The world’s top CMO. The most famous humanoid AI. A cyborg anthropologist. Global legends and regional powerhouses. With a record-breaking lineup of speakers, stages, and bold content, Dani komunikacija didn’t just deliver — we raised the bar once again.
From May 15 to 18, thousands of you took over Rovinj to set the direction for market communications. We didn’t hold back — AI, ethics, creativity, responsibility, transformation — we talked about what actually matters. Over 200 speakers. 80 program segments. 730 submitted projects. 130+ partners and sponsors. 125 jury and board members. Five full-blown stages. This was the most ambitious, most relevant and most powerful DK we’ve ever built.
Photo: Vana Katančić
Real topics and bold formats
We brought the world’s sharpest minds and the region’s best to the stage — and we made it count. From AI and digital regulation to attention economics, sustainability, and creative accountability, DK delivered insight with impact. And because we don’t do boring, we took over even more of Rovinj: the new POOLSIDE Stage, and THE OTHER BEACH — a one-of-a-kind awards experience under the stars.
As Dunja Ivana Ballon, Festival Director and Executive Director of HURA and IAB Croatia, said it best:
It’s not just about how much we put on. This is where the industry looks itself in the eye, asks the hard questions and sets the course. This isn’t a festival for the sake of it — it’s a space where we speak up, back it up and push the limits of what this industry can do.
Photo: Marko Lopac
We’re not here to follow. We’re here to lead.
From Fernando Machado — officially the world’s best CMO — to Karen Nelson-Field, Blair Enns, Amber Case and more, our speakers didn’t show up to impress. They came to shake things up. They’re at the top of their fields and they came to DK because this is where change happens.
Even the President of Croatia, Zoran Milanović, joined us for the opening — because he gets it: communication drives progress. For three days, local and regional experts jumped into panels and debates that tackled the real state of the industry, and each evening we celebrated with the most respected awards in the game: BalCannes, IdejaX, Young Lions, MIXX and Effie. The competition? Fierce. The talent? Next level. The message? We’re not slowing down.
Photo: Marko Lopac
Until next year
Yes, we celebrated creativity. But DK was never just a festival of ideas. It’s where the industry steps up: in creativity, in accountability, in innovation and in shaping the business and social context we work in every day. From idea to execution — measuring, analysing and forecasting what’s next — we proved once again that communication doesn’t sit on the sidelines. It leads the charge.
Photo: Vana Katančić
See you in 2026.
Featured photo: Zvonimir Barišin/PIXSELL