Weekend Panel Discussions

Life After 7.30 

Lamija-AleckovicLamija Alečković

Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT), Head of News Media Service (Croatia)  

Igor-BobicIgor Bobić

RTL, Editor in Chief and Anchor of RTL Danas (Croatia)

Ksenija-KardumKsenija Kardum

Nova TV, News Program Director (Croatia)

Antonija-MandicModerator: Antonija Mandić

Soundset mreža, Program Director (Croatia)

After over 40 years, public television has set their famous news-announcing clock back half an hour. The main evening news format has been extended ad the format is now closer to the ones seen on commercial networks. The change itself set of a series of discussions about central news shows on Croatian TV networks. What is the reason for bring closer the format of all national networks and what has that change brought? What are the goals of informative programs of various TV networks? How are the ratings? What is the difference in quality of informative shows in retrospect to the region and developed markets? What are their advantages and what are their disadvantages?

Digital Business Models

Dejan Ljuština

PwC Consulting Partner, SEE Telecoms & Technology Leader (Croatia)

Martin Navratil

Telenor Banka, President of the Executive Board (Serbia)

Božidar Pavlović

EGCP, CEO (Hrvatska)

Anthony Le Roux

Uber, General Manager for Eastern Europe (Eastern Europe)


Ivana Dragičević

N1 television, Executive Producer International News (Croatia)

Today, the largest global taxi company owns zero vehicles, and the most popular media companies create zero content. Digitalization changes traditional industries and enables creative and quick-learning companies to disrupt traditional markets and become global leaders in a short amount of time. Southeastern European regional markets aren’t spared of this process. This panel will offer answers to questions regarding the future of regional companies and how they can use this opportunity, or how they can lose their market if they don’t react on time. It will also tackle the success factors of companies that were successful in using the opportunity digitalization offers and how we can transform a company to use digitalization internally and externally.

The Mediterrean as It Should (Not) Be


Nenad Bakić

Selectio (Croatia)

Darko Lorencin

Ministry of Tourism, Minister (Croatia)

Tomislav Popović

Maistra, Chairman of the Board  (Croatia)

Siniša Topalović

Horwath HTL, Partner (Croatia)

Boris-ZgombaBoris Žgomba

Uniline, Chairman of the Board (Croatia)

Ratomir-IvicicRatomir Ivičić

Managing Director of the Croatian National Tourist Board (Croatia)


Zoran Šprajc

RTL, Editor and Anchor of RTL Direkt (Croatia)

In the upcoming years, Croatia and other countries in the region are expecting a significant increase of revenue from tourism as well as an increase of the number of guests. We tend to praise our tourist offer, but at the same time we also criticize it. Do we really know the real state of the tourist offer in Croatia and the region? What are the key issues in regards to the competition? Do we know how to innovate; do we use modern technologies and manage tourism in a creative way? Why are there no more tourist startups? What is the role of marketing in all this? Find out the answers to these questions and more from the panel participants.

Do Journalists Need the Media?

Dalija Hasanbegović

Al Jazeera Balkans, News Presenter & Correspondent (BiH)

Tomislav Klauški

24 sata, Columnist (Croatia)

Dragana Radusinović

Jutarnji list, Globus and Forbes, Journalist (Croatia)

Suzana Trninić

B92, Author and Anchor of Kažiprst TV B92 (Serbia)

Moderator: Hrvoje Krešić

RTL, Reporter (Croatia)

Media are a mass communication chanel through which content is distributed. At the same time, media are a aggregator of the audience and a platform through which journalists communicate with the public. Nowdays journalists can also communicate with the public directly, using social media. A lot of todays  individuals communicate with more audiences tha certain media, a lot communicate directly and through the media and for a lot of them, the media is only one of the channels or merely a part of the process pf creating content. Are we wrong to ask  if journalist need media? How do journalists use the new possibilities of direct communication with the audience. How do media use social networks and direct communication in content production? How do digital platforms influence the process of content production?

