5WPR News

This month, the 5W team had the incredible opportunity to attend CultureCon 2025, the ultimate gathering for Black creatives, culture-shifters, and changemakers. Held at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, this year’s theme, “Take Space: The New Frontier,” celebrated the brilliance, innovation, and impact of Black creativity across industries, from beauty and tech to storytelling, entrepreneurship, and beyond.

The event featured a diverse lineup of brand sponsors celebrating Black creativity. Chase Ink returned as the presenting sponsor, championing the entrepreneurial spirit. Other partners included entertainment, media, and lifestyle brands that brought immersive activations to life. For example, Dosso Beauty, transformed their space into a full braiding bar, offering quick protective styles all weekend with clinically tested, non-toxic, hypoallergenic braiding hair, creating an experience that was both interactive and restorative.

The inaugural Beauty New York transformed Lower Manhattan’s Oculus into a space for creativity and connection. Organized by the Cosmoprof North America team, the October 17-18 event brought together brands, founders, and trendsetters for two days of discussion, discovery, and product innovation. Blending professional expertise with consumer engagement, the debut signaled how beauty events are evolving to meet shifting expectations. 

Agency clients Catrice Cosmetics and essence Makeup joined a curated roster including Tir Tir, Dr. Dennis Gross, Medik8, Dossier, Macy’s Beauty, Lola from Rio, and No.7. Attendees, from Gen Alpha to Millennials, sampled products and engaged with brands directly. Panels and masterclasses led by Scott Barnes, Andrew Fitzsimons, and Carrie Gross examined how creativity, science, and storytelling continue to shape the beauty landscape. 

The 2025 HLTH USA Conference gathered the most forward-thinking minds in healthcare to discuss how innovation, empathy, and personalization are reshaping wellness. This year’s event highlighted how technology and patient advocacy are converging to help people not only live longer but live better. The overarching theme was clear: the future of health not only depends on affordability and accessibility, but also on the adoption of new technologies, urging payers and providers to detect, diagnose, and treat more personally.
 
Companies such as Prenuvo, MIDI Health, and Parsley Health are redefining preventive care. Their work highlights a shift toward early detection and root-cause medicine, an approach that prioritizes proactive health management over reactive treatment. As Max Marchione, co-founder and CEO of SuperPower said – Longevity is just health done right.  

Longevity and health-span took center stage, with conversations surrounding GLP-1 medications, menopause care, and wearable technology that tracks hormones, body temperature and much more, delivering sophisticated, real-time data to improve prevention and treatment journeys. Panelists urged the industry to view health through a more holistic lens by digging into an original cause of a symptom to connect a patient with personalized care options relative to their needs. It sounds obvious, yet many experts in the industry stated the current healthcare system jumps ahead too many steps generalizing care and at times loses focus on access and affordability in doing so.  

The Brooklyn Tech Expo brought together founders, engineers, and marketers to explore what’s next at the intersection of innovation, entrepreneurship, and artificial intelligence. Across panels and keynotes, one theme stood out: the future of technology depends as much on human curiosity as it does on machine intelligence. From helping traditional industries embrace generative AI to redefining the role of creative thinking in a data-driven world, the event highlighted how progress comes from pairing technological precision with human perspective. 

In his session, Yehoyada Mandeel, CEO of Marzipan Tech, discussed how established industries are finally catching up to the generative AI revolution. His message was clear: companies that missed the early digital transformation boom can’t afford to repeat history. 

Advertising Week New York 2025 brought together marketers, brand leaders, and innovators to explore the future of influence, purpose, and performance. Across packed rooms and buzzing hallways, one theme emerged: the next evolution of advertising isn’t just about reach; it’s about resonance. From purpose-driven storytelling to retail media ecosystems and AI-fueled creativity, this year’s panels underscored a clear shift. Advertising is becoming both more accountable and more human. Below are a few takeaways from the 5WPR team’s time at the conference. 

Even with a line around the block, “The Power of Purpose” set the tone for the week. Moderated by Ross Martin, co-Founder and President of Known, and Rita Ferro, President of Disney Global Advertising, the session celebrated the upcoming 75th anniversary of the AAF’s Advertising Hall of Fame and the legends who have shaped the industry through purpose. 

IFA Berlin has just wrapped and 1,900 exhibitors from 49 countries flooded Messe Berlin with AI-driven gadgets, smart home solutions, and sustainable tech. Yet, in this sea of sameness, where booths blurred with similar buzzwords and sleek designs, influencers (influencer marketing) and content creators emerged as the true differentiators. Through the IFA Creator Hub, they transformed generic product reveals into unique, lasting narratives, amplifying brand individuality far beyond the event. Building on insights from my colleague’s feature on IFA trends, Influencers also had a place in this year’s show and took brands to another level.  

Housed in the Palais am Funkturm, the IFA Creator Hub was a creative haven for over 1,500 influencers, offering pro-grade streaming studios, masterclasses, demo zones, and a VIP Lounge with tools from TikTok, Sony, Nvidia, and more. This space empowered creators to craft content that highlighted each brand’s distinct edge, moving beyond uniform booth displays.

IFA Berlin 2025 reaffirmed its role as one of the most influential showcases in the global consumer technology calendar. With more than 215,000 visitors, 1,900 exhibitors from 49 countries, and every inch of Messe Berlin filled with innovation, this year’s conference demonstrated how artificial intelligence, robotics, and connected ecosystems are transitioning from concept to everyday life. For brands and marketers, the event also highlighted how effective consumer technology PR strategies can amplify impact well beyond the trade show floor. 

Artificial intelligence dominated conversations at IFA Berlin 2025. No longer an abstract promise, AI is being embedded into the devices we interact with daily. Smart home hubs anticipate household needs, adjusting lighting, climate, and security based on patterns of usage. Robotics, from vacuum cleaners to multifunctional home assistants, leverage AI to navigate complex environments and take on increasingly sophisticated tasks. Wearables analyze user health data in real time, delivering actionable insights personalized to individual lifestyles. Together, these AI-driven tools are creating an ecosystem where technology anticipates and responds seamlessly to human behavior, transforming homes into intelligent, responsive spaces. 

5WPR recently had the opportunity to attend VISION25, a major event hosted by our client WorkForce Software, following their recent acquisition by ADP. The gathering brought together thought leaders and industry experts to highlight how the partnership between these companies is creating new value in the evolving world of HR Tech. 

5W’s Corporate Communications and Technology PR teams are always eager to explore how innovation shapes the employee experience and how businesses can better communicate these shifts both internally and externally.