We are launching four parallel chamber discussions with our international speakers on the topics of Creative, Marketing, Strategy, and Design. These are not lectures or master classes, but candid professional conversations without a script or gloss. You can ask any questions: about careers, case studies, burnout, screw-ups, inspiration, the market, clients, and personal insights.

This is a rare chance to talk to those who usually speak from the stage — on a human level and about real issues. We will announce the lineup for each conversation very soon.

Creative participants will present ideas developed based on real briefs from Ipak Yuli Bank in an elevator pitch format: in 5 minutes, they must not only explain their idea, but also make it appealing. Ipak Yuli will implement the best idea based on the results of the pitching.

*Participant recruitment and idea development will take place from September 3 to 27.

Thabang Lehobye
Head of Design at M&C Saatchi, UAE. Ex Head of Design at M&C Saatchi, Africa

Tabang wholeheartedly shares William Polmer's belief that “Creativity is the ability to connect things that at first glance seem unrelated.” This is precisely where the endless possibilities for creating unexpected and vivid connections lie. Design can become a form of storytelling, revealing these connections through visual images. Understanding these connections allows us to introduce another facet of design mastery: narrative.

The philosophy of “connecting the dots” underlies everything Tabang puts into his projects, which is why design is a true labor of love for him. The joy of finding meaningful connections is like searching for gold nuggets. For him, it is the Holy Grail of ideas.

Every project starts with a sketch and a notebook — that's when the questions “what,” “how,” and “why” come into play. The answers are determined by the strategic platform or clear brand purpose: Tabang begins to build connections based on strategic analytics, brand context, brand audit, and communication message — on what emotions the brand wants to evoke in its audience. This approach allows him to speak to the “heart” of any brand — so that it is memorable.

As Milton Glaser said:
“There are three ways to respond to design: yes, no, and wow. And wow is the reaction you want to strive for.”
This is not about a fleeting “wow effect,” but about an emotional, memorable connection with the brand — one that becomes a topic of conversation at dinner.

Thomas Kim
CCO&Partner at Paulus, South Korea. Ex ECD at Cheil

So far, the definition of a power brand has meant one with “good quality, reasonable price, and outstanding design.” Such brands had no reason to take a stance on social or political issues and maintained what was called brand neutrality.

However, as global environmental problems, persistent gaps between the Global North and Global South, health and medical challenges, gender conflicts, and human rights issues have all become urgent missions for humanity’s sustainable coexistence with the planet, brands can no longer remain neutral.

Now is the time for brands to act — for social justice, for the environment, and to embody the face of responsible companies. Thus emerged brand activism: the idea that brands must become influencers who create positive impact through doing the right thing. Especially now, as political and social demands on companies to deliver on CSR and ESG are greater than ever, the importance of brand activism has grown even further.

Kate Mishukova
Head of Awareness Aviasales

How can you attract your audience's attention and remain visible among competitors with huge budgets? In this presentation, we will look at how a brand uses comments on social media not for entertainment, but as a strategic tool to fight for attention. Using a striking SMM case study, you will learn how jokes in other people's posts turn into engagement, and irony turns into love for the brand. In addition, we will briefly discuss other non-standard moves that help Aviasales stand out in the oversaturated travel services market.

Tom Theys
Independent Strategy Director, ex Global SD at FCB, Belgium

Strategy in marketing often gets dismissed as the nerd in the corner: clever, yes — but dull. Yet is strategy really just about brainpower? Or do heart and gut have just as much say? If it’s just about smartness, AI will win that race hands down. But it’s our stubborn hunches, reckless passions, and illogical love affairs that keep strategy thrilling — and that may still get us to more exciting places, sooner.

In this provocative talk, Tom Theys upends the clichés of his profession and argues why strategists should embrace problems and even enemies. Blending iconic campaigns, near disasters, and a touch of irreverence, he reveals why great strategy is never just smart. It’s messy, emotional, and — at its best — downright lovable.

Andrei Paukov
Co-Founder / Creative Producer Zebra Hero, France-Russia

I will tell you how we at Zebra Hero create social projects that go viral, win awards at festivals, and raise more donations than the money spent on production.

In this session, several experts will share insights and case studies from Central Asia. We will learn what shapes the local industry, how brands build communications, and create projects.

Representatives of the Jolbors Awards International jury provide feedback on cases

Sabina Reingold
Jolbors Festival co-founder

Farkhad Kuchkarov
Director of Strategy and Development, Depot, Russia, Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan is a country of thousands of brands. Why modern business and ancient bazaars in Central Asia are almost the same. How modern business is still stuck in the Middle Ages and how creators from Central Asia will save the world.