Say It by film!
How PR and Promotion Use the Seventh Art

Edward Bernays_full

Boris Beker

Chapter 4 Network, Managing Partner / Co-owner (Austria)

Tihoni Brčić

Academy of Dramatic Art, University of Zagreb, professor (Croatia)

Saša Divjak

DTB Law Firm, Partner (Croatia)

Hrvoje Hribar

The Croatian Audiovisual Centre, Director (Croatia)   

 Ivan Maločaivan-maloča

Interfilm, Producer (Croatia)


Arsen Oremović

Večernji list, Journalist (Croatia)


Director (Croatia)

Bozo-SkokoModerator: Božo Skoko

Millenium promocija, Partner (Croatia)

How did James Bond switch over to Heineken for $45 million? Why did Manolo Blahnik brand decide to conquer the fashion world not through a marketing campaign, but through the series “Sex and the City”? How did these girls from New York enable skyrocketing sales of many other products, restaurants and tourist destinations? How much did the series “American President” and “Borgen” help politicians to ascend to the highest state office? Why was there, after “L.A. Law”, an increased interest in studying law? How did the trilogy “Lord of the Rings” launch the Frodo economy and promote tourism in New Zealand? How did Borat leave permanent consequences on the image of Kazakhstan? Why do some tourists think that Dubrovnik city walls were built for filming the series “Game of Thrones”? How did the Turkish soap opera about Solomon redefine the history of the Turkish conquests? How does film impose new trends and topics in public, how does it influence the perception of certain brands, of understanding the past and present, and how does it ‘retouch’ images of celebrities? Why is film becoming an increasingly important PR tool? More on these and other issues at this panel.

21st Century Trade

Darko Knez

Konzum, Chairman of the Board (Croatia)

Moderator: Davor Bruketa

HURA, Board Member (Croatia)

Digital trade of the 21st century meets our conscious and unconscious desires. How does it affect marketing, media, producers and consumers?

BalCannes Talk Show: From Laibach to Pyongyang
(How the Provocation from Yugoslavia Came to Be a Global Phenomenon)

Jani Novak i Mina Špiler

Laibach (Slovenia)

Moderator: Aljoša Bagola

Pristop, Partner and Executive Creative Director (Slovenia)

The renowned Slovenian group Laibach will visit Rovinj during Weekendf Media Festival, as part of this year’s BalCannes, the regional showcase for marketing agencies. Aljoša Bagola, the executive creative director of Slovenia’s leading agency Pristop, will guide the conversation with the members of the controversial group, on the heels of their concert in North Korea. Laibach’s lead vocalist Mina Špiler and their creative director Jani Novak will share their experiences  from the groundbreaking performance as the first music group from the Western hemisphere invited to Pjongjang, exclusively with BalCannes’ crowd. Aside from learning about Laibach’s marketing strategy and their place in modern pop culture, Bagola will look into the totalitarian regime, it’s famous censorship and terror which Laibach claims didn’t affect them at all.

Who’s Actin’ Over There

Rene Bitorajac

Actor (Croatia)

Dragan Bjelogrlić

Actor, Director and Producer (Serbia)

Branko Đurić Đuro

Actor, Director and Producer (Slovenia)

Moderator: Branimir Brkljač

Terra Panonica, Founder (Serbia)

“Real artists steal, others imitate” a sentence attributed to Picasso. Maybe that’s why real entrepreneurs are often called artists, because they combine known elements in an original way and create something new – make a new product, offer a new service, create a new campaign. The creation of something that is new by different combination is also one of many definitions of creativity. If this is so, why are there not more artists within entrepreneurs? Acclaimed actors Branko Đurić – Đuro and Rene Bitorajac have come up with an idea of founding a new private institutional theatre which will open its doors in Zagreb this fall. Does this mean that it’s time to get away from culture and arts into business? Or is it a confirmation of a thesis that entrepreneurship is an art and a hint that artists will become more entrepreneurial? How much will their acting experience help them in this? Do they have a business role model for their own business? What does Dragan Bjelogrlić – a renowned actor who designed, directed and successfully led similar artistically led and commercial projects “Vratit će se rode” and “Montevideo – Bog te video” –  have to say about this thesis? Find out more about this and many other issues in this panel

