The Day at a Glance
9:00 AM
Registration & Breakfast
Start your day with coffee, breakfast, and networking with fellow indie agency leaders and marketers.
9:45 AM
Welcome & Opening Remarks
Featuring a welcome from our title sponsor, Arima
Opening remarks to set the stage for the day ahead, including a welcome from our title sponsor, Arima.
10:00 AM
Session 1: Articulating the Indie Advantage
How to Win When Holding Companies Are Still Winning Too
Let's be honest: plenty of indies are losing pitches to holdcos right now. This session is about understanding how indies win head-to-head. Hear real pitch stories (wins AND losses), learn how to articulate your advantages without sounding generic, and understand the competitive reality.
11:30 AM
Session 2: Myth Busters: What CMOs Actually Experience
Testing the Claims Indie Agencies Make Against Real Client Experiences
Indie agencies make bold claims: "No corporate politics." "The team you meet is the team you get." "We tell you when something's not working—even if it's our idea." But are these myths or reality? CMOs and brand leaders who've worked with both holding companies and indies react to common indie talking points.
12:30 PM
Lunch + Keynote: Your Unfair Advantage
Why Brands Pick Agencies That Don't Do Everything
Anthony Reeves · Author of Eat the Donkey · Amazon · Airbnb · LVMH · Verizon · Kohler
“Best practices produce the same results for everyone.” Anthony Reeves has spent 25 years inside the companies where agencies compete for the work. The ones who win are never the ones who do the most—they're the ones who go deepest. At the Summit, he's bringing The Foundation Theory from his book Eat the Donkey and applying it to indie agencies: how to identify what makes you distinctive, why going wider is killing your positioning, and what brand-side leaders are looking for when they choose between you and the holding company.
1:30 PM
Session 3: What Marketers Really Want from Agency Partners
Building Relationships That Last (From Both Sides of the Table)
Stop guessing what clients want. Hear directly from CMOs and brand leaders who work with agencies every day. This session explores the entire relationship lifecycle: from pitch to partnership to long-term growth.
3:00 PM
Session 4: Where Brands & Agencies Are Placing Their Bets
Emerging Trends, New Channels & What's Actually Worth Your Investment
Cut through the hype. Marketers and agency leaders share where they're investing time, money and resources in 2025 and beyond—and what they're pulling back on.
4:30 PM
Session 5: Protecting Your Work
IP Protection, Legal Frameworks & Navigating the Celeb/Influencer Space
You create the work. You develop the ideas. But do you own any of it? Learn how to protect your creative work and navigate celebrity/influencer partnerships with legal experts who help agencies avoid landmines every day.
5:30 PM
Show Off Happy Hour
Celebrating the Work of Independent Agencies
The day ends with great work, great drinks, and great conversation. 12 indie agencies showcase their best work—5 minutes each, no pitch, just pure creative celebration.
7:00 PM
Closing Remarks
The day wraps with a ton of gratitude and next steps as we all prepare for Own It on April 16th.
