WHAT IS GOAFEST?
* In a nutshell, Goafest is the most vibrant celebration of communication across mediums and categories in India
FOR PROFESSIONALS AND CLIENTS
* One gets to view some of the most innovative work done in the past year, exchange ideas, gain insights, network, and of course unwind in Goa
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WHAT CAN ONE LOOK FORWARD TO?
* Apart from the parties and the fanfare, Goafest has industry conclaves and informative seminars taking place everyday
* These include discussions with various industry leaders from the media and sports world
* Workshops with international ad-gurus, authors, blue chip industrialists and leaders of some of the biggest start-ups
* The insights and knowledge on offer at these seminars are often invaluable
PANAJI: There you think up ad campaigns, one liners that will make your audience chuckle, that will hook them in, ensuring that the next time they’re at the supermarket or at a big box store, they see that product, they pick it up. That’s what you do every day of your life. But then, that one weekend in Goa, you put your legs up, you mix and mingle, you attend workshops and seminars, and you win awards. Welcome to Goa Fest, being held at the Grand Hyatt in Bambolim from today (Thursday)
This was the Abbys, the pride and joy of every advertising professional in Mumbai. For a little over a decade now, it’s been held in Goa, 600 kilometers away from the offices where some dreams turn into great creatives. Goa Fest is now more than just a summit for the advertising crowd, it’s a full on media festival. Clients too drop in sometimes, just to see what these people who think up their ads are up to. The creative side of the ad agencies turn out in vibrant colours. For Dallas Fernandes, Creative Head of the Mumbai based Young, Goa Fest is a place to just absorb knowledge. “I remember when Richard Branson gave us a talk. It was great to listen to the man. We think of one ad or one campaign, but here was this entrepreneur talking about Virgin Galactic, about what the future would be like. It was fascinating! It’s also great to rub shoulders with some of the bigwigs in the industry, like Piyush Pandey or Agnello Dias.”
The latter name might resonate with many Goans. The Sarzora-born Agnello Dias is now a bonafide member of the advertising legends of India club. He was the man who made that great Nike ad with Lorna’s music many moons ago. He’s won awards for Nike, Pepsi, and that Airtel campaign that ensured that Har Friend Zaroori Hota Hai. For him, Goa Fest is a great place to unwind, although the heat does become a tad cumbersome. “It\'s been good to meet peers and people one has worked with and for over the years and generally see some work from a wider industry perspective. It is important because our normal schedule leaves us with very little time to consume normal advertising on TV or in newspapers etc. This gives us a chance to get a macro look at most of the work produced in the year,” says Dias. Now, Goa Fest has grown to be more than just the awards for the fraternity in Mumbai. Creative teams from parts of India, Pakistan and other regions of Asia visit too.
Of course, work gets done, both here in Goa and back home in Mumbai. But that doesn’t mean that the industry doesn’t know how to let their hair down. There will be talks with Shobha De and Arjuna Ranatunga, but there will also be parties every evening where shop talk will take a backseat and the party animal in everyone will come to the fore.
