Production Unplugged

IHALC is partnering with the Advertising Producers Association (APA) on their new initiative Production Unplugged, which aims to build partnerships between in-house teams and production companies

After the APA’s 2024 industry report ‘What Clients Want from Advertising Production Today’ revealed a growing demand for stronger connections between brands and production companies, Production Unplugged is an initiative that has been developed to bridge that gap, and foster direct partnerships between in-house teams and new production partners.

Kicking off with an inaugural event on 1 May in London, Production Unplugged will unite over 500 industry leaders, marketers, and production experts for a full day of networking, knowledge-sharing, and creative collaboration.

It will feature six curated zones to showcase how production partners can support brands to meet key challenges:

• Future Focus – Examines trends in advertising production, including AI, automation, and immersive content.
• Smart Production – Showcases efficiency-driven production techniques, from real-time VFX to virtual production.
• Customer Experience – Explores how production companies can craft engaging, personalised brand experiences.
• ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) – Highlights sustainable and inclusive production practices.
• New Product Development – Examines how brands can collaborate with production companies early in the creative process.
• Agile Partnerships – Focuses on flexible, scalable collaboration models between brands and production companies.

IHALC has supported the event by inviting some of our members to be ‘Curators’ who will select exciting production case studies to be shown in each of these zones. In addition, we will be participating in the content programme for the day.

Following the event, the APA will create a digital directory of production case studies which IHALC will provide access to for members.

“Production Unplugged is designed to remove barriers, encourage knowledge-sharing, and create an ecosystem where brands and production experts can collaborate more effectively,” the APA’s Steve Davies says.

Tickets are now available with an earlybird discount here