The 12th edition of DK Festival has officially begun and a program that tackled key questions surrounding agency-client collaboration, communication under pressure and the future of the industry from day one has confirmed why the festival continues to position itself as one of the profession’s most relevant gatherings.
Rovinj has once again become the central meeting point of the communications and creative industry, this time in an edition surpassing expectation both in scale and energy. The 12th edition of DK Festival officially opened on 7 May 2026 before a record number of attendees, with the very first day already demonstrating why the festival continues to grow year after year through a program that brings together relevant names, current topics and content that accelerates the pace of an ever-evolving industry. The festival was opened by members of the DK Festival Organizing Committee, Dunja Ivana Ballon, Jelena Fiškuš, Davor Bruketa, Angela Buljan Šiber and Damir Ciglar, addressing an audience that has made this year’s edition the largest to date and setting a clear tone for the days ahead.
Photo: Vana Katančić
Rather than shaping the program as a single message to be ‘read’, we conceived it as something that unfolds throughout the entire festival – through overlaps, contrasts and layers, much like the industry it reflects. The industry no longer functions linearly, so there is no reason for the program to look that way either. The idea was not to confirm what we already know, but to open conversations around topics that may not always be comfortable yet are essential for the further development of the profession, said Dunja Ivana Ballon, Festival and Program Director of DK Festival.
After welcoming everyone to the festival, Jelena Fiškuš reflected on the significance of this year’s edition and the broader context in which the industry operates: We all know that the main stage hosts leading global names, but the program addressing topics relevant to our market and our everyday reality carries equal weight. In a world that is becoming increasingly uncertain, it is important that we act as a community, because we are not just selling products, we have a real opportunity to shape values, culture and the perception of the present, said Jelena Fiškuš, President of the Management Board of HURA and member of the DK Festival Organizing Committee.
Following the opening remarks, the program on the main stage began with a conversation featuring one of the leading voices of the global advertising industry, Stephan Loerke, CEO of the World Federation of Advertisers, who joined Dunja Ivana Ballon, Executive Director of HURA and IAB Croatia, to discuss the issues increasingly shaping market relationships. In his session, he focused on the relationship between advertisers and agencies at a time when the rules of the game are changing faster than the industry can redefine them, with particular emphasis on pitch processes that continue to shape a large part of the market.
Photo: Matija Habljak/PIXSELL
This is a topic that has been highly relevant on the local market for some time, which is why the HURA Intelligence Hub recently developed and presented the Agency Selection Guidelines, together with their shortened version, based on globally recognized frameworks created by the World Federation of Advertisers and VoxComm. The guidelines introduce greater clarity and accountability into one of the key processes within market communications while laying the groundwork for higher-quality and more sustainable relationships between clients and agencies.
Photo: Matija Habljak/PIXSELL
Following the conversation that opened questions surrounding the relationship between advertisers and agencies, the focus shifted towards the broader market context and what is actually happening beneath the surface of everyday decisions. Daniel Knapp, Chief Economist at IAB Europe, brought a perspective rarely heard in real time, one that does not simply follow trends, but measures them as they happen.
In his session Tomorrow’s Advertising Market, Today, he addressed a question the industry too often asks too late: what is actually changing and why. Through data on investments, developments across the media and platform landscape, and the broader regulatory framework, Knapp offered insight into where the market has already shifted and where it is heading next. Not from the perspective of speculation, but through signals that are usually recognized only once they become obvious to everyone.
Photo: Matija Habljak/PIXSELL
Dora Pekeč also took to the main stage, speaking about communication in an environment where there is no longer a single audience or a single version of the message. Her talk drew on experience gained at the very center of political communication, today as spokesperson for the Office of the Mayor of New York City and previously as spokesperson for the Zohran for NYC campaign during its run. Drawing precisely from that context, she demonstrated how every message today enters a space in which it is simultaneously interpreted, challenged and adapted, often beyond the control of those who originally shaped it.
In such conditions, communication can no longer be reduced to pre-defined messaging but instead becomes a continuous process of decision-making in real time, where context often carries as much weight as the message itself.
The topics she opened were further explored in the relaxed setting of the discussion Communication Under Pressure: Navigating the Push and Pull of Politics, Stakeholders and Competing Interests powered by Ožujsko pivo, where the conversation expanded to communication decision-making in an environment where the interests of politics, regulators, brands and the public increasingly overlap.
Participants discussed what managing messages looks like in such a space today, as well as the responsibility communication carries when its impact extends beyond campaigns and becomes part of a broader social context.
The first day served only as a warm-up for the rest of the program awaiting participants over the remaining two days of the festival. Among Friday’s highlights are Mark Pollard, one of the world’s most influential strategists today; Chris Do, the renowned designer and creative mentor known for redefining the way creatives position and price their work; Neil Patel, the global digital marketing and growth expert behind billions in revenue; Steve Keller, expert in sonic branding; and Alex Cattoni, founder of the The Copy Posse platform, which brings together a community of more than half a million marketing professionals. They are just part of a program that also includes a plethora of regional and local content.
Detailed schedules and information on all festival activities are available on the official festival website.
