AdFest to move location from Pattaya to Phuket – Festival dates set for March 17-19, 2011

Next year’s AdFest will be held in a new location, with Pattaya in Thailand being dumped in preference to Phuket. The dates for the festival, now in its 14th year, have been confirmed for 17 March – 19 March, 2011.

Vinit Suraphongchai, chairman of the AdFest working committee explained: “We were unfortunate this year as Thailand’s political situation meant we had to cancel the main event, even though the judging for the creative awards was held successfully in Tokyo. Luckily, the cloud had a silver lining as it allowed us the opportunity to refresh our model and come back with a plan to make AdFest better than it has ever been before.

“This includes a new look, new content and new location. Of course it was important for us to keep the fun and relaxed aspects of the event as well as the professional standards by which it is run and after an exhaustive search around the region, Phuket was the obvious answer.”

Next year’s AdFest event will be themed ‘Jump Start’. Jimmy Lam, president of ADFEST working committee, said they wanted a theme that shows their commitment to and encouragement of the young blood in the marketing communications and production industries of Asia Pacific: “We have established Young Lotus Workshop and Fabulous Four New Directors that motivate the young stars of today and promote the best creative ideas coming up through the ranks.

“This year we have plans to broaden this focus and offer more events that will appeal to a young and eager audience, as well as to celebrate and reward all work that betters the professionalism of the industry as a whole and recognizes the talent and effort that people give. ‘Jump Start’ reflects this and also mirrors the effort we are making to ensure that AdFest takes its place on the creative awards stage with renewed energy and fresh thinking.”

Details of the exact location in Phuket for AdFest 2011 are currently being finalized and will be announced as soon as they are completed. AdFest accepts entries from Australia and New Zealand.