Admitad’s #OMR23 – our key takeaways

A meeting of marketing minds from all across the digital spectrum

On May 9th-10th, the OMR festival arrived in Hamburg, turning the city into a buzzing hotspot for anyone and everyone in the digital universe. 

It was OMR’s 10th anniversary. Back in 2013, their first event attracted a modest 1,000 visitors. This year boasted 70,000 eager marketing professionals, with exhibits and representatives from everyone who is anyone in the tech and online marketing spheres.

The line-up of speakers was huge. It featured some controversial figures, including influencer Jeremy Fragrance, whose self-aggrandizing performance sometimes verged on the bizarre (long live shameless influencers!), tennis player-turned-inmate Boris Becker and German self-taught billionaire entrepreneur and reality TV star, Robert Geissen. Alongside them were investor, beauty brand owner and “Die Höhle der Löwen” (the German “Shark Tank”) lioness, Judith Williams, tennis player-turned-investor Serena Williams, intellectual TV host Markus Lanz, German punk tech author Sascha Lobo and literally hundreds more.

Luisa Neubauer steals the show and inspires a generation

Although she’s already received many press mentions and column inches about her festival appearance, co-founder of German Fridays for Future, Luisa Neubauer, left an indelible, inspired mark on us.

Her articulate and thoughtful words on defining values as an individual, a company, and a society as a whole truly resonated with the work-life balance generation (those in their 20s and 30s), and she was rewarded with a minutes-long standing ovation. (Watch her full speech here)

She hit essential and important points that reflect the shift we’re seeing, the move away from empty and over consumption and into value creation and personal and societal fulfillment. More reflection and less pure marketing, uniting people through values, not numbers – ideas that echo among interns, junior managers and top executives alike. 

Should she run for Germany’s next chancellor, many people in that audience would vote for her.

Finding substance and value amongst the noise

Masterclasses, live acts, side events… the festival was loud, crowded and full of people selling something, whether it was a product, a solution or themselves. It was easy to get lost in the pageantry, the energy and the sheer size of it.  

We were one stand among 1000, divided between seven halls. It was a big event for us, not only because representatives of our parent company Mitgo – Takeads, Tapfiliate, FairSavings and ConvertSocial came together to share insights into partnership marketing, but also because it was the first time Mitgo’s businesses had stood united under one banner.

Over the two days, our stand welcomed more than 500 visitors, many of whom were top players in the digital sphere. 100+ leads were generated and, crucially, we got to meet many existing partners and strengthen our relationships in person.  

What did we learn from these two days – as both exhibitors and participating players?

Here are our takeaways: 

• Define your USP and communicate it. If we didn’t know the festival was about online marketing and all things digital, it could easily have been mistaken for a lifestyle conference, a beauty convention or social media get-together. Glo featured alongside Pinterest, Audi, Twitch, DHL and TikTok… 

Was it B2B or B2C? Who is selling and who is buying? What is your proposition? Such questions arose many times and, when you only have an average of five seconds to grab a passer-by’s attention and draw them to your stand, you need to know the answer and communicate it clearly. 

Lesson learned: clear visual messaging is key.

• Preparation, preparation, preparation. Hoping that a big fish would simply approach your stand is naive to say the least. 80% of all meetings were pre-arranged and scheduled, and our sales reps had been busy for weeks in advance, arranging meetings and spreading the word that we’d be there. 

The hard work paid off: we collected numeous leads, including promising partnerships with exciting projects. This would have been impossible without preparation and strategic planning. 

• Put a face to a name. A key part of our OMR experience was meeting existing partners and clients face-to-face. Many knew elements of Mitgo business – Admitad, ConvertSocial, FairSavings – but only by visiting our booth and meeting our representatives in person could they see the bigger picture of what Mitgo really is and see the cross-platform opportunities we can offer them. It was also a blast to meet them. 

To name a few, thank you AdvancedStore, Coupons.de, Opera, C&A and the many others who spent their time with us and discovered new angles for existing partnerships. 

• International markets are as present as ever. While many players concentrated on German affairs, we were able to show our truly global presence and scaling opportunities, not only in Europe and its key markets (Poland), but worldwide. Among the many networks present at the event, our first-hand experience in India, the US and MENA differentiated us, leading to a number of deals sealed on a global level. 

So think and act big, there’s a whole world out there. 

• Be forward-thinking. Partner marketing is booming. Brands, advertisers and publishers alike are all looking to new methods and models for leveraging content, traffic and audiences, and there is a high demand for all-round solutions that are data-driven while being cookie-free and respectful of user privacy. 

As well as showcasing our own solutions, we listened to what our user base is looking for to better understand their needs – both now and in the future. Armed with this unique knowledge and market intelligence, we’ll ensure our solutions are truly all-round, encompassing user needs now and into the future.

“Participating in OMR was a transformative experience. It provided us with a platform to connect with industry leaders, exchange insights, and discover new opportunities. The event fueled our drive for innovation and strengthened our position in the ever-evolving world of online marketing.”, said Head of Admitad Anna Gidirim.

Save the date: we will definitely be back at #OMR2024 with more insights, case studies and solutions. We cannot wait to see you all there next year! 

Here is to our time at #OMR23 and our team!