New York Advertising Week kicked off today (October 17) with thousands of professionals from the brand, agency, publishing and technology sides of the business congregating on the Market Line on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. This is the second year that the show, one of the most influential in the industry, has been held in person since the start of the pandemic and the first since it was acquired by events firm Emerald Holdings in June.

The conference also comes in an uncertain period in which businesses have largely managed the complications of dealing with COVID-19 but are now grappling with a shaky economy heading into a key fourth quarter and the holiday season.

“Obviously, there’s the backdrop to everything…