This is an interview done by Poduzetnik.biz, and you can find the original here.
The tenth birthday of DK Festival finished with its celebration on April 14 in Rovinj, and preparations for DK2025 have already begun. Although this festival brings something new and unprecedented each year, often addressing the things we don’t talk about just anywhere, you all said that the program was so outstanding it will be hard to surpass in the future.
This is what sparked a conversation with Jelena Fiškuš, the President of the HURA and IAB Croatia, a member of the Organizing Committee of DK, and the most awarded local creative director and co-founder of Studio Sonda.
Although you stated somewhere that you have been a big fan of DK for years and have participated in the Organizing Committee, you participated in this festival as the President of HURA. What has changed and what are your impressions after a job well done?
For me, the change is that now I have even more responsibilities regarding the festival. While I used to be able to attend relatively nonchalantly, this year my schedule was extremely tight, so unfortunately, I may not have had the time to dedicate to the many visitors, colleagues, and speakers as much as I wanted. But at the end of the day, all of these are sweet responsibilities. My impression is overwhelmingly positive. I have always been a huge fan of the festival, as I mentioned at the opening, and each time it reaches a new level of quality. Every year, we wonder what to do next, but the HURA team and the DK Organizing Committee manage to find new elements that make the festival even more special each year. There are few things in life that I can praise as much as DK, the synergy of the profession, fantastic speakers, and global names who generously share their time with participants even after formal lectures, the richness of the program, insights into the realities of the national market from all possible angles, award ceremonies… All of this makes DK truly unique, and the public recognizes this, as evidenced by the numerous messages of support and congratulations after the festival.
Who or what would you highlight as something special at DK2024?
I really liked the new midnight format, Midnight Muttering, where a few selected speakers from the main stage in Hall AAA, still glowing from the award ceremonies, have informal and casual conversations that typically can’t happen during the day.
Specifically, this year it featured Oobah Butler and Micaela Mantegna, followed by Dan Ariely, who, with an appropriate toast, allowed us to ask him anything about anything without reservation, which the small nighttime audience eagerly embraced. This is certainly a format we will continue to cultivate because it has a special charm and absolutely fits the spirit of our typically atypical festival. Despite the big names on the main stage, I would also highlight the lectures beyond it, in the other three halls that were packed, covering a wide range of relevant topics from the national market through a full set of activities. This proves that we are also addressing what directly surrounds us and that the audience is interested in it.
There were surely a million tasks, as with any organization. How did you divide the workload?
The biggest operational burden falls on the HURA team, who ensure that everything is flawless down to the smallest detail. It’s such an immense amount of work that I am always amazed by the enthusiasm they bring to their tasks, making everything look smooth and idyllic from the outside, even though there are challenges at every turn. So, Dunja, Barbara, Maja, Helena, Eva, Marin, Fran, Monika, Katarina, and everyone else: A BIG THANK YOU!
The Organizing Committee is always there to support, help, reorganize, guide, and step in whenever needed. Together, we make key decisions and share the operational tasks, as well as the promotion of the festival. It’s also important to mention all the representatives from HURA and IAB Croatia who offer their knowledge and expertise in various fields through panels, lectures, presentations, and participate in judging, etc. I am proud of our community.
DK has long set the bar high for both programming and organization. How do you stay at the top, persist on that path, and always be new, original, and interesting?
DK Festival is known for pushing boundaries and always bringing something unexpected and unprecedented to our region. I think the key lies in the courage and determination to include the highest quality content in the program, regardless of whether it’s a topic we would all rather sweep under the rug – because by doing so, we open the door to the growth and development of the entire industry. We have embraced the fact that our audience is very diverse with numerous interests; I would even say we have welcomed it, and we ensure that the content reflects each of those communication interests. This is precisely why we had to introduce a new fourth hall this year, as the rich program content demands new formats and locations. I think we live in a perfect time for pushing boundaries because we have access to content from all over the world and from all spheres at our fingertips – we just need to find a way to learn from it and incorporate the best practices into our daily lives.
This time, you have certainly succeeded in conveying your atypical messages, merch, and content, which are the trademarks of DK as a festival, beyond the halls where the program was held, and even beyond the borders of Croatia. Do you get a chance to celebrate your successes, to enjoy what you have achieved together?
The dynamic growth of HURA and the continuity of quality it maintains are the best guarantees of shared enjoyment in our successes. It is important that, despite often being competitors and having particular interests for each member, we find ways to synergistically work towards a better future and the quality of our profession. DK is the most visible and exciting part of all this; we can say it is a celebration in themselves. However, there are many other background activities that we nurture and work on throughout the year. These activities culminate at DK, when, during those three days, we ‘treat ourselves’ to an overview of everything happening in the market, with education, studying new trends, and learning from the experiences of foreign speakers. We award the most deserving achievements, enjoy the beautiful festival locations, and socialize with clients and among ourselves. There is definitely celebration and joy, but well-deserved.
How are the post-festival activities going, and what are your plans for the future?
There is no rest! This week, the DK team met for the traditional debriefing meeting, which sets the foundation for the next editions of the festival. A significant portion of post-festival activities has already been completed – sharing materials, recapping the best moments with participants, thanking sponsors, etc. Preparations for DK2025 began back at DK2024 in Rovinj because nothing inspires us like the community’s feedback and the energy we all created together during those three sunny days. A festival of this size requires detailed and long-term preparation. Of course, we find time to take a little break and let our impressions and emotions settle, but two to three months before the festival, all preparations kick into high gear. Besides DK Festival, HURA and IAB Croatia have numerous valuable activities and projects throughout the year, both for their members and the industry. I invite you to follow us on social media so you don’t miss anything!
