The 35th Slovenian Advertising Festival (SOF) begins tomorrow in the former salt warehouse Magazin Grando in Portorož, once again bringing together the marketing, creative and media industries from across the region and beyond. The festival programme includes lectures, discussions and case studies focused on brand development, artificial intelligence, leadership, digital culture and the relationship between creativity and business.
The organisers are announcing an edition that will, through the experiences of international and regional speakers, attempt to show how ideas with real business and social impact are created today.
“SOF is not just an overview of the best in the industry, but proof that in a time of generic communication, the greatest value is once again created by people, bold ideas and authentic stories. From global creative visionaries, technological pioneers and artificial intelligence experts to leading local names from marketing, sport, music and culture, SOF 2026 in Portorož brings together voices that do not follow trends, but create them. The festival is becoming a place where creativity, responsibility, technology and humanity meet and together define the future of communication,” said Mojca Briščik, Executive Director of the Slovenian Advertising Chamber (SOZ).
Among the international speakers this year, Dominic Czaja, founder of DOJO, stands out in particular, as he will speak about building brands with a strong identity and an approach that rejects compromise in creativity. American creative director David Schwen will focus on how precision and humour can be used to build a strong visual brand identity.
Fabio Seidl, who led creative processes at X and Meta, will speak about the survival of ideas in the digital economy, while Fabrice Plazolles from Havas Play will analyse how partnerships, sports and culture can grow into broader social movements.
The festival programme also gives significant space to artificial intelligence. British AI expert Dave Birss will present ways in which artificial intelligence can become a creative tool, while European digital visionary Philipp Riederle will speak about the changes the internet and digital platforms are bringing to new generations.
Themes of trust, social impact and responsibility will be explored by Thomas Kolster, known as Mr. Goodvertising, and Jessica Claar from Mastercard, while Jonika Dhima Hoomes from Integralis Leadership will speak about leadership and managing teams without burnout.
The regional and local industry will be represented by Darja Teržan from Atlantic Grupa, Tomislav Čizmić from Telemach Slovenija and Dr. Branka Bizjak Zabukovec from Futura DDB, who will offer perspectives on marketing from the standpoint of business, strategic development and brand management.
One of the more interesting parts of the programme will be a discussion about the film Belo se pere na devetdeset, through which Dr. Aleš Pavlin from AGRFT and Medeja Kraševec Žnidarec from the agency Luna \TBWA will analyse the relationship between art, emotion and commercial communication.
The festival’s sports perspective will be brought by Olympic champion Andreja Leški, who will speak about pressure, defeats and the moments behind the greatest successes, while Tadeja Voščun, director Mark Pirc and hip-hop artist Masayah will discuss the creation of major music projects.
The festival will traditionally conclude with the awards ceremony during the Golden night, hosted by Klemen Slakonja, followed by the Carpe Diem Europlakat Party featuring the band Joker Out and the Sladica party with DJ Zeds.
