DK2026
Reading time 4 min
DK2026 Schedule Revealed: Industry Pushes Boundaries
With nearly 100 program segments and more than 200 speakers over the course of three days and three nights, the new schedule reveals a festival that, like the industry it represents, unfolds on multiple levels simultaneously, through content that overlaps, complements one another, and evolves.
With the release of the official schedule, this year’s DK Festival enters the final phase of preparations, and the program taking place from May 7 to 10 in sunny Rovinj shows that the festival, and the industry it brings together, continues to grow in both content and ambition. With nearly 100 program segments and more than 200 speakers, the schedule for several thousand participants of this popular festival reflects the range of topics and perspectives shaping the industry today, as well as the dynamics of a community that continues to evolve, expand, and connect. It is at DK Festival that this diversity becomes most evident through parallel content, a variety of formats and topics that increasingly exist not in isolation, but in relation to one another, through recombination and dialogue.
PROGRAM WHERE FOMO IS PART OF THE EXPERIENCE
DK2026 does not follow a classic linear program – content is selected, skipped, and combined. This year’s edition, therefore, brings eight festival venues with as many as five festival stages, along with the main AAA hall in a new, previously unseen format.
The festival is further expanding beyond just the hotel; last year, participants showed through the new Poolside Stage just how much they value professional content in a more relaxed, open-air setting, which this year has led to the introduction of the new The Garden Stage powered by Somersby, located on the lawn in front of Hotel Lone. It is a space that brings a different rhythm to the festival, less formal yet highly content-driven, where conversations do not end upon leaving the hall but continue naturally in between presentations and discussions. The organizers are also continuing with the long-favored beach, where attendees will be able to follow all headline sessions from the main hall, although the day will still end with a beach afterparty. A new addition is the festival’s first beach session on Saturday afternoon, featuring a performance by the band Porto Morto and offering yet another reason for the program not to end upon leaving the hall that day.
TOPICS THAT SHAPE THE INDUSTRY, NOT JUST DISCUSSION
Through a series of conversations, the program opens up questions that increasingly have a direct impact on how the industry operates. The focus is on professional standards, advertiser expectations, and collaboration models within pitching processes, the impact of artificial intelligence on advertising and visibility, the relationship between truth and perception in communication, and responsibility in advertising aimed at children. Topics such as the role of audio and new formats like podcasts are returning to the festival. At the same time, discussions are opening up around how brands build relevance and how decisions are made within organizations. The program also includes a focus on brand, communication under pressure, the cost of creativity, the perspective of juniors in the industry and employment, the challenges of ESG communication, as well as science communication and the role of culture as a space of trust, among many others.
The expansion of the program is accompanied by a major festival production – the main hall in a new format and new content segments create a distinctive experience, always complemented by the sea, the beach, and the Rovinj sun. However, the goal is not just quantity.
“The program needs to be strong enough to compete with the sun, the sea, and Rovinj’s waterfront, but also relevant enough that you truly take something away from it. Each year, we push it further – not to have more content, but better content,” said Dunja Ivana Ballon, Program and Festival Director, adding: “the industry is changing too quickly and superficial conversations are no longer enough, which is why we are creating space for topics that require more focus, more time and a clear point of view.”
Through a series of panels, the program opens up questions that increasingly have a direct impact on how the industry operates, while additional breadth is brought by participants beyond the communications industry itself, including Korado Korlević, astronomer and educator; Tomislav Ćorić, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance; Damir Habijan, Minister of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation; Andrea Čović Vidović, Head of Media and Deputy Head of the European Commission Representation in Croatia; Damir Sabol, entrepreneur and founder of Photomath; Boris Jokić, PhD, Director of Institute for Social Research in Zagreb; Marina Mesar OKO, multidisciplinary artist; Igor Šeregi, screenwriter and director of the film Svadba; Zoran Šprajc, host and editor of Stanje nacije; Michelin-starred chef Mario Mandarić; Baby Lasagna; Mario Aunedi Medek, President of HUOJ; Zvonimir Galić, professor at the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb; Sven Sorić, President of HDD, and many others.