Miguel Bemfica
JURY CHAIRMAN. Partner and CCO at Twise, Spain. Ex CCO at VMLY&R, McCann, and MRM

A guide to surviving on the advertising front lines: peculiar bosses, sudden flashes of inspiration, and ideas that come out of nowhere. Things they don't teach you in theory, but you encounter every day.

Vladislav Derevyannykh
Brand Design Director VoskhodForPeace Yekaterinburg

Where was the tsar shot? Where was the temple demolished? Where was Sobchak dragged? Where was the Russian Football Cup destroyed? Where was Artemy Lebedev canceled? Here! In the City of Demons!

Stories from Yekaterinburg that other cities can envy. About how enterprising citizens are changing the urban environment with their own hands, without waiting for the authorities to act and without asking anyone's permission. About the city's identity from the bottom up and how a group of independent designers are creating a design code for Yekaterinburg in dialogue with the administration.

Call it what you want: City of Demons, Dirtburg, Ekb, Yoburg, Katya, SverdLOVEsk, EKAT ERIN BURG... It's not about the city, it's about the people.

Sergio Spaccavento
Advertising Creative Director & Author, Italy

Discover the power of humor in advertising: how to build connections, evoke empathy, and show compassion in difficult times

Teodora Migdalovici
Founder of The Alternative School, international public speaker, Romania

It’s a paradox: in our industry, the most lamented resource is time — yet the very same players wailing about its absence tend to disregard its critical role in building campaigns that connect brands and people in ways that last (because they have substance).

Trapped under the predictability of time-sheets, we often forget time’s relativity and its generous plasticity — as our Facebook friends Einstein and Proust have kindly reminded us.
It’s not AI crashing through the gates of our industry that makes time relevance a hot topic.
For the sharpest creatives, a mindful, emotionally intelligent, and culturally attuned approach to time has always been the bump key to unforgettable brand-building.

This talk invites the audience to switch off autopilot.

Through highly functional case studies from around the world, it will show how exceptional brands — and the visionary stewards behind them — have mastered the plasticity of time like no others: making the most of every second, transforming hours into enjoyable ad campaigns people queued for, and forging consistent, vibrant connections — all while building sound businesses in the process.
Here’s to escaping the dictatorship of time — by finally giving it the quality it deserves. And that’s only because we choose to look with different eyes at the relationships we want to build with the ones populating our audiences.

To paraphrase a classic: treat your consumer as you would treat your wife — timewise, otherwise.

Andrei Gubaidullin
Creative director/owner, Voskhod for Peace agency, Russia

How agencies can maintain dignity, creativity, and results in a world of tenders, taste-making, and “very busy clients”

Georgi Zlatkov
Co-founder & Creative Director at kombina, Bulgaria

Not every great idea hits the mark. This talk takes a look at bold campaigns that didn’t quite make it — the ones where things went sideways despite the best intentions. You’ll hear about creative risks that didn’t pay off, missteps that led to surprises, and what those failures taught along the way.
It’s about learning from real mistakes, understanding why even promising campaigns can stumble, and how those experiences (might) shape better creative work in the future.

Kavi Rajapaksha
Chief Marketing Officer Sunshine Consumer Lanka Ltd. Top 50 women in management awards

This lecture focuses on the art of storytelling as a strategic tool in modern marketing, based on principles confirmed by research. Inspired by the formula “Once upon a time...”, it shows how powerful stories shape brand perception, create memorable images, and enhance long-term value.

Drawing on Les Bine and Peter Field's book The Long and the Short of It, we focus on the role of emotional storytelling in ensuring a lasting marketing effect—especially for independent professionals and small companies seeking growth with limited resources.

Participants will learn how to build simple but strategically sound brand stories that reflect universal human truths, promote memorability, and increase recognition. Based on case studies and practical exercises, the lecture combines creative intuition and marketing science to give participants a tool that transforms storytelling from simply an art into a working business growth strategy.

How to create the perfect partnership between a brand and an agency, where the result not only meets expectations but also goes beyond the ordinary? How to avoid the most common misunderstandings at the start of a project and turn every brief into an opportunity to create an outstanding case study? Marketing directors and representatives of creative agencies will share their experience of interaction and work, tell you how to negotiate, and how to avoid common mistakes that lead to unsuccessful results.

Designers and art directors present their design cases, and experts provide feedback, helping to improve their work and unlock its potential. This is a great opportunity to get practical recommendations and new ideas for developing projects and honing your skills.

Monika Schulze
Strategy Director & Board Member at TrendOne, Germany. Ex Vice President Brand Development Europe at Unilever. One of the World’s Most Influential CMOs by Forbes

Customer centricity involves using data and analytics to understand customer behavior, preferences, and pain points. Supervisors and managers play a key role in analyzing performance metrics, customer feedback, and service trends to make informed decisions. In her lecture, Monica will discuss a data-driven approach that enables teams to align their actions with customer needs, optimize processes, and continuously improve the customer experience through measurable actions.