Girl Power


Aleksandra Dilevska

Publicis Groupe Macedonia, Chief Executive Officer (Macedonia)

Selma Riđanović Kenović

UniCredit Bank, Marketing and PR Director (BiH)

Vedrana Hercigonja Majetić

Tele2, Public Relationship Director (Croatia)

Marija Vićić

I&F McCann Grupa, Communications Director (Srbija)


Iva Šulentić

The number of women in managerial positions in the regional advertising industry has continued to grow to the point where it seems the industry is dominated by women. In order to corroborated this statement, Media Marketing has devoted 30 pages in their September issue called “THE SOFTER SIDE OF ADVERTISING” in which they presented 11 women from the regional communication industry. We wanted to show that the Balkans are not literally a black hole and that women are more represented in the communication industry than anywhere in the world. How many women do you know that are heads of advertising agencies? The region has tens if not even over a hundred. How many women in the world are Creative Directors? This region has tens of them, they definitely do dominate. When we finalized the texts, the first conclusion we drew was that the women we interviewed don’t agree with our claim. They even think that this is not as important and they also don’t agree with the gender division. Where does the real truth lie and what is the real situation – find out at this BalCannes panel.

Media Survival Kit

Marko Biočina

Jutarnji list, Assistant Editor (Croatia)

Ivona Čulo

Adria Media Zagreb, CEO (Croatia)

Marijan Jurenec

Planet TV, General Manager (Slovenia)

Mihailo Ponjavić

Media Impact Srbija, Sales Director (Serbia)

Saša Ćeramilac

Blissd17, CEO (Croatia)

While still being caught up in the hard economic crisis and an unforgettable revenue decrease, the media are forced to find and develop new business models in order to survive. Which modes have proved to be successful in the west, and which ones to we recognize in the region will be detected in this panel.

Peek Over the Fence

Robert Čoban

Color Press Group, Chairman of the Board (Serbia)

Lejla Dautović Čaić

Atlantic Grupa, Director – Cosmetics (Croatia)

Ivana Galić

Nova TV, Marketing & PR Director (Croatia)

Jovan Stojanović

Direct Media Srbija, CEO (Serbia)

13.10.2014., Zagreb -  FOX International Channels (FIC) imenovao je Miru Bizica na mjesto menadjera prodaje oglasnog prostora za Hrvatsku Photo: Slavko Midzor/PIXSELL

Miro Bižić

(FOX International Channels, Sales Manager, Croatia)


Moderator: Marijana Novak

Pro media group, Business Director (Croatia)

Peek over the Fence is a format featuring an overview of the region’s markets. It was introduced two years ago as we had realized that even if we know the brands, we don’t know what is really going on. Oftentimes we come cross good companies and great production or hear of a new media takeover without actually understanding or knowing the context. Every once in a while a new startup surprises us by presenting a new technology in the media without us knowing about it. In order to keep track easier and understand what is going on and who is advancing in what way, this year the Weekend will once again bring six experts who will quickly inform you of all the things that you have missed from one Weekend to another.

Big Eyes of Little Spenders –
What Our Children Watch

Mario Fraculj

HURA (Croatian Association of Communications Agencies) – Regulation and Self-Regulation Committee, President (Croatia)

Ivan Gale

RTL, Sales Director (Croatia)

Olivera Međugorac

CEA (Croatian Employees Association) – Food Industry and Agriculture Association, Food and Drinks Section, President (Croatia)

Darija Vranešić Bender

University Hospital Zagreb, Department of Clinical Nutrition, clinical nutritionist (Croatia)


