24 student delegates from MICA, SIMC, Loyola College, and Miami Ad School are attending the festival free this year; organizers to extend initiative to 100 students next year. Gokul Krishnamoorthy tells all about it…
Goafest 2025, India’s largest advertising and media festival, returned to its original venue in Goa on May 21, celebrating its 18th edition with a renewed focus on youth and industry talent. In a pioneering move, the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) and The Advertising Club (TAC) launched Goafresh, a talent-nurturing program offering free delegate access to 24 top-performing students from MICA, SIMC, Loyola College, and Miami Ad School. Hosted at the Taj Cidade de Goa, the student delegates are attending exclusive workshops and mentorship sessions led by senior industry leaders on topics such as AI in marketing, creative branding, and media innovation.

When the champagne was popped to signal the opening of the Indian advertising and media industries’ largest congregation, Goafest, on 21st May 2025, it was significant for more than one reason. The festival returned to its home in Goa after organizers were forced to host its previous edition in Mumbai, which was uncharitably titled ‘Powai-fest’ by some. Goafest also turned 18 this year.

Goafresh Initiative: Nurturing Future Advertising Talent
Most importantly, organizers Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) and The Advertising Club (TAC), have embarked on a landmark initiative to build a bridge between students preparing to enter the world of advertising, media, and marketing through a curated program, Goafresh. 24 students from Mudra Institute of Communications Ahmedabad (MICA), Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune (SIMC), Loyola College, Chennai, and Miami Ad School, Mumbai, are currently attending the festival. Under the Goafresh initiative, their delegate fees have been waived off, and the future professionals are being hosted at the venue, the Taj Cidade de Goa.

Speaking with The Daily Eye, Jaideep Gandhi, Chairman, Goafest 2025 Organizing Committee and Founder, Another Idea, said, “This is an idea that was awaiting its due for the last two to three years. I am glad that it has finally come to life in the form of Goafresh, as aptly coined by Rohit Ohri. As an industry body, we do not want to confine ourselves to organizing an event, we have to have a larger purpose. This is one initiative where students yearning to enter the industry are mentored firsthand with a curated set of sessions by senior industry leaders, on topics ranging from AI to creativity to media and more.”

Exclusive Programming for Student Delegates
The student delegates were welcomed into the program with an induction session by ad veteran Rohit Ohri, Founder of culture-focused consultancy Ohriginal. Besides the action on the main festival stage, a parallel set of sessions led by senior professionals like Madison World Chairman Sam Balsara are underway. Gandhi reminds us that the culture of breakaway sessions was initiated two years back in the form of Master Classes at Goafest. From one such Master Class, it has grown to over 20 packed sessions now. While the Master Classes are open to all delegates, Goafresh sessions are exclusively for the student delegates.

The student delegates attending Goafest this year were nominated by their respective institutes’ faculty based on their academic performance and career aspirations. Organizers are keen to extend the Goafresh initiative to 100 students next year. “We would also like to cover as many institutes as possible,” added Gandhi.

Mohit Joshi, Co-chair of the Organizing Committee and CEO, Havas Media Network India, noted, “We keep saying that talent is an issue. But what are we doing to get that talent in? Goafresh is an initiative aimed at nurturing talent and making them industry-ready. We started late this year and would have ideally liked to have more students. We will certainly have more student delegates next year.”

Student Voices: Real-World Learning and Insight
The student delegates are keen to make the most of the opportunity provided through Goafresh. Mariam Mashraki, a second-year MBA (Communication Management) student from SIMC, is among student delegates at Goafest 2025. She said, “Day 1 at Goafest has been a surreal experience so far! We're extremely grateful for the level of exposure that is being provided to us as a group. As we're on the cusp of moving into the industry, this space is guiding us to have the right kind of conversations to find what clicks and identify the career pathways we would like to take. We've been a part of sessions that talk about the optimum use of AI in marketing, creative methods of brand management, taking the right kind of risks in your career and more! We look forward to the rest of our time here and taking away as many experiences as we can.”