The industry is set to gather at Toronto’s District 28 this week to honour the best media collaborations and breakthrough technology and content in advertising campaigns at the 2017 AToMiC Awards.

According to the co-chairs, attendees can expect the winning work to be more integrated and innovative than ever.

Ann Stewart, CEO, Maxus Canada, said one of the key trends she saw amongst this year’s entries was work that was fully integrated, with the consumer (rather than the channel) being at the heart of the execution.

“I found this to be a great experience and different from other award judging that I have done,” said Stewart. “The AToMiC Awards not only bring together entries from all different disciplines but also a diverse jury group from, creative, media, clients, producers and tech. Each brought a different perspective to the work and allowed for great conversation.”

Fellow co-chair Luc Du Sault, partner, VP and creative director, LG2, said what surprised him the most about the work was how innovation has spread beyond the one-off executions.

“We didn’t have many vending machines or web gizmos in the show,” he said. “It seems we are embracing the fact that innovation can be larger than that. A great signal.”

Final jury co-chair Mark Bishop, co-CEO and executive producer at Marblemedia, said he saw three trends emerge during judging: establishing emotional connection with the audience, thinking differently about how audiences will see and engage with a brand and creating dynamic results by  combining technological innovation with tactile experiences.

“While we have so many innovative tools at our disposal, sometimes it is the simplest of executions that connect in the most meaningful way with audiences,” added Bishop.

Click here for a refresher on the shortlisted projects.