After a hiatus of two long years, owing to the pandemic, Goafest returned in all its glory, witnessing the advertising, marketing and media fraternity converge on the sunny shores of the state. Held from 5-7 May at the Grand Hyatt Goa, the event saw nearly 1,500 members in attendance, celebrating creativity, inclusivity and talent. The 15th edition of the festival kicked off with the unveiling of the AAAI’s (The Advertising Agencies Association of India) new logo, and also marked the collaboration of the prestigious ABBY awards with The One Show, in an effort to make it more global. The underlying theme of Goafest this year was, ‘celebrating the superpower within’. The industry conclave marked the start of the festival, with several insightful sessions. Vinita Singh, co-founder & CEO, Sugar Cosmetics, spoke about the importance of building a brand with quality products and content before focusing on advertising. Actress Yami Gautam was seen conversing with Rana Barua, chairman, ABBY Awards Governing Council 2022 and vice president of the Ad Club, about films, values and the need to build a life beyond numbers. Other sessions revolved around how short-form content is going to be the future. “If you can’t catch the attention of your consumer within two seconds, you have lost them,” said Ankush Sachdeva, co-founder and CEO, Sharechat and Moj. Speaking about Goafest 2022, Anupriya Acharya, president, AAAI said: “It’s been a tough two years, and it’s great to be back on ground not only in terms of organising the festival, but also where achievements are concerned. We are thrilled to have everyone back, bonding and celebrating this festival.” Day 1 wrapped up with the Publisher and Media ABBYs. A total of 15 Publisher ABBYs and 87 Media ABBYs were awarded. Lodestar UM won the Grand Prix for Mumbai Police for their campaign ‘The Punishing Signal’. The evening also saw agencies like Mindshare and Madison take home a number of awards as the biggest winners in the Media ABBYs, while the Publisher ABBYs saw FCB pick up two golds, and Bennett Coleman & Company Limited was awarded Publisher of the Year, with four bronzes and one gold. Talking shop The next day was equally exciting with a strong line-up of content, leadership summits and seminars. A highlight of the day was the knowledge session on OTT superpower – freedom and nuances of creativity. The session was about how OTT changed not only the lives of audiences but also creators. Next, Sam Glassenberg, founder & CEO of Level Ex shed light on the potential of video games and how brands can reach audiences through this medium. Throughout the day, master classes were also organised with presenters from Sharechat, Google, Snapchat, and Meta, focused on topics such as how the creator economy is driving brand success, how to appeal to consumers in a cool new way, the power of camera marketing, and Instagram for business – a spotlight on creator and reels.