Discover the power of ‘Hi’ at AdFest 2024
ADFEST 2024 is all set and says ‘HI’ at PEACH, Royal Cliff Hotels Group in Pattaya, Thailand, welcoming 747 delegates from 55 cities who will stream through its doors for the three-day festival from 21st – 23rd March. With a packed program delegates will be engaged throughout the event, featuring 51 back-to-back speaker sessions, an exhibition of all the entries submitted for the Lotus Awards as well as the presentation of the awards themselves.
PROGRAM SESSIONS
On Day 1 at ADFEST 2024, Rey Tiempo from Game On + Adobo Magazine kicked off with “Say H.I. to Gaming X Marketing: Connecting with Asia’s Gaming Communities”. With the ever-increasing relevance and rich creative branding opportunities in gaming, they explored how brands can tap into this growing space, with fresh new insights on how to connect with the ever-increasingly complex gaming communities, turning them into passionate brand-advocates.
Nicole Ingra from Ingra Labs took the stage next to present “Beyond Tech: Timeless Catalysts for Creative Success” with a look at how we communicate, connect and create when Technology in the world around us is constantly changing.
Saffaan Qadir and Kyungsin Kim from Paulus delved into a transformative shift of storytelling and key trends that are impacting that shift, highlighting the democratisation of technology, the rise of personalised content, and the blurring of lines between reality and digital artistry with “Alchemy in 3D: Crafting The Future of Digital Narratives”
The world’s largest brands are harnessing the power of sonic branding. What is that power? Massive Music’s Ralph van Dijk and Junya Terui explore two of the regions’ biggest examples, TikTok and Lazada with “Sonic Exploder: Building an Audio Icon” They’re two very different brands with two very different backstories.
Moderated by Guan Hin Tay from BBDO Singapore, Laurent Thevenet from Publicis Groupe, APAC, Karla Henwood from Squeak E. Clean Studios and Tyrone Estephan from T&DA will discuss how they’ve negotiated the line between friend and foe when it comes to AI technology with “AI: Ad Industry Friend or Foe?”
The last session before lunch was “The Art of Authentic Connections: Digital Persona Revolution 2.0” from Nikola Stefanović of The Mill, who shares his understanding of how advanced technology can be used to foster genuine connection.
After lunch, delegates explored AI vs human brain to see who took home the heavy weight title in creativity with “Clash of the Titans: AI vs Creative” hosted by Christian Greet of Cirkus
Mariko Kondo from I&CO then delivered “Creative Shift”, an analysis of the implications of AI, the changing roles of humans, and paradigm shifts that brands need to embrace to remain relevant in the evolving landscape of AI.
The next session, “Erasing the Stigma of Cancer in APAC: What role does our industry have to play?” kept delegates in their seats. Jolene Huang, Dave Drilon and Dr Kathleen Recto explored workplace wellness in Asia, and explained why Publicis Groupe is partnering with the People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP is the largest organisation of Talent and HR leaders in the Philippines), and AC Health. This is the first of many steps to growing the Working With Cancer movement (WWC) in Asia Pacific and making a positive impact for the industry and clients alike.
Who is winning the battle of human vs. machine? Does it even need to be a fight?Valerie Madon from McCann Worldgroup took delegates on a world tour to look at some ground-breaking campaigns that have used AI to add new dimensions and scale that humans could only dream of with “Battle of Talents: Human vs Machine”
Finally, the day at the main stage concluded with “Asia Rising”, moderated by Bongkot Charoentham from SPA-HAKUHODO and Mike Chuthakieo from 88rising. They shared the powers that the region holds, in three vitally important areas. 1.) Shifting narratives explored how Asian perspectives are reshaping the global conversation and influencing the world’s cultural trends. 2.) Breaking barriers to witness the strong impacts of Asian talents shaping the future of the world on a global scale in every possible aspect, and 3.) A future of shared stories that uncovered the potential for collaboration and exchange, fostering a more inclusive and vibrant world.
