Advertising Week Will Target $100 Million in Creator Deals

Marketers in New York City will shift focus toward direct brand-creator partnerships at this year's event.

Updated on Oct. 1, 2026 in Advertising

Isometric editorial illustration of a modern Manhattan glass building and a geometric sculptural element, representing the event's strategic industry realignment. — Advertising Week New York returns to the Penn District this October with a new initiative to generate $100 million in direct brand-creator marketing partnerships. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Advertising Week New York returns to the Penn District from October 5 to October 8, 2026, with a new initiative to generate $100 million in brand-creator deals. The event is shifting its programming to prioritize brand-side budget holders over traditional agencies.

Why it matters

Organizers are recalibrating the event to align directly with marketing decision-makers as creator economy spending reaches new highs. This shift aims to facilitate more efficient deal-making by connecting brands directly with content creators to capture rising marketing budgets.

U.S. creator economy ad spending is forecast to reach $44 billion in 2026, marking a 19% increase according to IAB data. While 1,000 creators and 20,000 marketers attended in 2025, organizers expect both figures to rise this year.

The players

Dhar Mann

Serving as the event's chief creator officer, he guides the integration of creator-focused initiatives.

Forge

A newly formed entity resulting from the merger of Advertising Week and Questex.

Apollo Global Management

An alternative asset manager that acquired Emerald in July 2026.

The details

The event organizers are actively matchmaking marketers with creators based on existing budget data. Programming has been adjusted to feature closed-door executive sessions that prioritize direct interactions between brands and creators. This structural change follows the merger of Advertising Week with Questex to form Forge, as well as the acquisition of Emerald by Apollo Global Management in July 2026.

Advertising Week New York begins on October 5, 2026.
The event concludes on October 8, 2026.

Market Landscape

The push to capture $100 million in deals follows the IAB forecast of a 19% rise in creator marketing spending for 2026. This shift mirrors a broader industry trend where events are reconfiguring to better connect budget holders with fragmented digital creator networks.

Business operators should track the success of this matchmaking model as a signal for whether to prioritize direct partnerships over agency-led campaigns. Review your Q4 marketing budget allocation to determine if creator-led channels are now a priority for your brand-side spend.

The takeaway

The move toward direct brand-creator deals highlights a critical need to shorten the procurement cycle in digital marketing. Monitor the event's deal-volume metrics to see if this direct-access model becomes an industry standard for mid-to-large-scale campaign planning.