We are living in a defining moment for journalism. If you believe truth is important, this is the time to step up and speed up. To be resilient, the media needs a new kind of leadership, new teams and an open digital culture. This is how you can build it.

Lena K Samuelsson has led newsrooms and media organisations through transformation during the last 30 years – these are her learnings.

Lena K Samuelsson, born 1964, in Växjö, Sweden, is a prominent Swedish journalist and
media executive. She began her journalism career in the 1980s and has held several
significant positions in major Swedish media companies. She started out in local
newspapers, went to Journalism school in Skurup, Sweden and came to Aftonbladet in 1989
where she spent the 90’s as news editor and assistant managing editor and part of the team
who positioned Aftonbladet as the biggest newspaper in the Nordics.

Performance marketing is not a sprint, but a marathon. It’s not the ones who spend the most who win, but those who have their people, processes, and culture aligned like a well-oiled machine. This lecture unveils the most common mistakes that hinder organizations, regardless of size, from small teams and agencies to large corporations, and provides practical solutions for building high-performance teams.

A marketing consultant, lecturer at the Faculty of Economics in Zagreb, and certified Google trainer with over 13 years of experience in digital marketing. For the past year, through Rokkin Marketing, she has been collaborating with agencies and corporations to improve the effectiveness of digital teams and their processes. In parallel, she leads marketing at the venture builder Martian & Machine, where for the past five years, she has been developing and launching innovative products in the DACH region and the Middle East. Before M&M, she led the performance marketing team at agency 404, where she worked on some of the largest campaigns in the region. She lives to solve problems through data, technology, and creativity, and outside of work, she enjoys gaming and LEGO bricks.

Everyone’s posts are starting to sound the same: general, vague, and soulless! This talk breaks down why that happens (prompt laziness, FOMO, lack of originality…) and how to fix it without disrupting AI usage. The idea is to provide some quick wins and practical ways to use GenAI as a practical and creative tool, not be stuck in its default polite mode.

Damjan Dano has been building in tech for over two decades. Seventeen years ago, he co-founded IWM Network, an ICT consultancy focused on digital transformation projects that still runs strong today. Along the way, he launched IT.mk in 2007, North Macedonia’s leading tech community, and later ITlogs.com (2023), one of the first regional outlets dedicated to uniting the SEE tech ecosystem, alongside several other ventures. Over the years, Damjan has worked with global brands and local innovators, always with a focus on technology that drives real business impact. He is also an active speaker, trainer, and mentor, sharing insights on technology, entrepreneurship, and lessons learned from his experiences. Now, his focus is on Aqtos.com, an AI-powered business operating system for SMBs, a tool designed to give agencies, startups, IT and media companies the kind of digital backbone usually reserved for enterprises, all in one tool.

There are countless places to find what you’re looking for on the internet. But as the online world optimized for transactions, it also killed the joy of shopping. At Pinterest, we’re bringing it back. Join us at [event name, date] to learn how Pinterest is harnessing AI innovation for deeper and broader visual search and discovery that creates more opportunities for brands to win.

Eoin has been working for major global tech giants (such as Twitter and Pinterest) for over 10 years with experience living, working and accelerating business partnerships in over 40 countries, particularly in Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Eoin is originally from Dublin, Ireland and is currently based there.

Telegram’s podcast Prvi glas is the first daily podcast in Croatia. How did we become the most listened-to news podcast in just a few months, with 20,000 listens per episode and millions of views on social media? Why do we release the podcast at 4:30 AM, and why are we convinced that Croatia will experience a podcast boom in 2026?

Video and audio editor, Telegram
Journalist at Novosti, journalist and editor at Telegram, editor-in-chief at Net.hr, executive producer at N1, and finally, back at Telegram as video and audio editor.

The lecture explores whether today’s brands need to seek new ways of collaborating and engaging with their audience. Through the 7 phases of the Designed by People project, Studio Sonda demonstrates how it’s possible to effectively push the boundaries of traditional collaboration between brands and their audience. The lecture aims to reveal how brands can connect with their audience by creating stories that are truthful, honest, and memorable, emphasizing that creativity is, in fact, a carefully guided process.