BREAK OUT STAGE
Simultaneously with the main stage speaker sessions, ADFEST’s Breakout Stage has scheduled a full broadcasting schedule over three days of the festival. The program includes the INNOVA Lotus Shortlists Presentation on Thursday, March 21st, followed by INNOVA and Lotus Roots Screening and Juries Insights on Days 2 and 3, ending with the Winners Showcase from the Friday night’s Awards Presentation.
INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS
At ADFEST 2024, in addition to attending many and diverse speaker sessions and viewing the huge exhibition of entries, delegates can register for 6 different interactive workshops.
On Thursday, 21st March, “Tabletop vs AI Workshop” presents for creatives a secret sauce of mouthwatering tabletop imagery by Greg Ferro, leading Tabletop Director and Director of Photography from EyeCandy. The session reveals how AI may be used to evolve and integrate demo parts more effectively into films and provides delegates with the secrets of how to do this.
On Friday morning, 22nd March, Guan Hin Tay of BBDO Singapore will host “Collide. Embracing Conflict to Boost Creativity”, a workshop exploring how the power of conflict can birth new ideas that create new realities.
On Friday afternoon, “UNLOCK WINNING IDEAS” is an Interactive Workshop with CEO of D&AD, Jo Jackson. She will present answers on “What does it take to go from good to great?” and then unpack how to make inspiring and impactful award-winning work.
On Friday & Saturday afternoon, McCann Worldgroup will host “Shape My Portfolio”, a workshop designed to give aspiring creatives the rare opportunity to elevate their portfolio. The one-on-one mentorship allows young creatives to present their portfolios to creative gurus and receive invaluable constructive feedback for self-improvement.
On Saturday morning, “Crafting for Commerce” hosted by Meta, will reveal the art of creating compelling content that drives consumer action. They will examine frameworks and test designs developed to optimise business impact and coach delegates on how to use the synergy between human creativity and Meta’s latest Generative AI solutions.
The final workshop will be in the afternoon on Saturday, 23rd March. Steve Davies from Advertising Producers Association (APA) and the Commercial Film Producers of Europe (CFPE) will be running “The World Producers Summit”, which brings the region’s top producers together to gain valuable insights on the production industry, by brainstorming possible solutions to common issues and exploring new ways of working.
ADFEST PRODUCTION HUT
ADFEST 2024 has a dedicated space for production, post and visual effects, digital, data and technology companies to present their specialist services to the creative industry, providing a unique networking forum for delegates and exhibitors alike.
There are 15 exhibitor booths including 12 from Bangkok, including: Benetone Films, Bob Eye View, Bullet Production, Chamni’s Eye, Chubcheevit Studio, Don Film, Number 24 x Shutterstock, Sun and Moon Productions, TKO Bro, VulcanX, YGGdrazil Group, 80Root Bangkok. Directors Think Tank from Kuala Lumpur. ME Group from Ho Chi Minh and Black Cat White Cat Music from Tokyo.
LOTUS ROYALE LOUNGE
ADFEST loves welcoming back old friends. The Lotus Royale Lounge at ADFEST is a meeting space for the festival’s most loyal delegates who have attended the festival at least three times. VIPs will have access to the VIP Delegate Registration line, VIP zoning at the award presentations, a VIP table at ADFEST parties and priority registrations for workshops. At the Lotus Royal Lounge, they will enjoy benefits including scheduled massage services, coffee, soft drink, and snacks. The Lotus Royale Lounge is located at the 2nd floor of PEACH, to the left of the escalator.
SPONSORS
ADFEST’s Platinum Sponsor this year is the Department of International Trade Promotions (DITP), Ministry of Commerce, Thailand and is appreciative of its long-standing support.
ADFEST is also proud to be associated with its other generous sponsors, including London International Awards, Source/shots/Slate, Black Cat White Cat Music and Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau and Singha Corporation.