Goafest 2023 raises a toast to ‘The Future of Creativity’ at a Curtain Raiser event, kicking off its celebrations by bringing together the who’s who of the advertising and marketing fraternity and unveiling the theme.

The Curtain Raiser, hosted by the Goafest 2023 organizing committee, took place on May 5, 2023, in Mumbai and was attended by agencies, advertisers, brands, and media owners.

Speaking at the Goafest 2023 Curtain Raiser, Prasanth Kumar, President, of the Advertising Agencies Association of India and CEO, of South Asia GroupM said, “Goafest is known to unite India and South Asia’s creative economy. When we began working on curating Goafest 2023, we were certain that we wanted to present to the industry creativity in a new avatar and our theme is exactly in line with this. While we often discussed the future of creativity, this year’s edition of Goafest will be synonymous with it.

With a stellar line-up of speakers, must-attend masterclasses, and celebration-worthy evenings, we look forward to meeting our industry folks at Goafest, shortly.”

“Year after year we have raised the standard of Goafest and The ABBY Awards making it internationally competitive, increasingly. We believe we owe it to our industry. As we kickstart our month-long celebrations, we are excited as we create new opportunities, bring in new learnings, and drive enthusiasm while honoring excellence.”added Partha Sinha, President, of Times of India Group and President of The Advertising Club, addressing the industry at the Curtain Raiser.

A panel discussion led by Amrita Thapar, Chief Marketing Officer, Microsoft India, and advertising expert and veteran Agnello Dias delves into the theme.

The panel was moderated by noted journalist Anuradha SenGupta.

The panel discussed the possibilities of AI and creativity, as well as technological advancements that will enable new forms of creativity.

The panel also shed light on emerging technologies that blur the distinction between the real and virtual worlds.

Opening up the panel discussion, journalist Anuradha SenGupta said, “AI-based tools are becoming available at dizzying speed. As we evaluate the opportunities and challenges they create, we need to understand more, so much more about how they work. We will have to use these tools consciously and listen as much to the scientists and engineers who create them as regulators, ethicists, and philosophers who question them. Glad Goafest 2023 has made this the theme. The more we talk the better our choices.”

Sharing his thoughts, advertising expert Agnello Dias said, “AI is a big step in democratizing the access to raw material required for creative execution but it cannot substitute creativity.”

“Generative AI is the next big leap in artificial intelligence. It’s an inflection point in terms of how emerging technologies like AI are being used today.” said Amrita Thapar, Chief Marketing Officer, Microsoft India, further adding, “It augments human ingenuity. It’s your copilot that helps unlock productivity, unleash creativity, and up-level skills.”

The committee also launched Goacast as the Official Podcast for Goafest 2023 to deepen engagement and drive participation from across the industry. Goacast will provide exclusive interviews and scoop with the industry’s best. Goacast, curated and presented by Ideabrew Studios, is the undisputed platform for daily dispatches during Goafest 2023.

The Curtain Raiser witnessed a performance by one of India’s top three mentalists, Narpath Raman, which kept guests intrigued. Narpath is a mentalism pioneer in India and is popularly known as the ‘Next Door Mind Reader’ due to his straightforward and entertaining approach. He employs a variety of techniques, including psychology, hypnosis, and storytelling, to extract thoughts from one’s mind, influence decisions, and disrupt one’s sense of reality.

South Asia’s largest advertising festival Goafest 2023, co-hosted by The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) and The Advertising Club, is set to return on May 24, 25, and 26 at Grand Hyatt, Bambolim, Goa.

The prestigious festival will also host the 54th edition of the ABBYs, South Asia’s Gold Standard for recognizing creative excellence in advertising for over five decades.