What we learnt at the 2024 party conferences

Party Conference season has just come to an end and it has been another busy one from an IAB perspective, having attended all three of the major conferences and over 40 events and discussions on behalf of our members. 

Our aim at this year’s party conferences was to educate and inform some of the huge cohort of new MPs (over half of the total) about digital advertising and its benefits to UK consumers and businesses. Our intention was to make initial contact with political stakeholders through ‘fringe’ events (smaller panel events taking place away from the main stage where most conference discussion takes place), providing a hook for us to follow up and establish new contacts and relationships. 

Given the level of change we have seen in the UK’s political scene, the new policy conversations taking place in the opposition parties, and continuing uncertainty about the detail of Labour’s policy in some areas, we also aimed to learn more about the “undercurrents” in the parties – the big goals and narratives that are likely to shape action in the future. 
 

The Labour Party: from Liverpool 

The main event this year was the Labour Party Conference - its first back in Government after 14 years - and it was great to see a number of IAB UK members running events or stands at the conference. We were also encouraged by the large number of events on AI and SMEs, two areas where we know our industry has a great story to tell. We posed questions to several of our key Ministers including Sir Chris Bryant, the Advertising Minister, at fringe sessions on topics including digital skills, SMEs, economic growth, AI and regulation. 

Many of the new MPs are energetically looking for causes to champion and there was talk of the need for new regulation in areas like online safety, personal data and AI from some of the new intake. Ministers were in a receptive mood but resisted making any specific commitments, instead reiterating the importance of dialogue and engagement. This gave us the opportunity to make clear our own willingness to engage, with Ministers very open to follow-up. 

Associated policy influencers such as Labour Digital, SME4Labour, Labour Together and the Tony Blair Institute also responded positively to the points we raised on the need for evidence-based policy and industry dialogue in policy-making. We are looking forward to continuing these conversations in the coming weeks.  
 

The Conservative Party: from Birmingham 

We also had positive and productive engagement at the Conservative Party Conference. MPs were keen to talk to business and focus on economic growth, resulting in a number of new leads for us.  

There were many events looking at the potential of digital technology to generate growth and to support SMEs – with our Powering Up research giving us plenty of opportunities to highlight the value of our industry. More broadly, in conversations on the cost-of-living, regional growth and media, our ‘Digital Dividend’ research was referenced at a number of events and several of the current Shadow Ministers and new MPs expressed an interest in working with us. 

There was a sense during the conference that the Conservatives must be more rigorous in policy-making in future, ensuring that new regulations are evidence-based and informed by industry when they next get the chance to govern. The ad industry’s successful record in self-regulation and the strong story we can tell about the consumer and business benefits of digital advertising are very beneficial here. 
 

The Liberal Democrats: from Brighton  

The Lib Dem Conference provided us with an opportunity to hear more about the party’s narrative of being an evidence-led, consultative third option to the other parties. 

With a significantly increased number of MPs, there is a renewed confidence among the Lib Dems, together with a realisation that the party will now need to broaden the range of topics it takes positions on. 

While many events at the conference were focused on familiar themes around the environment, governance structures and local government, there was a particularly interesting event on responsible regulation that allowed us to highlight the value of industry-led regulation. There was a positive response to this – suggesting that this message (and the significant work that underlies it) will be worth highlighting more with the UK’s third party in future.  We hope to use this interest as an opportunity for further Lib Dem engagement in the coming months. 

Overall, it was a productive and busy conference season – with plenty of work now to do as Parliament returns this week!