Sam Balsara: I’d like to see Goafest attract not 1,500, but 15,000 delegates in future

I would like to see Goafest attract not 1,500, but 15,000 delegates. The objective of Goafest is to inspire young people and expose them to outstanding advertising thinking and work. There is a desire among a large number of those working in advertising to participate in Goafest but what comes in the way is its prohibitive cost, given the inflation that we all have seen.

In order to make this happen, we need to get sponsorships from media companies to the tune of at least Rs 25-30 crore so that the cost can be heavily subsidised. An industry that feeds media with Rs 90,000 crore of Adex should not have a problem contributing Rs 30 crore for this purpose. I would like to congratulate the main sponsors of Goafest for making the festival possible. Also, the fact that they have been coming forward year after year and investing substantial money should be an indication to other media owners that an investment in Goafest pays back.

I would also like to see at least half a day being kept aside for a closed-door business session with no more than 50 senior business leaders from agencies - both creative and media - and senior media executives and advertisers who come together and brainstorm on how the conflicting interests of the three groups can be managed. Its aim would be to ensure that the overall interest of the industry is both protected and furthered.

(Sam Balsara is Chairman, Madison World)