The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) has announced the 2026 edition of its Industry Colloquium, a flagship stakeholder forum aimed at deepening dialogue between academia, regulators and industry practitioners in Nigeria’s advertising and marketing communications sector.

The event is scheduled to hold on August 6, 2025, is themed “The Future of Advertising: Roles of Platforms, People and Regulations.”

According to ARCON, the conversation is especially timely because technological innovation, artificial intelligence, digital platforms and changing consumer behaviour are reshaping how advertising content is created, distributed and consumed.

The regulator said the forum will bring together a wide range of stakeholders, including policymakers, advertisers, agencies, media organisations, digital platforms, technology firms, legal experts, academics, brand custodians and content creators.

It added that participants will benefit from keynote presentations, panel sessions and interactive discussions designed to examine ethics, consumer protection, transparency, accountability and regulatory oversight.

ARCON also highlighted one of the key features of the colloquium a student pitch competition. Six tertiary institutions, drawn from Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, will take part in the final stage of the advertising pitch challenge.

The institutions listed are the University of Ilorin, Kwara State University, Kaduna State University, Ebonyi State University, Rivers State University and Lagos State University.

Speaking on the significance of the initiative, ARCON said it continues to promote an advertising ecosystem anchored on professionalism, fairness, creativity, consumer protection and global best practices. The council invited stakeholders across the advertising value chain to take part in the 2026 colloquium and contribute to building an innovative, inclusive, ethical and accountable industry.

Prof. Rotimi Olatunji, chairman of the National Planning Committee of the Advertising Industry Colloquium and Journal Committee, said the AIC 4.0 is the fourth consecutive edition of the forum since the committee was inaugurated by ARCON Director-General Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo in 2022. He added that the committee also publishes the annual ARCON Journal of Advertising and Marketing Communication.