Tonight, Europe’s second Advertising Week celebrates the end of its four day stint in the UK capital with a closing party at Koko in Camden. The majority of the festival’s conferences and panel discussions were hosted in the BAFTA building, and this year’s programme was full to bursting with the advertising and marketing industry’s highest calibre professionals, as well as a fair share of celebrity appearances.

The enthusiasm of Advertising Week’s speakers and attendees alike is testament to the passion and innovative creativity of the industry. Hot topics this week included; engaging Millennials/Generation Y, the future of digital and social media in terms of engaging consumers, and the role of women in media. Guests ranged from actors to business CEOs and from TV personalities to magazine editors.

Interesting hypotheses that rose out of the much varied discussion included the theory that social and digital, whilst important, is not the be all and end all for the modern consumer since much of the targeted public is far less engaged on social media than media professionals. There was also a lot of emphasis on the importance of consumer to consumer engagement in modern brand management, particularly amongst the younger generations who trust their peers above all else.

Advertising Week benefitted from a great deal of coverage and high profile partnerships including ITV, Google, Microsoft and Haymarket. The event was a great example of what can be achieved when the advertising industry brings together its collective contacts and expertise.