MAIN STAGE BRINGS GLOBAL NAMES
The program also brings together a range of speakers whose work defines the direction of the industry, including Jürgen Schmidhuber, the unconventional father of modern artificial intelligence; Julie Supan, an elite brand strategist who helped lay the foundations of YouTube, Airbnb, Dropbox, Reddit, and Discord; Mark Pollard, one of the world’s most influential strategists today; Chris Do, a renowned designer and creative mentor known for redefining how creatives position and price their work; Steve Keller, an expert in sonic branding; Dora Pekeč, one of the key communications experts behind Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral campaign in New York; Daan Klaver, a brand expert who has worked with brands such as Adidas, Polaroid, and Akris; Alex Cattoni, founder of The Copy Posse, a platform that brings together a community of more than half a million marketing professionals; Mike Follette, a pioneer of the attention economy and measurement; Neil Patel, a global digital marketing and growth expert behind billions; Jule Kim, an expert from Amazon and Microsoft in leadership, communication under pressure and decision-making in complex situations; and Stephan Loerke, who brings a global advertiser perspective, new recommendations for agency selection and insights into trends shaping the market at an industry level.
EXPERIENCES THAT DEFINE DK FESTIVAL
The festival is much more than learning and program content; it creates space for networking, relaxation, and connecting with peers. Lectures by the father of modern artificial intelligence, awards ceremonies honoring the best in the industry, a panoramic DK2026 helicopter flight, and guided tours of Rovinj are just some of the experiences that will make participants remember their time at this unconventional festival. A day at the festival does not begin in conference halls, but with a run alongside the industry morning running club or sunrise yoga. Alongside a new drop of festival merch, which this year includes T-shirts, caps, umbrellas, stickers, notebooks, pens, posters, and postcards, visitors will also be able to take home more permanent memories with tattoos by Mr. Ink. The party program kicks off on Thursday, when the club is taken over by Edo Maajka with the Slušaj mater party. Friday brings a new edition of DKLUB: NO EXIT PARTY with our resident DJs DJ Rea and DJ Leggero, while Saturday closes with the traditional AAA headliners party, where speakers we followed on the main stage take over the DJ booth.
The main hall is hosted by Antonija Mandić, while the evening awards program begins on Thursday with BalCannes, which this year features a new hosting duo – Lela Laković and Aljoša Bagola – in a celebratory atmosphere honoring the best in the region. On Friday and Saturday, Ida Prester takes the stage to host the IdejaX and Young Lions awards, as well as the final evening featuring the Effie Awards Croatia and MIXX Awards Croatia powered by Admixer Media.
Time is running short – all creatives, marketers, brand experts, strategists, digital professionals, media, and other communicators who wish to take part can find registration information at www.danikomunikacija.com.
ABOUT DAYS OF COMMUNICATIONS:
Days of Communications has been recognized as one of the best events in the world by the Association Excellence Awards for its out-of-the-box approach, unique festival offering, and high-quality production and organization. The twelfth edition of the festival—known for bringing together key representatives of advertisers, agencies, public relations experts, media representatives, and other professionals from the communications industry who are essential in creating and driving change—will once again welcome all those who both love and hate the communications industry next spring at the Lone Hotel in Rovinj. Thanks to this festival, which wholeheartedly gathers the communications community, no one can remain indifferent to it. More information is available on the official festival website: www.danikomunikacija.com
ABOUT THE ORGANIZERS:
The Croatian Association of Communications Agencies (HURA) is the leading professional association in the market communications sector in Croatia. Its members include some of the best and most awarded local agencies. HURA organizes the national market communications festival Days of Communications, along with its associated competitions Effie, IdejaX, MIXX, and Young Lions; the HOWtoWOW marketing academy; the regional advertising agency showcase BalCannes; regular educational programs; and many other projects. It actively works to improve market conditions and advance the entire industry, including lobbying activities, negotiations with legislators, promotion of the profession, numerous industry research and statistics, consulting, and more. Internationally, it operates within the global agency association VoxComm, the European Association of Communications Agencies, and serves as the exclusive representative in Croatia for Cannes Lions and Effie Worldwide. Through the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) Croatia, it is also part of the IAB Global Network.
Follow us on our official Facebook and LinkedIn pages, and learn more about HURA at www.hura.hr.
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) Croatia is the collective representative and ambassador of the interactive marketing industry and the global IAB network in Croatia. Operating within the Croatian Association of Communications Agencies (HURA), it connects key stakeholders involved in the growth of interactive marketing and advocates for the highest standards. Through this initiative, the Croatian market has gained access to a wide range of materials, specialized education, awards, research, analyses, and a network that will be exclusively available through IAB Croatia.
More information is available at www.iab-croatia.com, as well as on Facebook and LinkedIn.
