Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Ekrem Dupanović
It’s been more than two months since I wrote my diary for the portal. It’s not that there weren’t interesting things happening in my life in the meantime to write about. On the contrary, so many things were happening that I simply couldn’t find the time to write the Diary.
We launched the portal Woman.Comm (woman.comm.marketing) dedicated to women in the advertising and communications industry. We devoted a lot of time to the preparation of the portal and the projects that we plan to implement this year under the brand Woman.Comm. First up is the Woman.Comm Conference, which will be held 25 and 26 of May in Zagreb (Hotel Westin).
I traveled a lot, mostly to Belgrade, Zagreb and Ljubljana for meetings in which I negotiated business cooperation for this year with advertisers and sponsors. I was also at the Days of Communication and the PRO.PR Conference.
Anyway, it was very dynamic and exciting. If only my days would last at least five hours longer, perhaps I would manage to write a thing or two more often.
Of course, Days of Communications in Rovinj were the largest event I attended in the meantime. Fantastic! The very fact that there were 2400 people there speaks volumes about the quality of the program and the interest of Croatian (and regional) advertising industry for this event. Perhaps such turnout was also thanks to the fact that there was talk about merging of PR and advertising, so there were more people from PR agencies and PR departments of companies. There’s no longer PR and advertising. The walls are toppling down. Everything is communication. Everything is storytelling. Recently came down the walls between digital and advertising departments, and now it’s turn for the ones that separate PR. Finally. All are on the same mission – to attract consumers and service users, to tell them exciting stories that will motivate them to make the best decision.
The weather in Rovinj was phenomenal. Everything fell in place. The program was so good that most of the delegates resisted the lure of the wonderful weather. I’ve missed out in Hotel Lone only one afternoon, on which I went to the Menegethi estate, about twenty kilometers outside of Rovinj, for a lunch with Srđan Šaper and Vlatko Dimovski. I’m still under the impression of the beautiful landscape, excellent food, fine wine and interesting conversation. From now on that’s where I’ll book my stay during the Days of Communication and the Weekend Media Festival. Parties and loud fun are no longer my cup of tea – and they haven’t been for a long time now. At the Menegethi estate, Vedrana and I will have the peace that we love.
Speaking of gastronomy, I had an unforgettable dinner with Zenel Batagelj, Kristijan Gregorić and Ismir Omeragić from Valicon in the tavern Maslina. Excellent food, wine and lots of laughter.
Competition program of the Days of Communication has demonstrated all the grandeur of Croatian creativity in advertising. Indeed. And there’s no more “subscribers” for the awards. McCann was always somewhere at the top, and now it’s the Agency of the Year. I’m overjoyed by the success of Studio Sonda. This is the agency whose work impressed me in recent years. BBDO with the Zagreb Brewery in the best way proves how good it is when an agency and a client build long-term cooperation. Effie Grand Prix is a true proof of that. Kudos.
I’m sorry that the times of SOF and PRO.PR Conference coincided, and I could not be cloned. I missed SOF and went to the PRO.PR in Tuhelj for two reasons. The first is that I was supposed to receive the PRO.PR Infigo Award. It would be extremely rude and arrogant on my part had I been absent. Secondly – and I says this for the hundredth time – this Conference has a family-like atmosphere which you can’t find elsewhere. It’s fantastic when 2,400 people come to the Days of Communication, or when 1,200 come to the SOF, but I somehow feel more comfortable in the company of two hundred participants of PRO.PR Conference. Yes, I’m a testy man, and too much communication bothers me. This probably comes with old age and I cannot help it. I can’t stop time.
Well, I received a lifetime achievement award, and I sincerely hope that it was not a message that it was time for me to leave the industry. In my life I have handed over one hundred awards, and I always liked more to give than to receive them. I was pleased with the PRO.PR Infigo Award because I did not expect it. The award was made by a student of art academy in Rijeka. It’s a hand between two panes of glass. When handing me the award, Danijel Koletić said: “This is your hand, with which you gently stroke the regional communications industry, giving her support every day.” This Daniel’s sentence stirred a torrent of emotions in me.
When they start giving you lifetime achievement awards, take that as a message that it’s time for you to retire. I did not accept this award as such. I believe that the most exciting years for me are yet to come, so I’m not going to retire. I can retire only by force (health), or when I realize that everyone is getting sick of me, and it’s time to really retire. A football player should retire when they can play a great one half of a farewell match, not when they are barely pulling their feet on the field for ten minutes. I hope I’ll be able to recognize that moment when it’s time for me to go, before others chase me away.