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The new normal is MAD
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The new normal is MAD

The beginning of the summer is often associated to music festivals. But in my opinion, if you are involved with brands, marketing or retail, there is one festival you should attend: MAD//Fest. Last year’s edition was a big success being the first professional event after the lockdowns. Were this year participants as enthusiastic as last time? Well actually, this year’s show confirmed that the unique concept is what an event should be like in this era called “the new normal”. 

 

Live or Livestream? No difference

Usually, I prefer to attend an event in person. However, it is not always easy, especially with a busy schedule. This year, again, I couldn’t travel to London to see the show’s setup. But thankfully, this festival offers a mobile app which is probably the most reliable and functional app on the market today. Mad//Fest’s app is extremely powerful as it ticks practically all the boxes you need to attend the show virtually or in person. It contains all the essential information such as timings, agenda, content, sponsors overview etc., and even your ticket. But for those attending the event virtually, the app offers the two essential elements you need on top: a livestream (with no lag), and tons of networking opportunities. You can follow all the different sessions and keynotes via the livestream. And via a social wall, different connection and messaging options, you get to network with other attendees. 

Basically, thanks to this functional app, MAD//Fest is the perfect example of a hybrid show. 

 

And great content

Obviously, a show is not worthy if the content is not interesting. This year’s vintage was actually very thought-provoking again. Various topics where on the agenda: branding, disruption, how to manage or take advantage of influencers and trends, etc. 

And if I had to pick, I would point to two sessions that were particularly remarkable. 

The session with David Baddiel reminded us that social media is not like mass media at all. If brands want to tap into the social conversation, they have to learn to navigate through sometimes pretty heated and emotional content. A brand needs to find a voice and also consider whether it has a place in certain debates, especially political and societal ones. 

The other session that stood out was the one from Tina KoehlerVP Global Consumer / Marketing at Deliveroo. She delivered one the most genuine session I have seen in years. When it comes to disruption, there is not one sole recipe. But her session gave actually quite a few good pointers on how to create or face disruption as a brand. And we all know that with the pandemic, the economic situation, the Ukrainian conflict and more, our world has, is, and will continue to face disruption. 

 

My 20/CENT

All in all, virtually or in person, MAD//Fest 2022 was again a success in my books. The event still is one you should note in red letters in your agenda as it offers relevant content and it represents a perfect example of a hybrid event. 

Next year, I hopefully will see you there in person. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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