OAAA Launches Programmatic & Automation Center of Excellence to Accelerate the Future of Out of Home

New industry initiative will align buyers, sellers and technology providers around standards, automation, measurement and omnichannel integration

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA) today announced the launch of its Programmatic & Automation Center of Excellence, an industry-led initiative designed to modernize the out of home advertising ecosystem and strengthen OOH’s position within omnichannel media strategies. OAAA has appointed Ari Buchalter, Chief Strategy Officer at Broadsign, as the Center’s inaugural Advisory Board Chair and Ashwini Karandikar as Executive Lead.

The Center will bring together media owners, technology providers, agencies, brands and other stakeholders to make OOH easier to plan, buy, measure and integrate across the broader advertising ecosystem. Through dedicated working groups, buyer and seller listening sessions, industry research and collaboration with adjacent trade organizations, the Center will identify shared barriers, establish common standards and develop practical frameworks and resources that can be adopted across the industry. Founding members of the Center include AdQuick, Broadsign, Perion, VIOOH and Vistar Media.

“We are excited to launch this initiative as I've seen firsthand how bringing an industry together, focusing resources and coordinating efforts results in real outcomes that can move a market forward,” said Patrick Dolan, Chief Operating Officer of OAAA. “This Center will provide the framework, alignment, and technical foundation needed to remove friction, modernize our ecosystem, and scale out of home’s role in omnichannel advertising.”

The Center will organize its work around four strategic pillars:

• Standardization and Optimization: Bridging the operational gap between buyers and sellers by establishing unified data constructs and machine-readable frameworks that can be ingested directly into agency omnichannel planning tools.
• Workflow Automation and Agentic AI: Replicating the frictionless ease of digital media procurement by building a translation layer that prepares OOH for a future of machine-driven, automated buying and planning.
• Understanding Reporting and Attribution Requirements: Establishing frameworks for data, reporting and attribution, including standardized attribution models that give advertisers the same transparency and analytics they expect from digital channels.
• Omnichannel and Retail Media: Expanding OOH’s downstream market touchpoints by strategically positioning the channel alongside accelerating formats like retail media networks and connected TV to amplify full-funnel brand storytelling.

As Advisory Board Chair, Buchalter will help set the Center’s strategic priorities and convene leaders across the OOH and advertising technology ecosystem. He currently serves as Chief Strategy Officer at Broadsign and is the founder and former CEO of Place Exchange.

“The industry has an opportunity to accelerate OOH’s evolution through greater coordination,” said Buchalter. “By addressing shared challenges and establishing clearer standards, we can ensure OOH is equipped to compete in the next generation of automated and omnichannel advertising.”

As Executive Lead, Karandikar will oversee the Center’s Advisory Board, working groups, research initiatives and member engagement. She most recently served as Executive Vice President of Media, Technology and Data at the 4A’s, where she led strategic industry guidance, advocacy and regulatory engagement, and advised on business, product and service development.

Expected outcomes from the Center include shared data definitions and taxonomies, machine-readable standards, more consistent reporting and attribution guidance, and recommendations for automating industry workflows. As one of its first initiatives, the Center hosted a Buyer Listening Session in New York in partnership with IAB Tech Lab to gather input from agencies, brands, media owners and technology providers. The Center will also launch an industry benchmark study examining programmatic adoption, workflow automation and gaps in standardization and measurement. Insights from both initiatives will help prioritize its working groups and 2027 deliverables.

Additional Center participants and resources will be announced as the initiative progresses. To learn more, visit: https://oaaa.org/about-us/center-of-excellence/

About the Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA)
The Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA) is the national trade association representing the out of home (OOH) advertising industry. OAAA’s mission is to protect, promote, and advance the medium through government affairs and advocacy, industry research and market intelligence, brand and agency engagement, and industry leadership and convening. OAAA works to ensure OOH’s essential role in the modern media mix by advancing standards, aligning the industry around shared priorities, and shaping the future of OOH. Founded in 1891, OAAA serves more than 850 member companies, including media owners, advertisers, agencies, ad tech providers, and suppliers. The association is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices in New York City. For more information, visit oaaa.org.

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Cassady Nordeen
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