After two straight years celebrating virtual upfront presentations, The Walt Disney Company will once again hold an in-person event in May 2022, although it will not be at the Lincoln Center auditorium, as the company used to, but in a new location that has not been announced yet.
“We intend to ask advertisers and buyers to convene at a new, as-yet-undisclosed location where executives can interact with the company’s entire media portfolio in a more hands-on way,” Rita Ferro, President of Disney Advertising Sales, told Variety. “We need to modernize our presentation and how we show up,” she added.
Ferro expects to invite advertisers to a new kind of Disney upfront showcase that is “experiential in nature”. In the months ahead of the event, the company will hold separate presentations: some virtual, for programmatic advertising in live events, on October 27; a week of discussions about advertising technology and data, in late February and early March; and sports in April, Variety reported.
When it comes to holding an in-person event next May, Ferro says, The Walt Disney Company intends to monitor government standards and health recommendations, and will likely require attendees to show proof of vaccination or a negative test for Covid-19.