Summary4 min read

Podcast Summary: Retail Media Breakfast Club

Episode: "The Real ROI of Retail Media Events: Are Work Trips Still Worth It in 2026?"
Host: Kiri Masters
Date: April 27, 2026
Duration: ~10 minutes

Episode Overview

In this episode, host Kiri Masters delves into whether attending in-person retail media events still delivers real ROI in 2026. She draws on her own jam-packed travel schedule, a recent LinkedIn poll, commentary on business travel's value, and emerging industry trends to examine if face-to-face industry gatherings remain a must—or have shifted into an overwhelming, oversaturated circuit. The episode balances the value of attendance with the reality of decision fatigue, highlighting changing attitudes and practical criteria for choosing the right events.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Host’s Intense Event Schedule

Context: Kiri shares her upcoming whirlwind event week: hosting/attending the Commerce Media Forum, Possible, and Loyalty Connect—all within a few days.
- [00:00] “I'm not sharing this for envy or for sympathy, but just to illustrate a point...three events in one week. Actually just in the first half of a week. And I'm definitely feeling a little bit overwhelmed recording this on Friday.”
Purpose: Illustrates the increasing density of in-person events in retail media.

2. LinkedIn Poll: Attendance Trends

Poll Results:
- 28%: Attending zero in-person industry events in the first half of 2026
- 34%: Attending one or two
- 30%: Attending three to five
- 9%: Attending six or more
- [01:24] “28% of respondents aren't attending a single in person event in the first half of 2026. That's one in four people in an industry that runs on relationships and FaceTime who are opting out entirely.”
Importance: The numbers challenge the perception that everyone is constantly on the event circuit.

3. Mixed Reasons for Selectivity

Budget is a Factor: Financial pressures make travel harder to justify.
Decision Fatigue: With too many events, people avoid the mental overhead of choosing—simply opting out.
- [04:19] “I suspect what's really driving that 28% isn't anti travel sentiment, it is decision fatigue. When the calendar is this crowded, just saying no becomes easier than trying to pick the right two or three events now.”
Perception vs. Reality: LinkedIn feeds can make it look like there’s a nonstop party, but most are being very selective.

4. FOMO and JOMO: The Emotional Side

FOMO (Fear of Missing Out): Easy to feel left out seeing others’ event updates.
JOMO (Joy of Missing Out): It's also satisfying to skip events and focus on other priorities.
- [05:09] “But I also think it's fine to feel a little bit of Jomo as well. The joy of missing out and lean into it if that's where you're at right now.”
Personal Anecdote: Kiri declined an event and received messages asking about her absence. She reports relief, not regret, at her decision.

5. The Value Proposition of In-Person Events

What Pulls People In:
- Unscripted debates and novel programming
- Closed-door dinners fostering honest discussion
- High concentration of relevant peers (“the right density of the right people”)
Saturated Market: With too many events, only those offering unique value win out.
- [06:21] "The events pulling people out of their homes and away from their kids and onto planes are the ones that are offering something that they can't get from a webinar..."

6. Intentional Attendance—Not Disengagement

Being Selective ≠ Disengaged: Choosing fewer, higher-value events is a rational response, not a lack of interest.
- [07:03] “Being intentional about which events earn your time isn't about disengaging from what's going on. It might just be the same response to a calendar that's gotten out of hand.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On overwhelming schedules:
- [00:23] “Three events in one week... I'm definitely feeling a little bit overwhelmed recording this on Friday.” — Kiri Masters
On poll findings:
- [01:24] “That's one in four people in an industry that runs on relationships and FaceTime who are opting out entirely.” — Kiri Masters
On decision fatigue:
- [04:19] “When the calendar is this crowded, just saying no becomes easier than trying to pick the right two or three events.”
On JOMO:
- [05:12] “I also think it's fine to feel a little bit of Jomo as well. The joy of missing out and lean into it if that's where you're at right now.”
On what makes events worthwhile:
- [06:21] “The events...are the ones that are offering something that they can't get from a webinar. Whether that is unscripted debates and interesting programming, closed door dinners, or just the right density of the right people in one room...”
On intentionality:
- [07:03] “Being intentional about which events earn your time isn't about disengaging...It might just be the sane response to a calendar that's gotten out of hand.”

Important Timestamps

Introduces personal event schedule: [00:00–00:45]
Poll results discussion: [01:16–02:30]
Industry travel debate and value: [02:31–04:00]
What’s really driving non-attendance: [04:19–05:20]
FOMO/JOMO, personal anecdote: [05:00–06:10]
Events' unique value and intentionality: [06:15–07:10]

Final Takeaway

Kiri Masters distills a nuanced takeaway: While retail media networking events are still valuable—especially for those unscripted, relationship-rich moments—industry professionals are getting smarter and more intentional about attendance. Decision fatigue and a saturated events calendar are forcing people to draw boundaries and make choices rooted not in disengagement, but in maximizing ROI and personal well-being. The episode ends with a nod to the value of both FOMO and JOMO, and encouragement for professionals to own their boundaries.

