-of-market colleagues may think. So right now we’re brainstorming who, or what, might be a good fit for inclusion in the agenda.
Do you work for a company or with a company that has a great story to tell? Might you or your company be interested in showing off some groundbreaking research or innovative achievements? Have any must-see work or just know of a unique place to entertain visitors? Well, if you do, we’d love to hear. Email us at info@advertisingclubofbuffalo.com/.
What does this mean for the Ad Club of Buffalo and for the city of Buffalo? A lot. Hosting the AAF District 2 Leadership Conference is an incredible opportunity for our Club and great for Buffalo. It will put our local Club in the spotlight of the national organization we are part of, while also showcasing the many gems that Buffalo has to offer. We’re also thrilled about creating an economic impact as well. Approximately 30 to 40 professionals from five different states will be coming here for two nights, eating at our restaurants, drinking at our bars, seeing our sights and learning about Buffalo.
We’re treating this as a privilege to host this conference and are hoping to work with many local companies and agencies to develop great content. And we have already partnered with Visit Buffalo Niagara to help make this weekend a truly special visit for our attendees.
So again, if you’d like to be involved or want to share some ideas, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Thanks in advance for any help!
Charlie