Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Ekrem Dupanović
Photo: Janja Božič Marolt, Milica Marković, Sasha Savić and Ekrem Dupanović at Direct Media’s reception
I didn’t even imagine that it could happen to me that I won’t be able to write the Diary of a Methuselah even three days after the end of the Weekend Media Festival. It took so long for the impressions to sink in, to recall everything that happened at the Weekend and to make a complete picture.
In the meantime, we asked six of the 5,000 participants of this year’s Festival to give us short remarks about how they experienced this year’s Jubilee Weekend. I was there, I followed what happened, I talked to a lot of people and I can freely say that these six comments speak everything that most other participants would say.
You can read my diary from Rovinj tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow. I will be especially pleased to write this second part, that I will devote to three daughters (not mine, of course).
Špela Žorž, CEO, Grey Ljubljana:
Behind us is another Weekend Media Festival, which is important for agencies for at least two reasons: huge networking opportunities, and, of course, double competition. Namely, this is the only festival where we can measure forces with other agencies from the region (and not from the rest of the world), and the only festival that speaks in one common language – the Adriatic. That is why the title of the Agency of the Year at BalCannes and the most won awards among the agencies in the region at SoMo Borac is invaluable. When I watched the Top 25 campaigns of BalCannes and the awards at SoMo Borac, I was immensely proud that our works also found their place in this prestigious company. As a region, we are creative and expressively strong, so the fight for awards and the title of the Agency of the Year of is getting tougher every year. The fact that this year’s championship title came to us is truly an exceptional honor that we have accepted with great enthusiasm and joy, and above all, with great respect for the excellent agencies and their works that were applied to both competitions, and with great respect for all the clients who had enough courage and heart to realize great creative achievements, together with their agencies. That’s why we are all winners this year.
Nikola Žinić, Partner & Creative Director, Bruketa & Žinić & Grey:
Weekend like every other Weekend, but this time it was a Jubilee one. It was an opportunity to socialize outside the office with the acquaintances and strangers. A couple of good panels, a review of the great projects of dear colleagues at BalCannes and SoMo Borac. The format is the same for years now, but that’s probably why I keep coming back. Sunday is for a tour of the Istrian wineries. Perfect Weekend one more time.
Milica Marković, Corporate Communications Director, Direct Media:
It’s not easy to respond to the huge expectations of people visiting festivals and conferences today, so we should give credit to the organizers and lecturers of this year’s Weekend because they succeeded in doing so. Direct Media was present in the program, on the regional business panel and as a moderator of the mobile advertising panel, through the participation of the directors of our offices in Belgrade and Zagreb. It is a great responsibility when you need to be relevant, current and interesting. I will be pleased if we have helped the organizers in this way in their mission. The birthday mood was felt in the communication of the festival during the summer, the PR was more dynamic and with a good program it’s not surprising that this year again so many people poured from the region to Rovinj. We had our traditional gathering in the Sidro tavern. Never was there more invitees from the world of media and marketing, officials from leading media and newspapers, portals, from our partners … Weather served us wellm, and I’m thankful for it! Weekend is what it is thanks to, among other things, the sea, the sun and the socializing with colleagues.
Janja Božič Marolt, CEO Mediana, Ljubljana:
This year’s WMF was a masterpiece, not only as a combination of young assistants and senior owners, but also of the Balkans and the world, especially Scandinavia. It was also a mix of the classic and tested models of successful communication and the latest brazen examples from start-ups to traditional companies. I was impressed by the presentations of low-budget campaigns, as well as examples by Saša Savić, who works with budgets larger than our GDP. There were also artificial intelligence, big data base, decision making and long-term development. For me personally the most important thing is the possibility of personal contacts with all those who are passionate about working in the industry, primarily with daring and brave individuals who stand out among several thousands of participants.
WMF organizers deserve every praise. They should consider larger capacity halls and, necessarily, the possibility of following all programs online.
Daniel Ackerman, CEO Degordian, Zagreb:
The Weekend again proved to be the center of the region. Everyone was there, and they talked about everything. The main impression is that finally you could feel the positive feelings after a long time of negativity. Many agencies are growing, hiring, and investing. The quality of work itself is better. We can see that the number of entries for BalCannes and SoMo Borac is on the rise. I think the industry is going in a very good direction and that in the next year we will see even better things.
Manuela Šola, CEO Komunikacijski laboratorij, Zagreb:
The tried and tested formula of the location, the lecturers and the partying is what makes Weekend what it is. Regardless of whether the focus is on client relations, lectures, workshops, or even parties, everyone from the industry can find something of interest at the Weekend. Congratulations on the 10th Weekend edition.