Loading summary

Transcript1 lines

[00:00]
A
I'm not sharing this for envy or for sympathy, but just to illustrate a point, on the weekend I'm traveling to Miami to be part of the inaugural Commerce Media Forum by the Drum, where I'm I have some hosting duties. I am doing a keynote on the Monday and then we roll right into Possible in Miami, which is exciting. I've never been. I've heard a lot about it. And then on Wednesday I catch a 6am flight back to Atlanta to attend Loyalty Connect, where I'm going to be joining a panel about loyalty and retail media with folks from the Home Depot, Marriott and Sky Zone. So three events in one week. Actually just in the first half of a week. And I'm definitely feeling a little bit overwhelmed recording this on Friday. But here's why I bring that up. I ran a poll on LinkedIn a couple of weeks ago to try and find out just how many events people in our industry are actually attending. Because based on LinkedIn and based on my personal travel schedule, it's just insane. Today I'm going to share what I found through that poll and some recent commentary on the value of business travel. Is it worth it? Should we be trying harder to do it? Who should we be trying to send to these events? Let's jump in. So a couple of weeks ago I ran a poll on LinkedIn asking people in Commerce Media how many in person industry events they're attending in the first half of 2026. 145 people voted and the number that jumped out wasn't the people doing three to five or six. Plus it is this one that 28% of respondents aren't attending a single in person event in the first half of 2026. That's one in four people in an industry that runs on relationships and FaceTime who are opting out entirely. The rest is sort of split up. 34% are attending one or two events, another 30% are doing three to five. And there's a few road warriors in there like me. At least this half of the year, 9% of people are doing six or more. So the picture definitely isn't wholesale retreat away from in person events. But it is not the packed calendar norm that LinkedIn would have you believe either. Most people are being selective and a sizable chunk have decided that the juice actually isn't worth the squeeze. So what's going on here? The easy answer is budget pressure. A Wall Street Journal piece that came out last week argued that employees should lobby their bosses harder for business travel, citing the career advantages of in person visibility. The data on the value of travel isn't really in dispute. Most people in our industry would agree that the corridor conversations, the dinners, the chance encounters on the show floor are where real business happens. But knowing that travel is valuable doesn't solve the calendar problem. Commerce Media has its own sprawling circuit between shop talk, grocery shop, nrf, possible commerce, Next ascendant, the IAB events, the new fleet of upfronts, as well as a growing roster of invite only summits and vendor hosted events. And each one has a legitimate case for attendance. And that's the real tension. That it's not any single event isn't worth going to is that there are just so many worth going to events for any one person to attend. Did you know that leading retail media networks drive 85% of their ads through mid and long tail advertisers? Miracle Ads provides full funnel ad formats tailored to both 1P and 3P advertisers, leveraging unique AI capabilities that provide unprecedented levels of relevance and engagement. Retailers who want to capture ad spend from the long tail of 3PMarketplace sellers use Miracle Ads in their tech stack. Learn more@miracle.com that's M I R A K L.com I suspect what's really driving that 28% isn't anti travel sentiment, it is decision fatigue. When the calendar is this crowded, just saying no becomes easier than trying to pick the right two or three events now. So when you're scrolling LinkedIn and seeing all these pictures of people at events having fun, it's easy to feel a little bit of fomo. I certainly do. But I also think it's fine to feel a little bit of Jomo as well. The joy of missing out and lean into it if that's where you're at right now. I I declined to attend an industry event a couple of weeks ago. On the morning that it started, I got texts from three different people asking if I was going to be there and I would have liked to be there. In a perfect world, I would like to be everywhere. But I had some other priorities I needed to handle. And honestly, as those texts came through and I said no, I'm not going to be there, I was actually profoundly relieved. Now, that doesn't mean that industry events are losing their value. It means that the market for attention is saturated and people are drawing lines. The events pulling people out of their homes and away from their kids and onto planes are the ones that are offering something that they can't get from a webinar. Whether that is unscripted debates and interesting programming. Closed door dinners where you get to really discuss the issues of the time candidly, or just the right density of of the right people in one room making travel super efficient for the rest of us. Being intentional about which events earn your time isn't about disengaging from what's going on. It might just be the same response to a calendar that's gotten out of hand. Now, I do have a quick plug for some events that I have coming up that I'll be attending, that I'll be speaking at, or otherwise part of the programming. I'll put them all in the blog post newsletter that accompanies today's episode so you can see where I'm at. Some of these events are invite only, but I would love to hear if you're coming along. Thanks for listening and I'll catch you tomorrow.