Chicago Advertising Federation

Presenting the DTLC 2026 Summer Mixer: "Living Out Loud: Pride, Joy, and the Power to Shape Culture."

This discussion, moderated by our very own Qadree Holmes, will explore what it means to live out front—with authenticity, courage, and joy—while shaping culture across media, politics, advocacy, and journalism.

Join us for a night of connection and conversation with speakers Laura Washington, Precious Brady-Davis, and Susan Betteridge, as they discuss how lived experiences and public visibility influence storytelling, representation, and the evolving role of LGBTQIA+ voices in media and advertising.

We're excited to be hosting this year's mixer in partnership with our incredible sponsor Schafer Condon Carter.

Join us July 16th and register now at https://chicagoadfed.glueup.com/event/dtlc-summer-mixer-2026-181465/

✨ CAF is thrilled to announce that members of our Board of Directors will be taking part in a special panel discussion during LE BOOK CONNECTIONS Chicago on June 17, 2026 at 2:00 PM.🥂

Join panelists Lori Claps, Kristian May Stewart and Lewis Williams, with moderator Shanita Baraka Akintonde for a Chicago Advertising Federation panel, "From Content to Culture: When Brand Work Actually Moves People."

Today, the intersection of entertainment IP and brand is basically where culture lives. But not all content created there is equal — some of it runs and disappears, and some of it becomes part of the cultural moment. This panel explores what separates the two, and what it takes to make work that actually resonates.

Join the discussion by registering at: https://www.lebook.com/events/gJfHcqamJ2WDu9kcPIl9/about

✨ CAF is proud to be the official Cocktail Hour sponsor of LE BOOK CONNECTIONS Chicago on June 17, 2026.🥂

Join CAF and LE BOOK for an immersive creative event that goes beyond traditional networking, offering a vibrant platform for professionals to connect with top-tier creatives, industry experts, and potential collaborators.

Gain invaluable insights into emerging trends, cutting-edge technologies, and innovative approaches that are shaping the industry.

Let’s ignite the future of advertising, by registering at: https://www.lebook.com/events/gJfHcqamJ2WDu9kcPIl9/about?utm_source=chatgpt.com

What. A. Night. 🎉✨

The 2026 Chicago American Advertising Awards were a celebration unlike any other, where incredible ad agencies all across Chicago truly showed out and shined bright.

We presented our first ever Creative Of The Year award to the one and only Robert Clifton Jr., who delivered a profound speech to all in attendance on the importance of connectivity in our industry.

We had record breaking attendance for an ADDYs, brought to fruition by our amazing hosts at TAO Chicago 🏆

We handed out awards to 19 different agencies, ranging from large legacy organizations to small independent agencies, showing that exceptional work comes in all shapes and sizes.

To say it was an exceptionally triumphant evening for the Chicago Advertising community would be putting it lightly.

There are still plenty of highlights, conversations and special moments we're excited to share, but the full photo album from the event is available now at: https://photos.app.goo.gl/pUcok9gCERXgroHh8

Share your favorite snapshots from the night with

Join GenNext and Kargo at our Spring Social Event!

Celebrate with Chicago Advertising Federation's GenNext committee next week at an exclusive evening of networking, drinks, and tacos at Federales.

Whether you're looking to make new connections in the industry, catch up with colleagues, or learn more about what's next in advertising with the Kargo team, this is the place to be.

Sign up now at https://chicagoadfed.glueup.com/event/gennext-x-kargo-spring-social-event-177559/ to reserve your spot!

GET TICKETS NOW FOR THE 2026 CHICAGO ADDYS

Celebrate great work and raise a glass to the Chicago creative community. The American Advertising Awards (AKA the ADDYS) are NEXT THURSDAY May 14th 6-9pm at TAO.

Join Highdive, BBDO, Leo, Edelman, SCC, The Escape Pod, Dame, Contender, Havas, Arc and more.

DJ Heaven Malone will keep us moving and special bites from Tao will keep us fueled.

It’s going to be Chicago AF. Get your tickets now at https://chicagoadfed.glueup.com/event/chicago-american-advertising-awards-2026-171964/

🔥On Tuesday, alongside our Platinum Annual Sponsor Integral Ad Science, CAF hosted an incredible Hot Seat Panel where top industry leaders walked through real-life examples of how AI is accelerating the advertising workflow, and how the people behind the tech are continuing to learn and adapt to it's wide variety of uses.

They also made sure to emphasize that AI is simply a tool to larger outputs, and that it is our responsibility to utilize it in a responsible manner, continuing to stimulate your own brain while expanding your knowledge of how to employ AI creatively.

Thank you to speakers Joyce Zhai (United Airlines), Craig Miller(SCC), Jeff Marshall (IAS), Willie Jackson (Starcom) and Patrick Powers (WPP Media), as well as our hosts WPP Media and Maureen Glure, and Hot Seat co-chair and moderator Katelyn Kroneman!

We're sending a huge thank you to our Annual Bronze sponsor, Roku!

We are beyond thrilled to have your support on this journey together into 2026.

We're sending a huge thank you to our Annual Silver sponsor, Ampersand!

We are beyond thrilled to have your support on this journey together into 2026.