In the face of fragmentation, Dmexco is now a smaller stage for ad tech’s big conversations

Not too long ago, Dmexco was considered the gut of ad tech — crowded, chaotic and central to the industry’s forward momentum. It was where deals were sparked, rivalries played out and the future of programmatic was loudly debated. 

These days, it’s still where business gets done, but increasingly for a narrower slice of the ecosystem. The rest – like Kochava, YieldMo, Dept and LiveRamp – are sitting out this year.

“When we analyzed event performance from the previous two years in preparation for 2025, Dmexco didn’t make the cut,” said Kimberly Manning, vp of marketing at ad measurement firm Kochava. 

That’s not say Dmexco, this year taking place on Wednesday and Thursday, is off the map for good – Manning left the door open for a return. And it’s not as simple as Cannes or Possible taking its place – Kochava was at both. What’s happening isn’t substitution, It’s fragmentation. The industry isn’t rallying around one tentpole event anymore. It’s dispersing, with companies making selective bets based on performance, not ritual. 

“We have also seen a lot of industry shows change – the makeup of who attends, the access and networking opportunities, and the overall value,” continued Manning. 

Even among those still attending Dmexco, the presence is more restrained. 

“This year, five of us from Brand Metrics will be at Dmexco,” said director of customer operations. Johan Peterson. Same as last year. In a year of pullbacks, holding steady is its own signal. 

“We’ve been attending for many years, but over the last three, we’ve really refined our purpose there, continued Peterson. “Instead of trying to make noise on the exhibition floor without a huge stand or budget, we now focus on what matters most — spending time with our customers and diving into the conversations that matter right now, from first-party data strategies to predictive brand lift.”

Others echoed the same sentiment. 

“I have seen the spotlight shift from a big U.S. presence to one more locally focussed,” said Tom Rolph, Experian’s head of agencies, ad tech and media. 

That spotlight has been shifting for years — arguably since 2017, when conference founders Christian Muche and Frank Schneider were abruptly dismissed by the event’s organizers. In the years that followed, Dmexco evolved from a global tentpole into something more regional. Local brands gained visibility, English-language panels gave way to more German-speaking sessions and programming leaned into EU policy and European-specific themes. 

And for a while, the recalibration worked. Attendance grew from 40,700 in 2017 to 41,000 a year later. Eventually, though, the momentum started to stall. In 2019, there were around 38,000 visitors. Then came the pandemic, sending numbers down to roughly 20,000. Since 2022, they’ve hovered around 40,000. 

In that time, Dmexco has managed to stay relevant but no longer universally so. For many of the execs who still make the trip, the value lies in deepening relationships with German and mainland European partners. That, more than global visibility, seems to be the main draw now. 

As Diederick Ubels, managing director for outdoor ad tech vendor Vistar Media’s EMEA business, explained: “I would argue that 20% of our budgets are multi-country budgets — i.e. hubs that are organized out of one place that buy across all Europe so it [Dmexco] is a great place for us to get all those clients together.”

That kind of regional consolidation makes sense for businesses like Vistar with a clear European footprint. It’s important enough that Vistar is sending 20 execs to Cologne this year, up from 15 in 2024. But for companies focused on the U.S., APAC or global growth, it’s harder to justify the ROI, especially once corporate beancounters factor in flights, booth costs, logistics, accommodation and expense. That math just doesn’t always work out. 

In short, Dmexco is now a regional stronghold not a global magnet — and that shift has created room for others to claim the spotlight. Cannes Lions continues to be defined as much by ad tech and platforms as it does brands and agencies. Meanwhile, the Possible conference — launched somewhat ironically by Dmexco’s original co-founders — has begun to attract the kind of cros-industry energy and internal presence that once defined Cologne in September. 

‘While Dmexco is still a worthwhile event, the scale back is clear as you walk around the halls,” said Davide Rosamilia, vp of product at data vendor and alternative ID provider ID5. “The huge booths have reduced in size and the event isn’t attracting as large of an international attendance as it once did. ID5 is sending a team of 10, a similar number to previous years as we value the networking and meeting opportunities presented.’

Gone are the days when Dmexco bore more resemblance to Cannes than it probably intended — not in terms of location, but in spirit. Stories of inebriated execs getting escorted off the Eurostar, booth models in body paint and late-night overflow at Barney’s Valley’s — the unofficial Gutter Bar of Cologne — weren’t uncommon. 

These days, it’s more measured. Meetings over pretzels, not of Kölsch. Networking not nightcaps — maybe just one. Tucked in bed by 10 instead of onstage at the OMClub at 2 a.m. 

“On Dmexco, I don’t think the industry has lost anything,” said Ciarán O’Kane, a partner at FirstParty Capital. “Most of the Europeans have just gravitated to Cannes as a tent pole or smaller European focused conferences. Dmexco was an event of its time. Great while it lasted but the industry has moved on.”

That era, like much of the programmatic exuberance that fueled it, has given way to something more subdued. Dmexco may no longer be the center of gravity, but for a certain part of the industry, it’s still a necessary waypoint — just with fewer parties and more purpose. 

“Dmexco remains one of the most important events in Limelight’s calendar, and as a result, we are sending 11 members of the team this year, an increase of 50% over 2024,” said James MacDonald, CRO and co-founder Limelight.

Also published in: Digiday