Goafest, India’s premier annual celebration of creativity and innovation, has embraced the theme “The Age of Adaptability” for this year’s event. Marking a significant shift, the festival has relocated from its traditional home in Goa to the bustling metropolis of Mumbai. In conversation with Medianews4u.com the core committee members of
Jaideep Gandhi, Chairman of the Organising Committee – Goafest 2024, and Mohit Joshi, CEO, Havas Media Group India and the Co-chair spoke about the theme, association with D&AD, industry and sponsor support.
While discussing this year’s theme, Gandhi stated, “Thanks to Rohit Ohri for helping us with the current theme. Adaptability is the current ethos of the industry where a lot of changes are happening, new media platforms are emerging, consumer trends are changing, hence in order for us to evolve and thrive, we as an industry should adapt to the changes. As every industry is witnessing a change, we are an industry driven by consumers, and it is very important for us to adapt to their changing needs. Also, we need to upgrade and it is more about evolution with time. We adapted by moving it to Mumbai from Goa.”
Echoing this sentiment, Joshi added, “All the sessions are very clearly talking about how one needs to evolve and adapt to the new reality that we are facing every day.”
Goafest 2024 promises a rich and dynamic content lineup that embodies the theme of adaptability. Industry legends like Harit Nagpal, Managing Director and CEO of Tata Play, and Sanjiv Mehta, Executive Chairman of L Catterton India, will be among the speakers.
“The festival will feature various panels, including a CMO panel discussing the evolution of marketing and a CEO panel on the changing roles over time. Key industry bodies such as the IAAA and ASCI will also contribute to the content creation, with dedicated sessions on their areas of expertise. Veteran actress Zeenat Aman will share her journey from the silver screen to the OTT platform, highlighting personal adaptability and evolution. The masterclasses will focus on unlearning obsolete skills, relearning, and reskilling to ensure success in today’s fast-changing environment,” Joshi said.
Despite the venue change, the industry has shown strong support.
“Though it has been shifted to Mumbai, Goa Fest is going to remain as it is. It is India’s largest ad festival; changing the venue hasn’t affected the participation and support, and the sponsorship closely mirrors last year’s impressive count of 45,” Gandhi emphasized.
The partnership with D&AD further underscores the festival’s commitment to skill development. Gandhi elaborated, “65% of the audience of Goafest is youth, and we are seeing the fest as an opportunity for skill development to be a part of it. We have networking sessions and masterclasses. With every passing year, we have added elements to make it more inclusive and significant. It was our responsibility as an association to include skill development, which is the need of the hour for our industry. We partnered with D&AD, which has the same mindset as us and the same purpose. Jo Jackson, CEO of D&AD, instantly agreed to the association. There are four key workshops, one of which will be led by Jo Jackson.”
Goafest 2024 is set to be a landmark event, bringing together thought leaders, innovators, and young professionals to explore the theme of adaptability and its crucial role in today’s ever-evolving industry landscape.