Ida Prester

According to the World Health Organization in the past 30 years, obesity has almost doubled, and in 2012 over 40 million children worldwide were overweight. The World Health Organization stressed that obesity can be prevented and that the role of the food industry is extremely important. Following the World Health Organization Global strategy on nutrition, physical activity and health from 2004 as well as the European platform from 2005, European food and beverage manufacturers have taken on a few responsibilities in 2007 regarding the prevention of obesity, especially in children. One of the main responsibilities is also the EU pledge – voluntarily agreed rules of advertisers regarding advertising to children and generally exposing nutritional products to this sensitive consumer group. The initiative has been officially initiated by the World Federation of Advertisers as a common responsibility of the industry towards the Platform of encouraging physical activity and healthy nutrition of the EU Commission. This panel will try to determine just how much do local advertisers comply to advertising regulations towards children under 12.

Should I Stay Or Should I Go 2

Predrag Grubić

Adris grupa, Corporate Communications Director (Hrvatska)

Korado Korlević

Professor of Polytechnics (Croatia)

Antonio Šeparović

Oradian, CEO (Croatia)

Goran Vlašić

Faculty of Economics and Business Zagreb/Innovation Institute (Croatia)

Nikola-VrdoljakModerator: Nikola Vrdoljak

404, Director (Croatia)

‘Anyone who wants to succeed in their career has to leave Croatia, because Croatia is not country that allows success’ – a newspaper thesis which initiated a discussion last year is still making a fuss this year. While we talked about those who left last year, this year we are going to focus on those who decided to stay. What is their perception, what can be done in Croatia, who are the people that are actually making a difference?

TV’s Greatest Hits

Manja Grčić

Antenna Group, CEO (Serbia)

Marija Nemčić

Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT), Production Manager and Member of the Management (Croatia)

Henning Tewes

RTL, Executive Officer (Croatia)

Ivan Vlatković

PINK Media Group, Vice President (Serbia)


Moderator: Antonija Mandić

Soundset mreža, Program Director (Croatia)

For years now many talent and reality shows have reached great popularity as well as very high ratings. Last year we have witnessed some extremely successful talent shows that were followed by millions of viewers. Some of them come for the most popular global examples and some are local versions, yet all have excellent results. What is the reason behind this popularity? What are the comparisons between global examples and the region? What is the profitability for TV networks?

Big Data in Health Care

Sani Pogorilić

Innovative Pharmaceutical Initiative, Executive Director (Croatia)

Mario Ravić

Ericsson Nikola Tesla, Manager Engagement Practice m2m & mHealth, ICT for Industry & Society (Croatia)

Urška Sršen

Siniša Varga

Ministry of Health, Minister (Croatia)


Irina Čulinović

Večernji list, Head of Health Community (Croatia)

The pharmaceutical and IT industries are coming together and interconnecting on innovative projects. The result of that trend is a change in the patient approach and a much faster access to effective therapy. Health IT startups have a potential to speed up these changes and together with big players, improve patient healthcare. This panel will take a look at current pharmaceutical industry activities in the field of health IT, where they’re headed and in what way can the health IT entrepreneurs better cooperate with large pharmaceutical and biotechnological corporations and large IT companies.

How Will We Cover the Elections

Igor Alborghetti

Telegram, Editor in Chief (Croatia)

Đurđica Klancir

Tportal, Editor in Chief (Croatia)

Zdravko Milinović

Večernji list, Executive Editor of Vecernji list and Editor of Obzor (Croatia) (Hrvatska)

Gojko Drljač

Jutarnji list, Deputy Chief Editor (Croatia)

Moderator: Tihomir Ladišić

N1, Executive Producer (Croatia)

Politics have become completely mediatized. Election headquarters are full of communication experts who are attentive of every detail of media presence. The public also expects detailed reporting as well as a lot of content. For the media, elections are a huge and complex project that needs to be executed properly. How have the Croatian media handled elections so far, and what are they doing for the upcoming elections will be revealed from the media key people in Croatia.

