Advertising Week Vet 👑 - Louise DiIulio

Some execs create five-year plans. Louise DiIulio had a one-year plan that accidentally turned into a 13-year adventure by helping build Advertising Week into a global phenomenon. She joined as employee number five at a scrappy startup, admitting she had absolutely no clue what Advertising Week was and basically thought it was "people have drinks, I don't know, whatever these crazy guys tell me to do." Now she's Chief Client Officer orchestrating what's become the industry's most dynamic event.

This October 6-9th (mark your calenders!!), her team is delivering Advertising Week New York 2025 at The Penn District with 16,000 attendees from 60 countries and 4,000 companies converging in Manhattan. Louise's innovation shows in the new experiences being created: like a secret CMO gathering at an undisclosed high-end location and creator lounges for influencers who've been "flying under the radar." Her journey from startup chaos with "crazy but good crazy" founders to corporate structure proves that sometimes the best career strategy is having no strategy at all.

Louise DiIulio: How Advertising Week Expanded Five Continents

Advertising Week Global Expansion Leader: From employee #5 at Stilwell Partners to Chief Client Officer, expanded Advertising Week across five continents before 2022 Emerald X acquisition 🎭
Accidental Career Architect: Canceled her first interview claiming she was sick, planned to stay "about a year" for experience, but built a 13+ year career journey from knowing nothing about Advertising Week to planning its 21st edition 📅
CMO and Creator Experience Innovator: Created closed-door CMO Experience at secret high-end location and Creator Experience/Creator Lounge presented by Meta for creators who've been "flying under the radar" 🎯
Future Female Awards Co-Chair: Co-chairs free, accessible awards program recognizing women across the industry regardless of age or title, from CEOs to emerging talent 👩‍💼
AI Buzzword Reality Checker: Says while AI remains hottest Advertising Week topic with everyone claiming "I know the future," reality is "no one knows" - which she sees as "the beauty" of industry collaboration 🤖