“YET ANOTHER ADVERTISING AWARD SHOW?”

I was skeptical when the late Jimmy Lam approached me to submit entries to the Asia-Pacific Advertising Festival (AdFest) some 20 years ago.

The advertising industry already had more than its fair share of award shows and my ad agency had a limited budget which mostly went to the more established Cannes Lions, D&AD, One Show, Clio, London International Awards, New York Festivals and the local Kancil Awards.

My financial controller would be livid if I asked him for more money to enter another advertising award show that was relatively unknown at that time.

AdFest survived the skepticism and has since become the regional award show of choice in the Asia-Pacific, for the simple reason that it is not another advertising award show.

AdFest is a stage that illuminates and celebrates creativity in every form, not just advertising. AdFest is a forum for the exchange of strategic marketing and effective communication ideas.

A showcase of human engagement and technological innovation. A training ground for young talents and a rejuvenation centre for senior talents. A networking hub for people seeking to share creative ideas and people looking to find creative thinkers.

Now in its 28^th year, AdFest stands firmly as the mecca of creativity in the Asia-Pacific. A beacon that shines a light on the forward-looking, future-facing people and their ideas that will make us the next big thing.