Goafest 2014 finally gets some direction under BBDO boss Sundar Swamy

MUMBAI: Goafest 2014 still doesn't have a programme, venue or sponsors finalised, but it appears that the advertising festival will actually take place this year. With a new chairman -Sundar Swamy, chairman of RK Swamy BBDO - at the helm, the festival format is set to change considerably, though.

Speaking exclusively to ET, Swamy said, "We will host the festival in the second half of May and it will be a three-day festival with three award nights. We have introduced a whole new set of categories for which we require more time."

The big difference for the thousands of young ad executives and creatives who have flocked to Goafest in the past, is that the festival this year will be largely held indoors. That means no rain dance, no beach activity and no open bar. Swamy adds, "The seminar hangers that we built on the beach had the capacity to host 600 people. And we have seen 400 to 500 people attend the award nights. So we have a few indoor options in Goa which we will lock soon."

While this may not go down well with Goafest's beach bums, some members of the AAAI say that Swamy may add some cheer to the festival by bringing back the agencies like Ogilvy & Mather, Lowe & Partners, Leo Burnett and Creativeland Asia. While Nakul Chopra may have stepped down as festival chairman, Publicis is likely to participate, agency sources say.