Goafest 2014 announces agenda, speakers

The speakers' list has been put together, based on the survey of last three years' Goafest delegates.

The Goafest Organising Committee has released the first list of speakers for Goafest 2014 Knowledge Seminars.

While the focus was on international speakers in the earlier editions, this year the Knowledge Seminars will have a good mix of international, inspirational, spiritual speakers and speakers on innovative aspects. This is based on a survey among the last three years' Goafest delegates.

Arvind Sharma, president, Advertising Agencies Association of India, says, "Based on the findings of this survey, we have put together a very special list of speakers for Goafest delegates to listen to and interact with."

For the Knowledge Seminars, the initial set of names include Preethi Mariappan (ECD, Razorfish, Germany); Melanie Varley (chief strategy officer, global, MEC); Norm Johnson (chief digital officer, Mindshare); Alicia Souza (illustration designer/artist/ e-commerce entrepreneur); Shravan Kumaran and Sanjay Kumaran (youngest app developers in India); and a group known as AIB (All India Bakchod); Devdutt Pattanaik (mythologist, author, leadership); D K Hema and Hema Hari (founders, BharathGyan).

"We are delighted that we have been able to get some very inspiring speakers on a cross section of subjects which delegates are normally not exposed to," says Srinivasan Swamy, chairman, Goafest Committee.

Scheduled to be held on May 29-31, Goafest 2014 will be hosted by The Grand Hyatt, Bambolim, North Goa.

Continuing on the platform of learning, celebrating, fellowship and fun, Goafest 2014 will have exhibitions of shortlisted award entries, entertainment programmes, rain dance, foam dance, beach and adventure sports on all the days.

The theme of the seventh edition of Goafest is 'Brand Baaja Baraat'. The logo has changed with 'Goafest' being labelled on a trumpet. The committee comprises Srinivasan K Swamy (chairman, Goafest 2014), Pratap Bose (president, The Advertising Club and chairman, The Awards Governing Council) and Arvind Sharma (founding chairman, Goafest and current president, Advertising Agencies Association of India). While Draftfcb Ulka had done the creatives for Goafest last year, this year, Dentsu Marcom has taken over the baton.