On 12 and 13 October, Portorož will once again become a meeting point for the international creative, advertising and marketing community. The 32nd Golden Drum will put the spotlight on the ideas reshaping brands, media and creativity, from AI and changing consumer behaviour to the power of local insight and seemingly stupid ideas.
For more than three decades, Golden Drum has brought together creatives, marketers, agencies, brands and industry leaders from across markets and disciplines. This year’s programme looks firmly ahead, exploring how technology, shifting consumer expectations and the increasingly blurred lines between creativity, media, product and business are changing the industry.
The festival opens on 12 October with Drum Roll: The Opening Party, followed by the main programme, winner announcements and the Golden Sunset Party on 13 October.
Ideas that go beyond the creative department
What happens when an idea leaves the presentation deck and has to work in the real world? Xavier Blais, Partner and Executive Creative Director at Rethink, will make the case for bringing a culture of makers back into creative departments, where people not only come up with ideas but know how to make them happen.
Mihnea Gheorghiu, Global Chief Creative Officer at LePub Network, will bring his talk The Rant to the Golden Drum stage. The festival will also mark a special moment for Gheorghiu as he becomes the newest member of the Golden Drum Hall of Fame.
The future of media creativity will be explored by Marko Jovanović, Creative Director at Havas Adriatic, who will examine why creating new media experiences increasingly requires collaboration across creative, strategy, media and other disciplines.
From AI to the signals shaping what comes next
For Fitz Maro, Head of the Americas, Design Technology at Brand Innovation Lab, Amazon Ads, AI may be a massive new tool, but it remains just that: a tool. He will explore how technology can expand creative possibilities without replacing ideas, curiosity and human judgement.
Katrina Stirton Dodd, Trends Editor at Contagious, will turn to some rather unexpected signals of the future. From robotaxis and Toy Story 5 to skincare for three-year-olds, she will unpack what today’s cultural shifts can tell us about where consumers, brands and marketing are heading.
Islam ElDessouky, Global Vice President of Creative at The Coca-Cola Company, will look beyond creativity as a communications discipline and explore how it can become a measurable driver of business growth.
From local insight to global impact
David Guerrero, Creative Chairman at BBDO Guerrero and member of the BBDO Worldwide Creative Council, will examine how ideas from smaller markets can reach the global stage. Combining global perspective, local insight and a deep understanding of the brand, his session will also address the business case for creativity and the returns that awarded creative work can generate for clients.
Emma Follett, Chief Creative Officer at Design Bridge and Partners, will explore what it takes for brands to leave a lasting cultural mark, bringing together strategic thinking, emotional depth and uncompromising execution.
While much of the industry is talking about prompts and algorithms, Dirk Schuster and Benjamin Simon, Co-Founders and Creative Directors at FOREAL, are going back to the pencil. Through real projects, they will show how an unfinished sketch or a seemingly stupid idea can become the beginning of something much bigger.
Sometimes the best marketing idea is not an ad at all. Carl Ewald Jannerfeldt, Creative Director at Rocket—Science, will explore what happens when creativity moves beyond communication and becomes part of the product itself.
Rounding out the line-up, Toygun Yilmazer, Chief Transformation Officer at TBWA\Istanbul, will look at what happens to brands when consumers increasingly turn to AI assistants rather than traditional search, and what that shift means for visibility and relevance.
And then come the awards
The first winners will be revealed on 13 October at 12:55, with the announcement of the Bronze and Silver Drums. At 20:00, the festival’s main Golden Drum Award Show, powered by Mastercard and hosted by Klemen Slakonja, will take centre stage.
Special recognitions include:
- UNFPA Inclusion Excellence Award, in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund, recognising creative work that contributes to gender equality and social inclusion
- Game Changer Award, supported by Telemach Slovenia, for work that challenges established approaches through a creative breakthrough or innovative shift
- Best of Social Good and Best of Local Spirit
For the region, a key moment will be the announcement of the Adriatic Agency of the Year, supported by Zavarovalnica Triglav and awarded to the most successful agency from the Adriatic region based on points collected across all sections and special groups. NLB supports the Independent Agency of the Year title.
The Brand of the Year, Agency of the Year, Production Agency of the Year, Media Agency of the Year, Creative Director of the Year and Network of the Year titles will also be presented, together with the winner or winners of the Young Drummers Competition, supported by Mastercard Slovenia.
From opening night to Golden Sunset
The Golden Drum community will first gather on 12 October at 20:00 for Drum Roll: The Opening Party at News Café Bernardin in Portorož.
After the final award is handed out the following evening, the celebration moves to Piran. From 22:00, the Golden Sunset Party takes over Caffè al Teatro, with DJ Alex Dee Groove behind the decks.
What’s next
The 32nd Golden Drum will be about more than celebrating the best creative work of the past year. It will also look at what comes next, as creativity meets AI, new media environments, changing consumer behaviour and an industry increasingly looking for ideas that create real impact.
Golden Drum takes place on 12 and 13 October in Portorož, Slovenia. Delegate passes are available via the Golden Drum website.