Creative director and co-founder of Studio Sonda, an independent creative studio founded in 2007 together with Jelena Fiškuš. They believe that design and communication should be original, honest, intuitive, and socially responsible. In the inspiring setting of a small Istrian town, Vižinada (Croatia), in the heart of the Istrian peninsula, with views of green hills, vineyards, and olive groves, they create projects that are globally recognized. Many of these have won prestigious industry awards, including Cannes Lions, Eurobest, ADC Gold, Effie Europe, Red Dot, One Show, the Grand Prix of the Croatian Designers Society, Ideja X… over 200 professional awards. Their projects have been exhibited globally (NY/Berlin/Singapore/Helsinki…) and featured in various industry publications, including HOW Design, The Design Activist Book, Inventario, Design South Korea, Works Good! Tokyo, and more. Together with Jelena, he is also the co-founder of Sonda Creative Centre and the Sonda association, established to demonstrate the high efficiency of creativity and its positive impact on community development in both a sociological and economic context. He is also the co-author of the program Designed By People, which focuses on collaboration between brands and individuals who want to develop their creativity through guided creative processes.

The reality is, nobody remembers a strategy deck. What they do remember is a great story. In this session, we’ll explore how to reframe your marketing campaigns through storytelling to unlock fresh perspectives and better content. The goal: to make your brand more relatable, more memorable, and more human.
You’ll learn how to refresh your existing strategy, pick up practical tips you can apply right away, and discover how to grab attention in a mobile-first world. By the end of this session, you’ll walk away with new ideas to transform your core brand message into a story your audience won’t forget.

Mercy Fulani is a marketing professional and designer, specialising in social media and content marketing.
She is a Real Role Model and a mentor for DigitalHer, an initiative by Manchester Digital that empowers women in tech. She is passionate about story-driven marketing, and championing equality and inclusivity in the marketing industry.
She was recognised as a Top 24 Marketer of 2024 by the Girls in Marketing community. Over the years she has worked with a range of business owners and organisations to help them tell their stories on social media.
Recently, Mercy has taken to the stage at numerous events in the UK and abroad, sharing her insights on content strategy and brand storytelling.

What is the difference between conversing with ChatGPT to complete a sentence or create a quick illustration, versus building a computer system that uses artificial intelligence to change specific people and perform concrete tasks in production every day, flawlessly? What challenges do we face, how do we make AI provide only accurate results, and how do we ensure that when it makes a mistake or is unsure, it acknowledges it? Which jobs can AI perform equally and are there jobs for AI agents?

The first Croatian landscape display of advertising that provides a simple and categorical overview of all market participants. Find out who the biggest and most influential companies are in various categories, from media agencies, media, ad servers, native networks, tracking tools, and much more.

From the early days of programmatic advertising, through managing Index, to founding ATL – the first Croatian ad tech startup, I have been present in the market for over 10 years. I helped establish HUDI and initiated several important market initiatives for Croatian media. I have participated in the work of UNIPA as a board member negotiating with BigTech on copyright issues. For the past 10 years, I have been fighting for the proper integration of modern advertising technologies into Croatian media and all the challenges that come with it. For the last 2 years, with ATL, I have been developing tools and technologies tailored for Croatian media with the aim of providing greater benefits for them, which I believe has been almost minimized in recent years.

3 lessons for better collaboration between leadership, marketing, and developers. Based on the project of building a new cultural center in New York, we will explore how to improve understanding between teams that often speak languages that are hard to comprehend by one another.

Vlado has over ten years of experience leading tech teams in the cultural sector, including projects for the construction of new New York cultural institutions such as The Shed and the Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC). Vlado’s specialty is the implementation of digital solutions and project management in the nonprofit environment, where projects must meet very specific creative and business goals.

We all know that there are “best practices” in performance marketing (and marketing in general), and we often refer to this term as if it’s been imposed upon us by some higher power. However, what happens when we step outside these boundaries and dare to try new ways of advertising and online presence? What happens when we truly think “out-of-the-box” for a moment? Find out in Tino’s lecture!

Tin has over 12 years of experience in digital marketing, with a special focus on performance and conversion-driven marketing, as well as over 5 years of experience in the web3 and crypto world. For the past year, he has been leading the Performance Marketing team at Solflare and plans to change our perception of the fin-tech sector. He has worked with clients from almost every industry in web2 but has decided that his creativity and love for numbers can thrive the most in web3, particularly within the Solana ecosystem.

