Q+A: Antonia Thompson Weisman, Group Director at ITB Worldwide and FTF: Conference 2015 SpeakerQ+A: Antonia Thompson Weisman, Group Director at ITB Worldwide and FTF: Conference 2015 Speaker

Q+A: Antonia Thompson Weisman, Group Director at ITB Worldwide and FTF: Conference 2015 Speaker

, Antonia is part of a team that creates opportunities between brands and talent to build partnerships that deliver a competitive edge, from collaborations to licensed brand extensions and influencer activations. ITB can lay claim to ubiquitous campaigns like David Beckham for Belstaff and Natalie Portman for Dior, among many others.

Increasingly, though, the types of partners sought out by Antonia and her team traffic in a newer type of currency, beyond just celebrity: people who have cultivated a social media presence that commands just as much attention, if not more, than movie stars and athletes. Their value can be seen in the recent #mycalvins campaign, which built momentum on Instagram thanks in equal part to market-specific talent like bloggers Bryan Boy and Man Repeller as to celebrities like Miranda Kerr and Kendall Jenner.

At FTF: Conference 2015, Antonia will be moderating a panel to discuss the new reality facing many marketing executives today – namely, that bloggers and social media influencers have effectively turned the traditional advertising model on its head, forcing companies to rethink their global strategies in an ever-saturated marketplace to generate the all-important consumer cut-through that ultimately drives sales.

In advance of the conference on June 11, we spoke with Antonia for insight into how she and ITB harness the power of these new influencers.