PATTAYA, THAILAND – ADFEST 2025 is now gearing up at PEACH, Royal Cliff Hotels Group in Pattaya, Thailand. This year it is welcoming 783 delegates from 55 cities who have been streaming through its doors since the start of the three-day festival.
ADFEST 2025 runs from 20th March to 22nd March 2025 and is hosting is a full program to keep eager delegates busy, including 55 back-to-back speaker sessions, broadcasts at the breakout stage, interactive workshops, Production Hut hub and an exhibition of all the entries submitted for the Lotus Awards as well as presentations for the awards themselves.
PROGRAM SESSIONS
On the second day of the festival, the main stage was the place to be for a full agenda of speaker sessions and content.
Ty Curtis from Activate Studios, Brisbane kicked off the day’s proceedings with “The Alchemy of Immersion: Blending Technology to Create Magic with Meaning”. Activate’s session investigated the alchemy that happens when multiple elements are combined to create a greater sum than the parts. This can transform the way we tell stories, build worlds and engage with audiences.
Following closely behind, three experts from different fields take to the stage to debate what makes the best creative idea. “A Creative, A Gaming Expert and A Strategist Agree to Disagree” brings together Nicole Ingra from Ingra Labs, Barcelona, Rey Tiempo from MINOTAUR and Felipe Franco from FF&Co to discuss and foster ideas between them.
The next session was presented by Herbert Pradjaja and Kryse Ynieto from Monks Singapore. “Real-Time Brands: Now or Never”. The pair used three pillars to illustrate how to harness the power of brands, including Curate New Experiences, Connect New Ecosystems and Create New Legacies.
Before lunch, delegates were privileged to see “Short Films for ADFEST 2025 by the Fabulous Five”, A panel moderated by Wuthisak Anarnkaporn, Founder & Director from FACTORY 01, Bangkok discussed the inspiration behind the films. The panel included new directors, Azlan Som, Haruna Takahara, Mayuka Kawamura, Mika Sasaki and Tomoya Matsushita.
After lunch, a team from Hakuhodo presented “Uncommon Ground: The Unity that Superpowers Creativity”. The regional team on stage was comprised of Third C Domingo from Manila, Vimoha Bagla from New Delhi and Taro Taniwaki from Tokyo.
Closely following on Hakuhodo’s heels, Yun Jeong Jang from Cheil Worldwide delves into the use of design and visuals by leading global brands with his session, “What Are We Drawing?”.
Next onto the stage was Max Lederer from Jung von Matt in Hamburg, who presented “The Missing Link: How GenA.I. Augments Creativity and Impactful Advertising”.
TikTok’s success in revolutionising the creative value chain was the topic of the next session. “Building Brands for Tomorrow: Tiktok’s AI-powered Creative Solutions”was presented by Alexander Lim from TikTok, Singapore.
For the final session of the day, delegates were exposed to “The Surreal World: Why Comedy is Thailand’s Secret Weapon”. Jamie Madge from shots, London moderated a discussion between director Wuthisak Anarnkaporn from FACTORY 01, Bangkok and Thasorn Boonyanate, Chief Creative Officer at BBDO Bangkok to explore the off-kilter advertising from Thailand that is well-known and loved around the world.
BREAKOUT STAGE
On Day 2 of ADFEST 2025, the Breakout Stage was reserved for delegates that wanted to view “Juries Insights” – footage of award discussions, straight from the judging floor.
In the morning, juries shared nuggets of information for Digital & Social, Digital Craft, Mobile, Design and Print & Outdoor Craft Lotus Award categories.
After lunch, delegates were able to view the inside story from juries for Film Craft, New Director, Brand Experience, Commerce, Direct, Entertainment, Media and PR.
INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS
Two interactive workshops took place on Day 2 of the festival, attended by delegates who pre-registered for each event.
On Friday, 21st March, in the morning, delegates joined the “Trend Immersion Workshop”, run by Paul Drake of D&AD. They learned how to spot trends and use different techniques to apply to their creative process.
In the afternoon, Christian Mix-Lenzer, Emika Kusunoki and Ian Nagano from Tracks & Fields ran Culture, Context, Curation & Craft:Unlocking the Formula for Brand Music Success. Delegates were shown how brand music & sound identities and strategies are developed and applied. They also worked on a potential musical identity for ADFEST as a practical exercise.
LOTUS ROYALE LOUNGE
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 can 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.
Follow all the latest news and events via #ADFEST2025 #COLLiDEatADFEST2025 on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok (www.tiktok/@adfestofficial). To view the full program, visit www.ADFEST.com