According to a European study, agencies, on average, spend over 650,000 euros annually on participating in pitches, with the average cost per pitch amounting to as much as 43,000 euros.

An even more alarming figure is that only 4 out of 10 winning ideas are ever implemented. Additionally, most pitches are not conducted in accordance with HURE guidelines.

The most common challenges are poor preparation and insufficiently clear alignment on the project’s goals. There’s also the issue of unverified budgets and organizing pitches without prior chemistry meetings with the agency, as well as inviting too many agencies into the process. Research shows that this leads to exhaustion for all involved, increases costs, and actually reduces the quality of decisions.

In practice, a good practice is to invite a maximum of three to four relevant agencies with a realistic chance of winning. Also, the lack of feedback after the process is completed is frequent, with agencies spending months of work and significant resources, only to often receive no feedback at all. This long-term damages trust and discourages agencies from participating in future pitches. All of this complicates the process and reduces the chances of achieving a good result.

A good pitch must be well-planned and timely prepared, with mutual respect and understanding that both sides are investing time, knowledge, and capacity to build a quality partnership.

Trust is what ultimately builds long-term relationships and mutual growth.

Ivica Skočić is the director of the creative agency McCann Zagreb, where he has the opportunity to creatively support some of the most well-known local and global brands on a daily basis. His special passion is attracting new clients. He loves winning pitch competitions, especially when they are organized according to best practices, as a synergy between the client and the agency. He believes that pitches elevate agency knowledge, connect and galvanize agency teams, and are also a great driver of revenue growth.

During his 20 years at Coca-Cola HBC Adria, he demonstrated skills and expertise in marketing and sales, proving that marketing is a key ingredient in providing effective support to sales, clients, and customers. He has experience in leading large teams, developing people, and executing various brand development projects, as well as transforming opportunities into sales revenue and increasing brand recognition. He also has extensive experience in pitches from both sides of the negotiating table, both from the agency and the client side.

How to reach young people – an audience that lives on social media and doesn’t tolerate fake? Using the example of the series SRAM, we reveal five key steps in creating content for the youth. How to build authenticity through their language and speech, their music, themes, and platforms. We provide insight into the process of creating a generational series that showed how an honest approach and understanding the communication code of young people can lead to success.

Ivan Lovreček started his career at the BBC and then spent 14 years at RTL, where he held the positions of editor-in-chief and deputy CEO. He produced numerous award-winning television programs. He is the founder of the social media research and analytics agency Videoclick, co-founder of the production company CGM Films, and the producer of the series SRAM. Ivan holds an MBA with a specialization in creative industries and is a member of the British Royal Television Society.

Bruno Mustić is a producer who has been working between London and Zagreb for the past ten years. In London, he worked on film development with renowned authors, including two-time Oscar winner Sir Christopher Hampton, and as executive producer on the film Bear Country starring Russell Crowe. He is the founder of the Brač Film Festival, co-founder of the production company CGM Films, and producer of the series SRAM.

The lecture “If You’re Doing Something Interesting, Everyone Will Talk About You. Practical Examples.” discusses the process behind creating projects that achieved excellent business results, won numerous awards, and attracted the attention of global media. Davor Bruketa demonstrates how ideas that transcend category boundaries are born, what the criteria for “interesting” are in practice, and how strategy, design, and production work together to make brands a relevant news story.

Davor Bruketa is the creative director and co-owner of the full-service agency Bruketa&Žinić&Grey, which operates as the brand design hub of the global agency network Grey. Since 1995, the agency has won over 650 awards for advertising and design. Bruketa is a permanent member of the New York Cresta Awards jury and has been a jury member for other prestigious market communication competitions, such as Cannes Lions, Red Dot, D&AD London, Art Directors Club New York, New York Festivals, Graphis, Young Guns, OneScreen New York, and others. He was also the first from Southeast Europe to chair the jury of the London International Awards.

In the past year, he became an executive member of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, and Red Dot Design Diary listed him among the most influential designers. He is also an associate member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts in the Department of Fine Arts, a member of the Scientific Council for Tourism and Space at the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, served as the president of the Management Board of HURA (Croatian Association of Market Communications) and was a member of the Working Group for the Development of the Identity and Brand of the Republic of Croatia under the President of the Republic of Croatia.