Evgeny Primachenko
JURY CHAIRMAN. Creative Director at Wieden+Kennedy, Amsterdam

Only those who do nothing make no mistakes. And we at W+K Amsterdam do a lot. I'll tell you about our best screw-ups, how we learn from them, deal with them, and ultimately even manage to be proud of them. Welcome to our kitchen, put on your apron, and don't get dirty!

We are launching four parallel chamber discussions with our international speakers on the topics of Creative, Marketing, Strategy, and Design. These are not lectures or master classes, but candid professional conversations without a script or gloss. You can ask any questions: about careers, case studies, burnout, screw-ups, inspiration, the market, clients, and personal insights.

This is a rare chance to talk to those who usually speak from the stage — on a human level and about real issues. We will announce the lineup for each conversation very soon.

Creative participants will present ideas developed based on real briefs from Ipak Yuli Bank in an elevator pitch format: in 5 minutes, they must not only explain their idea, but also make it appealing. Ipak Yuli will implement the best idea based on the results of the pitching.

*Participant recruitment and idea development will take place from September 3 to 27.

Thabang Lehobye
Head of Design at M&C Saatchi, UAE. Ex Head of Design at M&C Saatchi, Africa

Tabang wholeheartedly shares William Polmer's belief that “Creativity is the ability to connect things that at first glance seem unrelated.” This is precisely where the endless possibilities for creating unexpected and vivid connections lie. Design can become a form of storytelling, revealing these connections through visual images. Understanding these connections allows us to introduce another facet of design mastery: narrative.

The philosophy of “connecting the dots” underlies everything Tabang puts into his projects, which is why design is a true labor of love for him. The joy of finding meaningful connections is like searching for gold nuggets. For him, it is the Holy Grail of ideas.

Every project starts with a sketch and a notebook — that's when the questions “what,” “how,” and “why” come into play. The answers are determined by the strategic platform or clear brand purpose: Tabang begins to build connections based on strategic analytics, brand context, brand audit, and communication message — on what emotions the brand wants to evoke in its audience. This approach allows him to speak to the “heart” of any brand — so that it is memorable.

As Milton Glaser said:
“There are three ways to respond to design: yes, no, and wow. And wow is the reaction you want to strive for.”
This is not about a fleeting “wow effect,” but about an emotional, memorable connection with the brand — one that becomes a topic of conversation at dinner.

Thomas Kim
CCO&Partner at Paulus, South Korea. Ex ECD at Cheil

So far, the definition of a power brand has meant one with “good quality, reasonable price, and outstanding design.” Such brands had no reason to take a stance on social or political issues and maintained what was called brand neutrality.

However, as global environmental problems, persistent gaps between the Global North and Global South, health and medical challenges, gender conflicts, and human rights issues have all become urgent missions for humanity’s sustainable coexistence with the planet, brands can no longer remain neutral.

Now is the time for brands to act — for social justice, for the environment, and to embody the face of responsible companies. Thus emerged brand activism: the idea that brands must become influencers who create positive impact through doing the right thing. Especially now, as political and social demands on companies to deliver on CSR and ESG are greater than ever, the importance of brand activism has grown even further.

Kate Mishukova
Head of Awareness Aviasales

How can you attract your audience's attention and remain visible among competitors with huge budgets? In this presentation, we will look at how a brand uses comments on social media not for entertainment, but as a strategic tool to fight for attention. Using a striking SMM case study, you will learn how jokes in other people's posts turn into engagement, and irony turns into love for the brand. In addition, we will briefly discuss other non-standard moves that help Aviasales stand out in the oversaturated travel services market.

Tom Theys
Independent Strategy Director, ex Global SD at FCB, Belgium

Strategy in marketing often gets dismissed as the nerd in the corner: clever, yes — but dull. Yet is strategy really just about brainpower? Or do heart and gut have just as much say? If it’s just about smartness, AI will win that race hands down. But it’s our stubborn hunches, reckless passions, and illogical love affairs that keep strategy thrilling — and that may still get us to more exciting places, sooner.

In this provocative talk, Tom Theys upends the clichés of his profession and argues why strategists should embrace problems and even enemies. Blending iconic campaigns, near disasters, and a touch of irreverence, he reveals why great strategy is never just smart. It’s messy, emotional, and — at its best — downright lovable.

Andrei Paukov
Co-Founder / Creative Producer Zebra Hero, France-Russia

I will tell you how we at Zebra Hero create social projects that go viral, win awards at festivals, and raise more donations than the money spent on production.

In this session, several experts will share insights and case studies from Central Asia. We will learn what shapes the local industry, how brands build communications, and create projects.

Representatives of the Jolbors Awards International jury provide feedback on cases