The Medical Advertising Hall of Fame, now rebranded as The Hall, is holding its first large-format, in-person learning event since the pandemic. The sold-out program, Live at The Hall: AI Today, takes place Thursday at Publicis Health's New York offices and pairs agency professionals with hands-on workshops focused on applying AI to daily work.
The timing reflects industry pressure. Agencies need to show clients how AI improves their output, while employees want to know what the technology means for their jobs. "Everybody's talking about AI, but accepting it as part of our industry and as part of each of our jobs is also future-proofing us as individuals, as humans, as contributors to the medical advertising industry," said Molly Lane, head of brand strategy and insight at Merge and chair of The Hall's learning and development subcommittee.
Four workshops, four agency functions
Instead of another broad conversation about AI's potential, The Hall split the program into four 60-minute sessions led by industry figures and tailored to specific roles. Attendees choose between an operations workshop on using AI for project management, a creative session, a strategy workshop, or a media-focused session.
"We just didn't want to talk about theoretical AI and how it's changing whatever," Lane said. "Each workshop is really going to include key take-homes for people. What can you do to upskill yourself with AI so that you're doing better work, contributing more for your agency and for your clients, walking out of this room tomorrow?"
The workshops deliberately draw leaders from different agencies rather than showcasing one company's tools. "These aren't agency pitches," Lane said. "These are agency-agnostic."
After the workshops, attendees reconvene for a panel on how AI is influencing agency value. Way Better Partners founder Robin Shapiro moderates a discussion with Sarah Landfield, Paul Pfleiderer, and Charles Flax about what clients expect from agency partners as AI becomes embedded in the work.
Making the event accessible
The program runs from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., an after-hours format chosen partly to help professionals earlier in their careers who cannot step away from work for several hours during the day. It also creates chances for junior and midlevel employees to meet senior executives on The Hall's board, expanding the organization's focus beyond recognizing industry veterans.
"For all of us who are not yet retired, there are so many other ways to engage," Lane said.
That effort now includes people between jobs. The Hall opened its learning curriculum to individuals not currently affiliated with an agency, a decision Lane said mattered amid continued volatility across the advertising business. "We're committed to the industry, and it doesn't matter," she said. "It's a dynamic industry, and so if you're out of work at the moment, you still have access to the learning curriculum."
Beyond the next promotion
The organization's education programming continues later this year with a founders forum examining different career paths in medical advertising, including building independent agencies and moving into other industry corners. Its Leap Executive Education program targets managing directors and senior leaders preparing for executive responsibilities.
For Lane, supporting industry talent does not always mean helping people climb the next rung of the same ladder. "Furthering our industry doesn't necessarily mean getting the next promotion that you're expected to get and staying on a linear path," she said.
Why this matters for marketing professionals
This event signals where medical advertising is heading: agencies are shifting from talking about AI to training people on specific, role-based applications. If you work in marketing, expect your employer or clients to ask for concrete examples of how AI changes your output, not just enthusiasm for the technology. The emphasis on after-hours scheduling and access for unemployed professionals also shows that career development in this field is becoming more fluid and less tied to a single agency.
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