The 17th edition of Goafest which includes the ABBY awards is set to take place on 30th and 31st of May 2024. Storyboard18 on April 14, reported that Goafest will be taking place in Mumbai instead of Goa due to the General Elections and that the event was also cut from a three-day event to a two-day festival.
Storyboard18 has now learnt from industry sources that Goafest 2024 might revert to its three-day format and the committee responsible is currently in search of a venue in Mumbai. If the organisers are unable to close on three days with a venue soon, the fest might be pushed and new dates will have to be explored, according to people familiar with the matter.
Drawing over 2000 industry professionals annually, Goafest organisers were anticipating increased participation, including from advertisers, this year. With several top advertisers and agencies located in Mumbai, Goafest 2024 may well see more significant participation from both.
After about a decade of declining interest and participation due to controversies over scam ads and judging, internal rifts, agency boycotts, and a pandemic, Goafest organisers vowed to make the festival and awards robust, relevant and respected again. These measures saw a few of the top agencies that had given the awards a skip in the past return for the previous edition. The Abby’s also tied up with world-renowned award One Show, which, together with more agency participation, resulted in a fair rise in the number of delegates and entries. At the 2023 edition, there was also a stronger presence from clients and brand leaders from organisations like ITC, Colgate, Google, Swiggy and HDFC Bank, among others.