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From left to right: Ajay Kakar and Jaideep Gandhi
Creativity takes centrestage: Goafest Day 1 in pics
From keynote sessions and heartfelt tributes to power-packed performances and candid conversations, here is what unfolded on the first day of the festival
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Published: May 20, 2026 6:52 PM | 2 min read
- The 2026 edition of Goafest commenced on May 20, featuring a live performance by singer Sukhbir and attracting professionals from the advertising, marketing, and media sectors.
- Industry leaders honored the contributions of late advertising icons Piyush Pandey and Arun Nanda during the event.
- The festival included various panel discussions focused on relevant industry topics, fostering spirited exchanges among attendees.
- Notable figures in attendance included Prasoon Joshi, Shashi Sinha, Gaurav Laghate, and several others from prominent organizations in the advertising and media fields.
The 2026 edition of Goafest kicked off on Wednesday, May 20, with a live music performance by Sukhbir, as professionals from the advertising, marketing and media worlds prepared for a day of spirited exchanges. Industry leaders paid tribute to late ad legends Piyush Pandey and Arun Nanda, and engaged in panel discussions on industry-related topics.
From left to right: Padma Shri Prasoon Joshi of Omnicom Advertising and Prasar Bharti; Singer Sukhbir
From left to right: Shashi Sinha of Omnicom Media India; Gaurav Laghate of Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI); Dr Annurag Batra of BW Businessworld & exchange4media
From left to right: Sudesh Kapoor of AAAI; Sam Balsara of Madison World; Lara Balsara Vajifdar of Madison World; Abhishek Karnani of IAA & Free Press Journal Group
From left to right: Mohit Joshi of Havas Media Network India & Goafest Organising Committee; Jaideep Gandhi of AAAI and Goafest Organising Committee; Srinivasan K Swamy of AAAI; Ajay Kakar of Adani Group; Anupriya Acharya of Publicis Groupe; Rana Barua of Havas India; Amitesh Rao of Leo; Shahad Anand of Mediakart
From left to right: Jaideep Gandhi; Ajay Kakar; Harshad Rajadhyaksha of Ogilvy; Prem Narayan of Ogilvy; Srinivasan K Swamy; Amitesh Rao; Mohit Joshi
From left to right: Padmaja Joshi of NDTV; Prasoon Joshi, Dr Rajiv Kumar of Pahle India Foundation; Nikhil Sharma of Perfetti Van Melle, India
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