Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Ekrem Dupanović
Each machine needs a thorough overhaul after extensive use. It’s same with me, so on Monday I started my fifteen-day rehabilitation at Terme Selce, hoping that doctor Vlasta Brozičević and his team will manage to restore me to factory state. The tests that we did over the first two days suggest that it was high time for me to decide for this step, which I delayed for almost two years. The exercises to which I dedicate five hours a day are already showing results. I believe that after two weeks, I will return to Sarajevo in mint condition.
It’s very lively here in Terme Selce. I’ve met two people from the industry with whom we can develop a very useful cooperation. Today, we were joined at exercises by Tereza Kesovija, who treated us with lunch at noon, ordered from the best hotel around. Classy lady.
I’ve set up the apartment where I dwell into an office, so I use all my free time for work. There are a lot of things I planned to do while away from the daily fuss in the Sarajevo office, and I really look forward to that.
I’m still under the impressions of the excellent Branding Conference held last Friday in Sarajevo, organized by the agency Via Media. Vesna Beganović and her team succeeded for the seventh time to organize if not the only, then certainly the best conference of this type in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The program was excellent. Surprisingly, we had the opportunity to listen to some great speakers from the world who didn’t end their lectures with the globally famous sentence: “What I really wanted to say…” These were inspiring and practical lectures after which each of the 350 something people could apply something of the things learned in their own business. In the audience were mostly young people, and that is what is encouraging. The industry has a future.
I took advantage of the conference to make some contacts. I had a long talk with Dragan Rujević, director of New Moment for BiH who told me that I shouldn’t be surprised if a Cannes Lion lands in Bosnia and Herzegovina this year. I spent the afternoon with Damir Ciglar (Imago Ogilvy), and in the evening Vedrana and I took Manuela Šola (Komunikacijski laboratorij) to a dinner at Kibe’s. Conversations with Damir and Manuela were very important for me. With Damir, I removed some of the noise that appeared in our communication, because I was not at all aware of the consequences that Agrokor has sewn throughout the Croatian advertising industry. Not so much because of debts (there’s no big advertiser without big debts), but because of the complete cessation of communication activities. The agency teams that have worked for Agrokor and its members lost their jobs. From Manuela I got what I wanted – full support for te Woman.Comm idea and projects, and willingness to fully cooperate. Very soon we will make a plan and start with its realization.
Along with a good program, great organization (Via Media paid attention to every detail, and since it is Ramadan, they even prepared the evening dinner for all participants who didn’t have lunch because they are fasting in the holy month) and networking, we must note the professional production of the conference, which, as in previous years, was taken care of by Blow Up.
If there were more events like this, the industry in Bosnia and Herzegovina would be more developed and more successful. But every such event needs someone who will develop and implement it, someone who is willing to give some of their time, knowledge and energy for the benefit of the entire industry. For years now it is obvious that – except for Vesna Beganović – we don’t have such people in Sarajevo.
Selce, 6 June 2017.