A letter from Adweek's Editorial Director

BRANDWEEK IS BACK.

For decades, the drive east from Los Angeles to Palm Springs has been a journey away from the normal to a higher, clearer plain. Desert denizens including the likes of Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra and Elizabeth Taylor must have felt that in their fabled escapes there. And we at Adweek certainly did last year when we welcomed the return of Brandweek to Palm Springs as a fully reimagined events franchise (and quarterly publication) across two days featuring the most unique and engaging programming, thought leadership and entertainment ever assembled for the brand marketing community.

It is now time to once again think of the transformative journey back to Brandweek, set for its second year on Nov. 3-6 at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa.

And we are well underway with tickets already flying out the door and the highest-level speakers, such as Alegra O’Hare, svp and CMO of Gap; Antonio Lucio, CMO of Facebook; and Jonnie Cahill, CMO at Heineken, locked into the agenda.

Beyond Brandweek going from two days to three, and from 300 attendees to 500 attendees, there are other changes in store, the most dramatic being that we are moving Adweek’s storied Brand Genius gala franchise, traditionally held in New York City, to the second night of Brandweek (Nov. 4). Additionally, we are adding a new award celebration called the Brand Constellation Awards for the third night. Every year, without fail, our Brand Genius honorees always champion their teams behind the award-winning work. Well, we listened and created an honor for marketing teams across 32 categories. The evening, which we’ve purposely designed to be as much of a party as a gala, will be an amazing celebration of talent and collaboration. I don’t think you are going to want to miss it.

We sincerely hope you will continue the movement we started last year and join us this fall. We vividly remember the exciting workshops, talking points and takeaways, unparalleled networking and the promise of a great time as we headed in to the evening at the nearby Coachella Valley polo grounds with inspiration—infused with the sweet nighttime scent of nearby date farms—swirling in our minds.

Early bird tickets can be purchased on BRANDWEEK.COM until June 3.

Sincerely,

James Cooper

@jcoopernyc
James Cooper is editorial director of Adweek.