EASA and ICAS joint meetings in Dublin
13 May 2022
Over 60 participants from around Europe and the world attended the EASA and ICAS joint Meetings in Dublin, hosted by the Irish SRO member ASAI on 11, 12 and 13 May 2022, where members, partners, guests and external speakers discussed current trends and issues concerning advertising self-regulation.
Over the three days, members participated in a variety of informative sessions, as well as the welcome and gala dinners, and a guided tour of Dublin and Guinness Storehouse.
The first day started at the Google Safety Engineering Center with ICAS’ AGM and the Google Immersion Conference. The immersion conference was an interactive discussion between EASA and ICAS attendees and a cross-functional team of Googlers. Participants had the opportunity to interact with Google experts on a range of technical and policy topics, including current trends in safety ads and transparency efforts. In the evening, participants attended a welcome dinner at Woollen Mills.
Day two began with a welcome message from Orla Twomey, Chief Executive of the ASAI. A conference and a panel discussion on Ensuring Responsible Advertising Online followed. The discussion focused on how advertising self-regulation can continue to play a role in ensuring a high level of consumer protection by enforcing or complementing EU regulations. Presentations were given by Marta Sanagustin, Head of Sector for Audiovisual and Media Services Policy at DG CNECT, European Commission, and Declan McLoughlin, Senior Manager, Sustainability, Risk & Policy at BAI. Otto van der Harst, Director at SRC and Stéphane Martin, Director General at ARPP presented examples of actions taken by self-regulatory organisations. Michael Todd, Head of Advertising Industry Relations, EMEA at Google, gave the perspective of a digital pure player company. Panellists, including Gerald Blee, Global Head of Advertising Policy at TikTok, Siobhan Cummiskey, Director of Content Policy at Meta, Stephan Loerke, CEO at WFA, discussed how industry stakeholders and advertising SR systems can respond together to the current and future challenges and help ensure a safe advertising environment online. The session was moderated by Guy Parker, President of ICAS & Chairman of EASA’s Working Group on the Collaboration with Digital Players.
In the afternoon, the SR Committee, Board and AGM meetings were held. The day concluded with a Gala Dinner at Fade Street Social, one of the highlights of the three-day meetings.
Opening the dinner, Charo Fernando Magarzo, Chairwoman of EASA, said:
“I firmly believe that all those who have participated in EASA over the last 30 years have planted their seed for a better world. Their seed for a world that protects children better, that is concerned about our planet’s sustainability, that is committed to diversity, to equal rights for women, to respect privacy.”
Read the full speech here.
The last day featured a session on Environmental and Sustainability Claims in Marketing. The aim of the session was to take stock of the latest regulatory developments and self-regulatory initiatives on environmental claims in marketing, and to discuss the way forward to ensuring a trustworthy and sustainable marketing environment. Informative presentations were delivered by Jana Hoskova, Deputy Head of Unit, DG JUST at the European Commission, Conor Griffin, Solicitor at GALA Ireland, Raelene Martin, Head of Sustainability at ICC and Fiona Vening, Compliance Officer at SRC. As part of the session, participants discussed environmental claims, their enforcement, as well as wider issues surrounding sustainability in advertising.
In the afternoon, those who did not have a flight to catch joined a special tour of Dublin and tried the famous Guinness beer at the Guinness Storehouse.
We would like to thank our host ASAI for the exceptional hospitality, the speakers and all participants who joined us in Dublin.
Mark your calendars now and join us in Madrid from 5 to 7 October for the next EASA biannual meetings!
