Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Ekrem Dupanović
After eight days spent inside my house, my first meeting on Friday was a coffee in the Revolucija restaurant with Adnan, the portal editor and my closest associate. We analyzed the first week of the portal with the new concept. Visits are growing on a daily basis and it delights us. I asked Adnan what he thinks about going to Dubai, and he laughs. Adnan is a man who stands firmly on the ground with both feet, and I really appreciate him for that, and I appreciate his professionalism. I am glad I can rely on him at all times. If things get hairy, I know I can call him at three in the morning and solve any problem we may have. As far as Dubai is concerned, he shows me on his phone the portal ArabAD, that comes out in the UAE. He met their editor last year in the EPICA jury. We look at the website – it’s good but nothing special. There are no local daily news, and not many news from their advertising industry. I’m sure we can come up with better content.
After coffee with Adnan, I went to lunch with Lazar Džamić who arrived in Sarajevo with his entire family. Lazar’s and Dana’s older daughter plays with the orchestra of the Children’s Philharmonic Orchestra, which was set to mark the inauguration of Mixer House Sarajevo in the evening. I shared with Lazar information and opinions about industry’s current affairs. He told me he was preoccupied with finishing the book about content marketing, which he’s writing with his colleague Justin Kirby from London. They’re a bit under pressure because they have to have the book finished for the publisher by the next month, which will not be easy. The title of the book is The Definitive Guide to Strategic Content Marketing and you can already order it on Amazon at a subscription price of €28.49. That’s how it goes with professionals. You sign a contract with the publisher, and there’s no budging. Amateurs, like me, do everything on their own, and that’s why Hotel Yugoslavia is waiting to be published for almost four years.
In the evening I went to the opening of the Mixer House Sarajevo. A perfect facility. I know what abandoned halls of the factory Vaso Miskin Crni looked like, and I can’t believe what Mixer House did with them. Congratulations! I met with numerous friends and enjoyed their conversations. The biggest surprise was meeting Tanja, my first secretary in IMS/Studio 6 Yugoslavia (1990-1992). Tajči was there last night with her husband, a very nice British guy with whom she lives on a ship in London. Living on a ship enables them to be constantly on the move, making life more exciting. They are often in Sarajevo because Tajči has a house on Trebević mountain, which he inherited from her parents. They plan to move forever to Sarajevo, but first they need to solve some formalities regarding the ship in London and citizenship here. We talked about renewing collaboration, and we are both interested. Tajči, especially with her London experience, would be an excellent addition to the team in Media Marketing.
The Concert of the Children’s Philharmonic, made up of talented children from all over the region, was excellent. After the Ode to Joy, the time came for the official speeches at the opening of Mixer House Sarajevo. The packed concert hall was addressed by Ivan and Maja Lalić, founders of the Mixer House, Emir Hadžihafizbegović, actor and director of the Kamerni Teatar (Chamber Theater), without whom Ivan says there would be no Mixer in Sarajevo. A friend of the project from Switzerland, who provided significant financial support, also spoke for the audience. The lovable Swiss from Geneva, where the official language is French, read his speech in Bosnian. It was so cute that it caused a delirium in the audience.
After the concert, I was among the first to leave the Mixer House. It’s too late for me. I can’t wait for the Rambo Amadeus’ concert.
And I’m also unaccustomed to be alone. Vedrana had left for Warsaw in the morning.
9 September 2017.