Busan International Marketing Advertising Festival to Kick Off on August 23

BUSAN – The largest international advertising festival in Asia, the Busan International Marketing Advertising Festival, will open its doors on August 23.

Busan City announced that "MAD STARS 2023" will be held from August 23 to 25 at the BEXCO Convention Hall. Celebrating its 16th year, the festival is organized by the Busan International Marketing Advertising Festival Organizing Committee, with support from the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism and Busan City. The event is themed 'REBOOT! Restarting with New Strategies Post-Pandemic,' aimed at breaking free from the shadows of the COVID-19 pandemic and sharing creative ideas from around the world.

Event Highlights Include:

Official Events: Opening Gala, Award Ceremony & Closing Gala, Official Networking Party.
Exhibitions & Screenings: Advertising Expert Finalists, New Technology Experience Zone (including immersive content and AI experiences), and Global Mad Business Market.
Conferences: 42 sessions spanning two tracks for professionals and the general public, workshops, and the Asia Youth Mad School.
Competitions: Youth Creative Camp, YoungStars (for college students), and NewStars (for junior advertisers).
The festival offers a variety of attractions, from opening ceremonies, exhibitions, and conferences, to competitions, catering to professionals in marketing, advertising, and digital content, as well as the general public.

The event will showcase 2,057 finalist works from 47 countries, out of 22,820 entries from 63 countries. This year, the number of submissions increased by 9.5% from the previous year, further solidifying its reputation as Asia's premier international advertising festival.

At the core of the exhibition are creative advertising campaigns from around the world that are changing the landscape. Additionally, there will be campaigns promoting the main theme of the 2030 Busan World Expo and the “GreenCle Challenge,” which encourages participation in tackling climate change. Visitors can also experience AI avatars and immersive content in the "New Technology Experience Zone."

The conferences, divided into 'Main Conference' and 'Meet-up,' will feature 42 lectures, with industry leaders like Ali Rez, the Regional Executive Creative Director of Impact BBDO, and Nayla Tueni, Editor-in-Chief of Lebanon's An-Nahar newspaper, slated to speak.

Furthermore, returning offline for the first time in four years due to the pandemic, the festival will host the 'NewStars' and 'YoungStars' competition programs aimed at discovering and nurturing budding creators. Sponsored by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Child Rights Guarantee Foundation, the ‘NewStars’ competition will see participation from 95 junior advertisers from nine countries, whereas the ‘YoungStars’ competition, sponsored by the Low Birthrate Aging Society Committee, will feature 97 college students from five countries.

As the world looks to reconnect post-pandemic, this festival stands as a beacon of creativity, innovation, and global collaboration.