Digiday Media Buying Summit 2026

Digiday Media Buying Summit is a three-day, paid, in-person gathering in Newport Beach, California, hosted at VEA Newport Beach. It’s built for agency, brand and media leaders responsible for planning, activation and measurement, focusing on what’s changing fastest in the buying landscape—and what still works when budgets tighten and channels fragment.

Across keynotes, fireside chats, informed panels, and Digiday’s signature agency-only Town Halls, the programming is designed for candid, operator-level conversation. Expect practical takeaways you can bring back to your team, plus structured networking that makes it easier to meet the right partners and peers (not just collect business cards).

If you attend, you will:

• Pressure-test your media mix as CTV, retail media, social and programmatic evolve—and clarify where performance is actually coming from.
• Learn how other teams are adapting workflows for faster planning and smarter optimization, including how they’re using automation and AI without compromising quality.
• Get sharper on measurement and accountability, from incrementality and attribution debates to brand vs. performance trade-offs.
• Swap real pain points (and solutions) in agency-only Town Halls, so you leave with ideas you can apply immediately.
• Build a short list of new collaborators through curated meetings and networking moments designed for decision-makers.

This summit is a strong fit if you need a concentrated reset on strategy, want honest insight from people buying media every day, or are looking to strengthen relationships across the ecosystem—while staying ahead of how platforms, privacy and consumer behavior keep rewriting the rules.

You’ll also find plenty of built-in touchpoints—meals, cocktail receptions and planned attendee activities—so conversations continue outside sessions and turn into relationships, referrals and smarter vendor or channel decisions over the year.

For the latest agenda, speakers, pass types and onsite details, check the event website below for more information.