The 30th jubilee Golden Drum Festival, “the best regional festival in the world,” according to one of the greatest global authorities in the advertising and festival industry who attended in Portorož, has concluded. There are many reasons why Mojca Briščik, who for years, along with her colleague Polona Simšič, has been wholeheartedly devoted to the festival, should be satisfied. I spoke to Mojca about this right after the Golden Drum, while she was lying in bed with a high fever. Stress! As soon as the tension dropped, the fever spiked. The price of success is high and always has to be paid.
Media Marketing: Now that you’ve had some time to reflect, what are your impressions?
Mojca Briščik: Incredible! This was the best and most successful Golden Drum since I’ve been leading it! This year, without false modesty, I can say we exceeded all expectations, and everything was truly top-notch! When we toasted with the team in Piran at the closing party, the feeling was one of relief and pride because we managed to organize yet another first-class event that was publicly praised by internationally recognized experts like Malcolm Poynton, Adam Kerj, Pum Lefebure, and many others. Kentaro Kimura even announced that Golden Drum is the best regional festival in the world that he’s attended! These are incredibly strong words that we receive with great respect and responsibility to make the next festival even better. In fact, the festival was “packed to the brim” – people were sitting on the stairs and on the floor because there simply wasn’t enough space for everyone – and that’s what motivates us to improve each year. For every edition of the festival, we have to add something new, especially to the program and Awards Show, as well as hospitality. Golden Drum will continue to remain the “friendliest festival.”
Media Marketing: When you look back on GD, what’s the first thing that comes to mind, what do you remember most fondly?
Mojca Briščik: The lecture by Finn Rik Vassinen from hasan & partners, who spoke on sustainability, a topic that isn’t exactly “sexy,” but he made the audience laugh with a serious expression on his face. He was amazing! All the speakers were excellent, so everyone in the audience had something valuable to take away. Golden Drum is definitely not only a place of inspiration but also of connection. At the opening, seeing so many familiar and smiling faces, and everyone toasting with Slovenian and Macedonian wine and Serbian rakija, was truly wonderful. This year, we had delegates from 31 countries, which we are particularly proud of. It’s also certain that Klemen Slakonja, our long-time host of the daily program and Awards Show, a versatile artist, got the audience on their feet and received a big round of applause. His hosting is more than extraordinary because, every time, he turns a classic award ceremony into a real spectacle with song and a bit of humor that you don’t want to miss.
Klemen Slakonja show
Media Marketing: The list of speakers was really impressive. Who impressed the audience the most?
Mojca Briščik: Considering the hall was packed from morning until night, I guess they were all excellent😊. When I think about how we’ll have to find a way to secure extra seating, that’s a sweet concern we’ll address for the next festival😊.
Media Marketing: And for you?
Mojca Briščik: Rik literally made us laugh, Kentaro Kimura and Pum Lefebure impressed us, Malcolm Poynton was inspiring, and Adam Kerj gave many interesting insights. Also, this year, I listened with great interest to Janet Levine, who spoke about media utopia, and I was so captivated that I re-watched her presentation after the festival to delve deeper into the many examples and research that I will study further myself.
Media Marketing: Are you satisfied with attendance and the number of submitted works?
Mojca Briščik: Absolutely! Festivals worldwide are seeing a decline this year, but we’re growing – we recorded more than a 10% increase in entries, which is remarkable! We mustn’t forget that Russia and Belarus are still not allowed to submit entries, meaning we have around 400 fewer works than we would typically have. When it comes to submissions, it’s not just the quantity that matters but also the quality because that reflects the festival’s caliber. And honestly, judging good works is a real pleasure and certainly a source of inspiration for many.
Media Marketing: You had a truly global production in the competition program. The juries had their hands full. Are you satisfied with their work?
Mojca Briščik: The jury presidents and members this year in the One-Channel, Omni-Channel, and Craft categories had an especially tough task because the shortlisted works were truly excellent. All jury members did an outstanding job, and at the Awards Show, we enthusiastically applauded the winning works. At Golden Drum, only the best works receive awards, which is why Golden Drum is on two important global creative lists: WARC and The Drum.
Media Marketing: GD is listed on the WARC list, alongside the Cannes festival. How difficult is it to maintain that level and possibly climb even higher?
Mojca Briščik: As I mentioned, Golden Drum is not only on the WARC Creative Rankings list of seven regional festivals worldwide but also on the global creative list of The Drum. Honestly, anyone who hasn’t been involved in organizing an international festival covering 42 countries can’t imagine how challenging it is to make it onto such two global lists, and even harder to stay on them! Our industry is ruthless and doesn’t allow us to relax. These lists reflect hard work, consistency in organization, objective and tough competition where there’s no room for mistakes and exceptions, and good international relations with entrants and other participants like international associations, media outlets, and so on. It’s the result of continuous work that my colleague Polona Simšič and I, with great respect, have continued after Jure Apih.
Media Marketing: You’ve probably got some new ideas, something to change or innovate. Can we have an exclusive sneak peek at one new thing that will happen next year?
Mojca Briščik: We will refresh the competition, the awards ceremony will be split into two parts, and we will definitely have the opportunity to better get to know the next Hall of Fame member. Expect surprises at the Awards Show – Klemen Slakonja and I already have a few ideas on how we will once again surprise and, I believe, delight the participants and winners of Golden Drum 2025!
Mojca Briščik and Polona Simšič
Interview by: Ekrem Dupanović