Who Ate Whom 2.0

Branko Čakarmiš

POP TV, Program Director (Slovenia)

Siniša Đuranović

Hrvatski Telekom, General Counsel (Croatia)

Simon Furlan

Telekom Slovenije, Marketing Director / CMO (Slovenia)

Boris Trupčević

Styria Media International, General Manager for Croatia (Croatia)


Sašo Dimitrievski

Pristop grupa, Partner and Member of Board (Slovenia)

Back in 2010, seeing how large media houses, telecoms and tech companies entered in each other’s scope of activities, we held a first discussion named “Who ate whom”. Telecoms were then entering content distribution and quickly becoming the media, while the media and service providers wanted access to broadband users, TV networks turned to the internet and mobile and many internet companies turned to TV, IPTV opened its doors to telecoms and entered the world of TV advertising. Everything became an integral part of monetizing a unique eco-system made out of four groups of big players: media, telecoms, producers of entertainment electronics and internet players. The borders between their partial eco-systems became thinner and thinner, while the disruptive business models created based on this convergence took down borders and companies. What is the situation a few years later? Is there a unique eco-system? What is the global situation, and what is the regional situation? Does user experience dictate the tempo with the development of technology? Who will eat whom in the end?

Smart City: How Smart Can Cities Become?

Schneider Electric_full

Uvod: Darko Lopotar

Schneider Electric, CEO (Croatia)

Josip Aleksić

Schneider Electric, Global Solution Architect (Serbia)

Hrvoje Išek

Hrvatski Telekom, Corporate Sales Director/Board Member of Combis (Croatia)

Ivica Perica

Delloite, Director, Business Advisory


Dražen Tomić

ICTbusiness.info, Editor in Chief (Croatia)

Dragan-PetricModerator: Dragan Petric

Bug, Executive Editor (Croatia) 

Crammed waste containers, too high utility bills or the city bus that never comes on time – sound familiar? The cities in which we live in have evolved on the “bigger, better, faster” principle. Better and faster is an important factor today, but “bigger” is becoming more of a burden. Can we run cities in a smarter way? How much would that cost? Can only wealthy cities become smart cities? Are there any smart cities in Croatia and the region? What is the internet’s role in all of this? Find out the answers to these and many more questions in this smart panel for smart citizens!

Unlearning: The Near Future of Media and Communication


Uvod: Joanna Maria Bakas

LHBS Consulting Berlin, Managing Partner (Germany)

Uvod/Moderator: Stefan Erschwendner

LHBS Consulting Berlin, Managing Partner (Germany)

Nikola Bubanj

CEO Adriatic&Balkans

Ivona Janjić

Agrokor, Marketing Communications Director (Croatia)

Our industry has become obsessed with learning over the last few years. We love to talk about the age of acceleration, complexity and the need to learn new tricks. But what is holding us back is our ability to unlearn some generally accepted paradigms, ways of doing and thinking. This is especially true for how we adapt to and adopt innovation in the media. When a medium first appears, it uses the content of another medium exclusively for its content until its users have learned to exploit the new medium to develop new forms of expression. Today, with the acceleration of digital innovation in terms of formats and platforms, it’s unlearning the generally accepted ways of using media that will allow us to fully take advantage of the digital landscape.

DIGITAL TAKEOVER: Adapt or Die – How Brands Must Evolve in the Changing Marketing Landscape


Marin Ćurković

MEC/WPP and AdScanner, Head of Strategy & Business Development (Germany)

Petra Bioč Petrač

WWF Adria, Communications Manager  (Croatia)

Vjekoslav Srednoselec

iProspect Adriatics/Carat, Head of iProspect Adriatics and Digital Communication Consultant at Carat (Croatia)

Moderator: Karlo Stojčević

RedPoint, CEO and Board Member (Croatia)

The clock is ticking and it is time for brands to adapt their approach to the market to be in-tune with consumer behaviour. Staying relevant means shifting brand focus to the digital sphere and maximising performance by using the most efficient communication channels. What are new trends and proven success strategies? Hear more from leading experts of this panel.