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Operate 26 – NYC

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SPEAKERS
WHO YOU’LL MEET
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The Agency Leadership Conference

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Join senior NYC agency leaders at the top of One World Trade Center

The hardest part of scaling an agency isn’t winning work – it’s leading the people who deliver it. OPERATE ’26 brings senior agency leaders into one closed-door room in New York City to share notes on leading delivery teams through growth, complexity, and rising client expectations.

🗓️

June 10 2026

⌚

9.15am – 4.30pm

📍

One World Observatory, NYC 🇺🇸 🗽

🎟️

60

Capacity

Register

SPEAKERS

Who you’ll hear from

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A man in a suit holding a microphone stands in front of a curtain. The image is framed with ribbons displaying the text "Ian Harris" and "Agency Hackers."

🤫 Besides our invited speakers, you’ll also hear (confidential) case studies from other agency leaders in the room.

👀 Who will you meet?

Here’s some of the agencies you’ll meet at this event. Full guestlist coming soon.

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Event Manifesto

The Agency Leadership Conference

Event curated by:

  • Man with dark hair and a beard wearing a leather jacket and wireless earbuds, set against a pastel gradient background.

    Ian Harris

    Founder, Agency Hackers

I started Agency Hackers in 2017, so I’ve basically spent years in rooms full of agency leaders. Lately, everyone’s asking the same questions and nobody’s quite sure of the answers.

• What happens to our juniors in a world of AI? • How do we grow without stretching the team to breaking point?
• When do you actually add headcount when the next year is anyone’s guess? And how do
you answer clients when they ask “so, are you

using AI?”.

These are not really questions you can Google! They’re the ones you only really talk through with people who run agencies like yours.

OPERATE ’26 is that room! A day above the noise, with leaders facing the same decisions you are. Compare notes, borrow what works, and leave with a clearer head!

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One inspiring location 📸

Join us at the top of the One World Trade Centre. We’ll have great food and drink as well
as a private tour of the One World Observatory

Spacious room with large windows overlooking a serene ocean view, with sunlight streaming in and reflecting on the shiny floor.

For one day, you’ll rise above the day-to-day – literally. OPERATE ’26 takes over One World Trade Center – the highest point in the city, looking out over New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island.

Step away from the agency and quite look down on your problems and opportunities, in the company of the cream of the New York agency scene.

The day includes a private tour of the One World Observatory: a rare chance to see the city from the top.

Itinerary 📝

Here’s the current running order for the day.

☕️ Arrival, coffee & networking

⏰

08:30

🎤 Keynote

Start the day connecting with senior agency leaders

Opening Session

⏰

09:15

🎤 Keynote

Get a clear view of what’s happening in the agency sector at the moment. Hear how delivery is breaking as agencies scale, and why margin and predictability are under pressure…

Keynote – David C. Baker

⏰

10:00

🎤 Keynote

A perspective on why delivery breaks as agencies grow and what needs to change to protect margin and improve performance

☕️ Coffee break

⏰

10:45

🎤 Keynote

Start the day connecting with senior agency leaders

Fireside conversations

⏰

11:15

A candid discussion on where delivery breaks, the gap between pipeline and execution and what’s working in practice

Lunch & Networking

⏰

12:15


Peer discussions

⏰

13:00

Small group conversations focused on capacity, forecasting and the realities of scaling delivery teams

Customer story

⏰

13:45

How a growing agency improved visibility, forecasting and control across delivery

☕️ Coffee break

⏰

14:30

Operator session

⏰

14:45

How teams are aligning sales and delivery earlier and making better resourcing decisions before work begins

Closing session

⏰

15:30

Key takeaways and what to prioritise next

Networking reception

⏰

16:30 – 18:00

Continue the conversation with peers, speakers and Teamwork.com. We have a private view of the spectacular One World Observatory