At the first annual SME Summit, RTL AdAlliance brought together decision makers from the SME sector and media business experts for an unforgettable event

The inaugural SME Summit was a truly memorable occasion. On the 29th and 30th of November, decision-makers from Germany’s leading media agencies and networks for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as leading analysts and media experts gathered at RTL Deutschland’s headquarters in Cologne to discuss the prospects of digital, TV and audio advertising for SMEs in Germany.

More than 70 representatives from over 30 companies and organisations, including 11880, AGF Videoforschung, Axel Springer Regionalvermarktung, Greven, Heise, Siinda, VR Networld, and Weischer.JvB attended the two-day event.

Fabian Burgey, Director SME Business Europe at RTL AdAlliance, opened the event visibly excited about the two days ahead and the many familiar faces. After this introduction, Dr. Oliver Vesper, CDO and Deputy CEO at RTL AdAlliance and Thomas Servatius, CEO of smartclip, took to the stage and shared their expertise on the topic. Stella Freymuth, Senior Business Consultant – Media Analytics at Nielsen, provided valuable insight into TV and media consumption habits across Germany and Europe, before the audience broke into smaller groups for an array of hands-on masterclasses

After a full day of presentations, everyone reunited for an informal dinner at The Ash, which set the great mood for the next day.

Kerstin Niederauer-Kopf, Chair of the board at AGF Videoforschung, started the second day by highlighting the differences between Big Data and Smart Data and gave practical tips on how to fight the bias. Presentations by Matthias Reichert, Sport1 GmbH and Kimberli Lewis, Siinda followed. Katharina Blennemann, Manager SME Business DACH welcomed representatives from four media agencies that work closely with some of Germany’s smallest businesses for the final discussion of the event.

All in all, the two days were jam-packed with keynote speeches, case studies, hands-on masterclasses, and in-depth discussions on the prospects for SME advertising in 2023.

RTL AdAlliance wants to thank all speakers and attendants, who made these two days possible. The SME Summit 2022 was an opportunity to spearhead meaningful conversations for smaller businesses to gain more traction in advertising. We look forward to continuing the discussions at the next SME Summit 2023.