Celebration. Of creativity, of life, of being together, and revelling in the very comfort of camaraderie that we have been missing due to the pandemic. As Goafest resumes this year, after a two-year break, the overwhelming sentiment at the advertising industry’s biggest congregation is the very human need for free-flowing conversation and togetherness. According to Jaideep Gandhi, Founder, Another Idea and Chairman of the Goafest 2022 Organising Committee, “This year, networking is going to play an important role and people want to meet others in the physical world. After two years of virtual life, and ‘hope to see you soon’, it is now ‘See you @Goafest!’”
Gandhi said that total collaboration has been the hallmark of the festival this year. “We have seen total collaboration at Goafest 2022. The festival belongs to the industry and that has been showcased this year. Sponsors, members of both associations - the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) and The Ad Club, all our sponsors and media have unitedly come together to make this not just Goafest but ‘Ourfest’,” he explained.
On being asked about the challenges before the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) while putting together Goafest 2022, Gandhi said, “We have the challenge of getting better. The festival has been evolving year by year. Here, I’d like to make a special mention of my predecessors who have brought Goafest to this level, pouring their hearts and minds into it - Nakul Chopra, Ashish Bhasin, Ambi Parameswaran, Ramesh Narayan, Sunder Swamy, Arvind Sharma, Raj Nayak, and of course Pradeep Guha, who will be missed the most! ‘What new this time’ is not just a challenge for this year, but every year. Already, we are thinking about how to better it and what’s next in 2023!
While by all accounts Goafest has seen a huge response from the industry, making for “numbers that surpass expectations”, the presence of advertisers or client side participants (which was the focus of organisers in earlier years), seems to be on the wane at a place described earlier by the festival organisers themselves as “where marketers and agencies meet”. Even the Industry Conclave on the opening day of Goafest, that always saw a big advertiser address the festival crowd, has undergone a change in format to include other speakers. Meanwhile, South Asia participation at Goafest is represented by Nepal this year.
MIXING UP FUN AND GYAN
In 2014, when Goafest was themed ‘Brand Baajaa Baarat’ and was recalibrated to add more of the fun quotient, there had been debates about whether the festival should have more fun or gyan. A well-known marketer at the time had gone on record to say that “there is a need to re-position Goafest to improve its relevance for the marketing fraternity.” This time around, there has been a further shift in content format – the knowledge part has been mostly included in the masterclasses, while the main sessions keep to the ‘celebration’ theme, mostly in view of people’s pandemic fatigue and need to focus on things such as wellness. “The accent now is on survival, regenerating, reinventing… therefore such speakers. New knowledge is going to be delivered across nine masterclasses from Web 3.0 to camera marketing. From story-telling to e-commerce. Add to it the latest trends in media which will be part of ballroom sessions. OTT, influencers, gaming and Meta. Overall, the theme this year is celebration. Hence, we have covered inspiration, education, health and wellness, start-ups, unicorns as key areas of the content mix. The best of creative heads from global agencies will be also there to present new ideas,” said Gandhi, adding, “Delegates will have the best mix of entertainment and humour. Loads of fun at after-parties through all three days. Sukhbir, Shilpa Rao, Aiyyo Shraddha, DJ Chetas, DJ Zulfi, etc., to name a few.”
Jaideep Gandhi: Total collaboration makes it not just Goafest, but ‘Ourfest’
Jaideep Gandhi |
We have seen total collaboration at Goafest 2022. The festival belongs to the industry and that has been showcased this year. Sponsors, members of both associations - the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) and The Ad Club, all our sponsors and media have unitedly come together to make this not just Goafest but ‘Ourfest’.
Rana Barua: Empower young creatives to cope with the future ad industry
Rana Barua |
At Goafest, we work hard to ensure that the event is backed by interesting workshops, masterclasses and knowledge sessions that help young creatives not only gain awareness about the work being done around them today, but also empowers them with the knowledge of possibilities of the future ad industry.
Rohit Ohri: People get new inspiration from those who work in new domains
Rohit Ohri |
At Goafest, people get inspired by those who work in different facets of the industry, especially the new domains. They get new inspiration. I am waiting to hear Rajamouli, truly a genius in film-making. His brand has captured the imagination of India, churning up a blockbuster at the national level, working from South India.
Partha Sinha: Celebration of excellence is biggest antidote to pandemic crisis
Partha Sinha |
I am looking forward to celebration of excellence. That’s the biggest antidote to the crisis this industry was going through for the past couple of years.
RECHARGE YOURSELF, COURTESY BRANDSUTRA!
This food truck by Free Press Journal's BrandSutra (in collaboration with The Goan newspaper) will be positioned right outside the Goafest venue. On offer will be hygienically packed snacks and refreshing drinks - all free of charge for Goafest delegates who show their festival badges.
