Fresh from an invigorating return to Cologne’s annual digital marketing fest DMEXCO, Dharmesh Patel, Multilocal Director, Commercial Partnerships, has a few things to say about e-scooters, ad-tech community vibes and, of course, curation

I was thrilled to see... 

How many people were talking about curation. Maybe that was the buzzword I was subconsciously looking for, but it was very prevalent in nearly all direct and indirect discussions - and coming from lots of people with mixed experiences and stages of usage. It was also clear, incidentally, that Multilocal’s years of experience, our scale across eight SSPs and our global presence and reach capabilities seemed mostly unmatched. 

What impressed me most was... 

Two things have to be mentioned here:  

1. The city - a cathedral that takes your breath away, the river Rhine, the transport system, the hospitable people and the food - meat and potatoes! 
2. The attitude of attendees at the event. Everyone was up for a productive discussion about how we can all help each other out to deliver the best results. And a lot of people want beyond, noting when things were not in their domain and making meaningful connections with the relevant parties. Really positive and proactive ad-tech community vibes! 

Hot talking points were... 

I went to video week on Tuesday and there was a massive CTV influence there (understandably), which resonated across DMEXCO. 

Things that were talked about a lot in the corridors but had seemingly very limited visual presence, I felt, included retail media and carbon reduction practices - both of which are on Multilocal’s radar, given that we recently launched our Low Carbon Marketplace. The view seemed to be that if you talk about it too much, you are potentially just greenwashing. However the reality is, financial gains aside, we should all be proactively pushing each other to do more and share more on this subject. 

We're walking away from DMEXCO with... 

1. Lots of meaningful contacts, a huge laundry list of actions and follow-ups across the BAU portion of our business, and also additional partnership opportunities beyond just curated deals.
2. Lots of different types of tech partners looking for additional supply and or curation (PMP build and optimisation) services, and existing partners who want to grow their current business and want some strategic direction from us where we can work together to move the needle.
3. I must also add, we could feel so many relationships strengthening (hopefully) with face-to-face meetings. Some of them were with people we hadn’t seen in a while; others with partners we speak to on a regular basis but had never met in person, but there were hugs all round - a lovely chance to catch up on family, football and other important things in life. It was nice to get them out and about to hear the real work-related challenges and talk tech solutions post a few beers. We all love our industry a bit too much! 

My hack for DMEXCO is... 

A few things: 

• Try and find accommodation around the cathedral and that side of the river. The walk over the bridge is a great opportunity to charge up and reflect. 
• Use public transport. The train from the airport into Cologne Central Station (known on the tix machine as Köln HBF) is €3. 
• E-scooters/bikes are brilliant! Figure out the apps in advance. (And although they would be handy, don’t try and bring them into the venue…)
• In hindsight, the general advice is correct - wear comfy shoes and outfits - you will be on your feet all day. 
• Book party admissions in advance. It generally helps the organisers plan better.