Weekend.17 once again pushed the limits of what is possible. The second day of this spectacle surpassed everything that could be imagined - over 6500 visitors, thirsty not only for entertainment, but also for top ideas that change the world. After the first day brought great panels and made the audience dance to the rhythms of the famous DJ Fedda Le Grand, the good atmosphere continued on Saturday with inspiring lectures, panels, workshops and an unforgettable evening party with the star who sets the pace for the new generation - Miach. More than 220 speakers from all over the world on nine stages as part of as many as four festivals - Weekend Media Festival, AI Weekend, HR.Weekend and Finance Weekend, shared their ideas in the space of the old Tobacco Factory under the auspices of Adris Group.
How did a lawyer from Slovenia become the president of UEFA and what obstacles did he have to overcome on the way? What is the power of football in the world, but also his as the president of UEFA and how he fought against the Superliga, in the largest hall of the Weekend, filled to capacity, in a conversation with Milan Vlaović Kovaček, writer and columnist Gloria revealed to us Aleksandar Čeferin. How strong the power of football is is proven by the situation at the beginning of the war in Ukraine described by Čeferin, when within one day he managed to organize for the players and their families to be taken out of Ukraine, including Darijo Srna, while the embassies were unable to do this either. nor politicians. "Your life changes a lot when you become the president of UEFA and that power can carry anyone. You have to know that you are one thing, and the function is something completely different. A lot will change when my term ends, but I think I will keep a lot of friends", states Čeferin.
What does it mean to be happy? A question that many of us ask ourselves every day, and on this year's Weekend.17, Michael Dahlen, a Swedish professor of happiness, gave the audience answers through a unique perspective. "Every now and then we need to stop and ask ourselves - does what we do make sense and does it fulfill us in some way", said Dahlen, explaining to the audience the importance of reflection and questioning of one's goals in the busy and stressful world in which we live. Dahlen explained that the key to happiness lies in balancing three fundamental concepts: a meaningful, happy and psychologically enriched life, concepts that, according to him, make up the three parallel lives we all lead.
The main misconception we've all come to believe is that the extraordinary symbiosis of mass media and mass advertising—which has given marketers access to large audiences and audiences free or cheap content in return—is some kind of natural force of the universe, like sex or gravity. With this panel where the main driver of the utopia we live in was Bob Garfield, American writer, journalist and commentator and moderator Ivan Stankovic, founder and president, Communis, revealed to us that it was just an epoch that lasted three centuries, a very profitable coincidence in history. And it's over. "Since 2007, media and advertisers have lost more than half of their income, sorry, I don't know where it is, and social media and search is now in the plus of 503 billion dollars", said Garfield and added that it has come to the point that even old-school, well-known brands are failing, that nothing is profitable anymore.
The media in the world and in the region are faced with numerous challenges to return to the old paths of glory.
Kimberly Fox, International Sales Manager, The Veterans and Helen Lee-Kim, president of international markets, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group moderated Ance Trute, CEO, Vertical Distribution, shared their views on the state, future and changes that are shaking Hollywood, but also streaming services and cinemas in a panel called "Once upon a time in Hollywood“ powered by CineStar. The panelists were unanimous and determined that they want people to return to movie theaters, pointing out that this is a big task for the industry, but they believe that the state of the market is satisfactory and that cinemas, streaming and television are an ecosystem that can complement each other.
In 2023, the Super Bowl recorded a whopping 115 million views, far surpassing other popular programs such as the Academy Awards, which came in only 15th. This event brings not only sports excitement, but also more than 700 million dollars in revenue in one day - and that's just from advertising! Among the spectators is Taylor Swift, and many popular performers refuse a fee in order to have as many chances as possible to be a part of that spectacle. He was talking about this very phenomenon Pete Radovich, Vice President of Production and Senior Creative Director of CBS in a lecture on the intriguing title „What the f*** is the Super Bowl, anyway?“.
While the Super Bowl breaks all records, the situation in sports is somewhat different in our country. In many sports, outside of football, the systems are not sufficiently developed, and the lack of professional staff and halls make progress even more difficult. In the panel "What if you're the best and it's not enough?" powered by Telemach, who moderated Damjan Rudež, director of the Sunset Sports Festival, Croatian sports stars shared their experiences Barbara Matić, Olympic gold winner, double world champion and European champion in judo and Ivica Tucak, the choice of the Croatian water polo team, which this year won gold at the world championship and silver at the Olympic Games and the European Championship, and Adrian Ježina, CEO, Telemach Croatia.
Well-known presenter and journalist Andrija Jarak, the author of the popular true crime series "Dosje Jarak", opened up fascinating topics of investigative journalism in a dynamic conversation about crime in the Balkans. Stories about investigations of real cases of mafia confrontations and the most complex crimes in the region. In addition to Jarek, as panelists, the former chief director of the police and the wartime commander of the special unit "ALFA" shared their experiences. Vladimir Faber, novinar and RTL-a reporter Dario Todorovic, author of the Search special "Zavadlav" and screenwriter, director and author of "Dosjea Jarak" and an experienced Serbian journalist Jovana S. Polić, whose stories shed light on a number of cases of crime and corruption.
In a world where information spreads faster than ever, journalists face new challenges – especially in the digital age. It was precisely these challenges that were investigated by the panel powered by DW "Where do journalists go wrong?" at this year's Weekend Media Festival, where the actors of the media scene openly discussed the mistakes that affect the trust of the audience. Panelists Sabina Tandara Knezović (NOVA TV), Srećko Matić (Deutsche Welle) i Zaklina Tatalovic (N1) shared their experiences of mistakes and their views on the responsibility of journalists in the time of fake news and information that circulates quickly on the Internet.
Are media freedom and pluralism a strong enough foundation for democracy in the digital age? Panel "Media freedoms and the future of the media industry" powered by the European Commission at this year's Weekend.17 attracted a lot of attention from the audience. The panelists touched on the question of how media laws are aligned with the realities of the digital era and how effective they are in Croatia and the rest of Europe. Andrea Covic, deputy head of the Representation and head of the media team of the EU Commission, explained that by 2025, a law will be introduced that will regulate media democracy. But, Drazen Klaric, editor-in-chief and director of Večernji list claims: "I think we are late, we live in a time where the dictatorship of the clique has eaten everything that we are, and as the traditional media turns out", with which she additionally agreed Natalija Gorščak, director of RTV Slovenia.
The packed hall of Weekend.17 laughed and watched zoko. Zoka's gaze cures numerous psychosomatic ailments, has a positive effect on the work of the respiratory organs, improves potency, soothes painful blisters, weans people from alcoholism and nationalism, and those who are on the healing panel "Zoko te gleda" caught two of Zoki's glances, they got a third one completely free of charge. With this performance of the legendary Zoran Kesić, a Serbian comedian, journalist and host, started the panel "10 years in 24 minutes" through which, together with his screenwriters Nenad Milosavljević, Viktor Marković, Vladimir Vuković nicknamed "Vlada", Marko Dražić, Darko Crnogorec and Miroslav Vujević nicknamed "Grafa", he recalled the best moments and anecdotes to celebrate the jubilee 10th birthday of the show "24 minutes ".
Weekend. 17 in Rovinj once again pushed the boundaries and showed why it is one of the most important regional festivals. In addition to commenting and opening discussions on the most important topics from the world of media, communications and business, Weekend predicts and announces upcoming trends every year.
See you next year, on the coming-of-age Weekend. 18.
(Weekend Media Festival)
Download the app and follow the news
FOLLOW US ON
