DMEXCO 2026: What Industry Experts Really Expect

Under the theme «Scaling Intelligence,» this year’s DMEXCO will focus on the value that artificial intelligence adds. Five marketing experts from Permutive, One Tech Group, StackAdapt, addfame, and Seedtag explain which DMEXCO 2026 trends are at the top of the agenda from an industry perspective and which debates need to take place in Cologne.

Scaling AI Integration at Publishing Companies – Aline Zenses (Permutive)

Aline Zenses, Managing Director for DACH at Permutive, believes that DMEXCO’s theme, «Scaling Intelligence,» captures the spirit of the times. In her statement, she notes that publishers who have already integrated AI into their systems and processes have achieved better results while also working more efficiently. The task now is to expand these advancements more broadly. The more AI is integrated into publishers’ processes, the greater the demands on data orchestration, collaboration, and scalable technologies. At DMEXCO, Zenses anticipates practical discussions on how adtech can better support publishers in expanding their AI capabilities, deriving measurable business value from them, and developing new models that benefit the entire open web.

Retail Media and DOOH Continue to Gain Importance – Daniel Siegmund (One Tech Group)

Daniel Siegmund, founder and managing director of the One Tech Group, expects retail media and DOOH to become significantly more relevant this year—a trend already reflected in the DMEXCO program with the Retail & Commerce Media Summit and the DOOH Summit. For the DOOH sector, he cites programmatic, real-time bookable advertising, as well as attention metrics and brand safety as quality benchmarks, as the most important drivers. In the area of in-store retail media, he sees a trend toward predictable, data-driven, and scalable booking models that can be directly measured against sales data while also generating high brand awareness.

AI Is Changing the Advertising Landscape and the Role of Agencies – Omid Madani Rascado (StackAdapt)

Omid Madani Rascado, Agency Lead for DACH at StackAdapt, highlights three key areas. He expects this year’s DMEXCO to make it particularly clear just how significantly AI-powered environments are already transforming the advertising landscape. For brands and agencies, it will be crucial not to view new formats such as ChatGPT Ads in isolation, but rather to strategically embed them within the overall media mix. At the same time, AI will continue to automate many operational tasks in targeting, optimization, creation, and reporting—shifting the role of media agencies increasingly toward strategic consulting, cross-channel orchestration, and translating technological possibilities into concrete business results. He also continues to see significant growth opportunities in the open internet, because data, creativity, and fragmented channels can be brought together more flexibly there. Independent programmatic platforms offer advertisers greater transparency, control, and adaptability than closed ecosystems.

From Hype to Professionalism – Stephan Fehske (addfame)

Stephan Fehske, CEO of addfame, expects this year’s DMEXCO to bring a certain level of professionalism to the topic of AI. «After years of hype, during which every tool and every discipline benefited massively from the use of AI, we’re now coming of age,» says Fehske. He raises specific questions: whether AI will eliminate many jobs and whether companies will become more innovative and productive. At the same time, regulation is slowly taking hold across the board. He also says he is witnessing a renaissance of people and creators that he hadn’t anticipated. He is curious to see how the industry will address this for itself and its clients.

Contextual Understanding as the Key to Scaling – Alexandra Doll (Seedtag)

Alexandra Doll, Commercial Director Germany at Seedtag, defines scaling as reaching relevant target audiences of sufficient size with consistent quality at the right moments. Attention has shifted to where people are truly willing to interact with content. Those who rely on a single signal quickly reach their limits. «However, more data isn’t automatically better,» Doll emphasizes. Only those who understand what moment people are in, what’s on their minds right now, and what they’re receptive to can create truly valuable advertising experiences. As an example, she cites two articles about travel that could convey the same contextual signal—one might evoke anticipation, while the other might trigger uncertainty. At DMEXCO, Seedtag plans to discuss how AI can be used to draw the right conclusions from the multitude of signals in order to foster genuine connections.

For more information about DMEXCO and its program, visit https://dmexco.com.