Commerce Connections: Bringing new perspectives on commerce media to New York with ADWEEK

On October 8, ADWEEK and SMG will host the first-ever Commerce Connections at ADWEEK HOUSE Advertising HQ in New York City — a new event designed to spotlight the future of commerce media.

The launch comes just one week before the return of Retail Media Summit UK in London on October 15, the industry’s leading commerce media gathering. Both events will share this year’s guiding theme: New Perspectives — a call to rethink how commerce media is evolving and where it goes next.

For Sean Crawford, Managing Director of North America at SMG, that shift is overdue.

“Commerce media is at an inflection point,” Crawford said. “The industry has been fixated on performance and one-to-one attribution, but it’s time to widen the lens. We need to ask how commerce media can also build brands, spark creativity, and make the most of in-store experiences, which are still retail’s most underutilized asset.”

Commerce Connections will be a half-day program of curated conversations, closing with a happy hour reception to keep the dialogue going offstage. While the full agenda will be revealed soon, attendees can expect thought-provoking discussions on the balance between data-driven efficiency and long-term brand building, as well as how to reimagine physical stores as powerful media channels.

The event will also feature a first look at exclusive commerce media research from SMG, Colosseum Strategy, and Kantar. The full findings will be unveiled the following week at Retail Media Summit UK.

“Retail Media Summit UK has set the standard for global commerce media dialogue,” Crawford said. “With Commerce Connections, we’re bringing that energy stateside — creating a bridge between New York and London, and sparking the conversations this industry needs most.”