While the regional communications industry is used to “out of office” mode in August, Rovinj has, for 18 years, been serving as a reminder that the most creative weekend does not happen on vacation but around ideas. From the “childhood illnesses” of its early editions to today’s coming of age, Weekend Media Festival has grown into an institution: a place where people go to lectures but stay for the afters, where the future of the industry is discussed seriously, but just as passionately about whose DJ set was better.
In these 18 years WMF has become a kind of annual review of the state of the communications scene, a laboratory for ideas, a live social network, and proof that creativity works best when it is combined with fun. Every year in Rovinj, the most important people of the industry gather, global and regional names, brands and agencies, who in three days merge networking, inspiration and a good time into a formula that cannot be copied.
And to make it work, it took a lot of work, improvisation, courage, and of course, a sense of humor. Because if there is a place where you can test how ready the industry is for new ideas, how open it is to change, and how much it loves itself, then it is precisely WMF. And that is why it is only logical that the first regional “festival for adults” is now of age.
MM: When you look back at the “childhood” of Weekend, what was that first big challenge, and the moment when you knew the festival would last long?
Tomo Ricov: The first challenge was whether there was any interest at all for such a festival. Would visitors from other countries in the region come to a festival in Croatia, many thought it was “too early”? After the first festival ended, I knew we had found a good formula: smart people in a relaxed atmosphere talking about important topics. Admittedly, not even in my most optimistic scenario did I think Weekend would have such a long and successful life.
MM: If WMF were a person who has just come of age, what advice would you give before stepping into “adult life”?
Tomo Ricov: Don’t change your character, stay relaxed, open and curious. Don’t be afraid of new ideas, absorb them, connect people.
MM: Was there a moment when you realized that WMF had the potential to become an important point on the map of regional, but also international, media and marketing events?
Tomo Ricov: Twice, after the first Weekend and after the first one following the pandemic. The sky is the limit to where the project can go.
MM: Coming of age carries responsibility. How do you balance the growth of the festival with preserving the original energy and charm of the first editions?
Tomo Ricov: That is a good question. The big challenge is not to lose that initial charm with the big increase in the number of visitors. We still manage to achieve that “friends and family” feeling among festival attendees, we still have many visitors who have been coming since the first edition. Newcomers quickly adapt to the relaxed spirit of Weekend.
MM: In 18 years you must have had crisis moments and unexpected twists. Can you share one “behind the scenes” story that perfectly captures the spirit of Weekend?
Tomo Ricov: Covid was the biggest challenge but we managed to get through it with only one canceled festival. For Weekend 14 we literally gambled, we could have been canceled at the last moment. It was good that we were persistent, the smiles of people coming and the collective ecstasy of being able to gather again were worth all the trouble. We have an excellent, well-coordinated team so we can overcome any challenge.
MM: How much is WMF today for you a passion project, and how much a serious business, and where do you draw the line between love and profitability?
Tomo Ricov: Another great question. I don’t draw the line, if I’m not passionate about a project, it won’t be successful in business either. Passion is not a guarantee that a project will succeed, some, for various reasons, fail to be profitable and then you need to know when to stop. But if there is no passion, it definitely will not succeed.
MM: Were there offers or opportunities that would have changed the DNA of the festival, which you refused, and why?
Tomo Ricov: Fortunately, it never even crossed anyone’s mind.
MM: If you had to completely rebrand WMF for a new generation of audiences, what would you keep and what would you completely change?
Tomo Ricov: We have already rebranded for new generations and a new audience. In the last few years we have added new industries because we realized we cannot make a festival exclusively for the media and communications industry, since those industries are strongly intertwined with others such as HR, finance, IT, AI, the energy industry and investments. That is how we launched sub-brands of Weekend that deepen cooperation with other industries, and Weekend is becoming a regional hub where professionals from various fields connect. This year we even have six festivals in one.