Everyone wants to ‘introduce AI,’ but no one talks about how difficult it actually is.
At Fonoi, we started with engineers, and ended up with AI being used across the entire company – from finance to marketing. We learned that AI adoption has nothing to do with tools, but with people: skepticism, habits, and culture.
And then we integrated it into the product itself – into tax software, where ‘100% accuracy’ feels like a sacred word.
This is an honest story about attempts, mistakes, and small victories as you learn that AI doesn’t have to be perfect to be useful.

Antonio is the Head of Engineering at Fonoa, where he is changing the way the world tackles taxes. When he’s not solving global e-invoicing problems, you can find him strategizing on the tennis court.

Stipe Grubišić’s presentation offers a comparative analysis of the Croatian and Slovenian digital markets, focusing on specific work cultures, pace, processes, and the daily challenges faced by media and agencies. Through humor and personal experiences, the speaker highlights the biggest differences in business operations, communication, and organization between the two countries. He provides practical advice for surviving and successfully navigating both markets, along with a series of illustrative anecdotes. The key message: digital challenges are the same everywhere, but people and the pace of business are not, which requires adaptability and openness to diversity.

Stipe Grubišić is a media professional with over 20 years of experience in digital transformations, content strategies, and the development of commercial models in the region. He has worked on both sides of the border – in Croatia and Slovenia – which gives him a unique perspective on the differences in market pace, approach, and mentality.

He is currently leading key projects at Dnevnik Mediji, including the premium content brand DNVK, the business platform Zlata nit, the development of new advertising and analytical solutions, as well as digital editorial processes.

He is known for his ability to integrate content, sales, and technology into a meaningful whole – and for the phrase:
“Let’s put it out there, and we’ll fix it along the way.”
(or, when in Slovenia: “To bomo najprej uskladili.”)

When he’s not writing 60-slide presentations in 20 minutes, he’s drinking coffee, reading briefs, and trying to get everything done before midnight.

How do you design and steer the vision of a product when you can’t predict what the world and technology will be like in 6 months? Through the experience of pivoting and managing projects in a constant state of change, Marina talks about balancing vision and reality, the new and the familiar, and the boundary to which you can push innovation in the market without losing your audience.

Marina Jukić is a creative leader with 15 years of experience in design and digital product development. For the past five years, she has led product and brand design as a co-founder of Tribute Brand, a fashion-tech startup that is changing the way people express themselves in both the physical and virtual worlds. Prior to that, she led brand design at the French fintech scale-up Qonto, managed the design team at the agency Infinum, and taught and shaped the curriculum for Infinum Design Academy. She has worked on award-winning digital projects in the creative, fashion, financial, and telecommunications sectors. In her work, she strives to reconcile conceptual creativity with strategic thinking, merging technology, culture, and everyday experience. She is a proud member of the IxDA Croatia group.

As global tech giants race to deploy ever-more powerful AI, the European Union is doing something different: it’s asking what AI should do — not just what it can do for us. In a world of unchecked innovation, the EU is betting on ethics, rights, and democratic values as the foundation for AI governance. This isn’t just talk. In 2024, the EU’s AI Act entered into force. It’s the world’s first comprehensive, human-centric AI law. It bans unacceptable risks, enforces transparency, and holds AI models to strict accountability. Can this approach compete with Silicon Valley speed or China’s scale? It needn’t. Europe’s message is clear: the future of AI should belong to citizens, not just profit. Might this be just the ethics lesson the world needs? Join us at this session by the European Commission and decide for yourself.

Andrea Čović Vidović has 18+ years of professional experience in diplomacy, EU affairs, communication, management and mentoring.
Since July 2022 she has been the Head of Media at the European Commission in Croatia and Deputy Head of Commission
Representation since February 2023, with the role of Acting Head of Representation from 1 July 2023 until 1 April 2024. She was in
charge of public relations for the European Parliament in Croatia from its inauguration in February 2013 until July 2022. She had
previously worked at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs as a diplomat on Croatia’s EU membership negotiations and as EU
policies lecturer. Thereafter she headed EU sectors at the Ministry of Finance (Customs Administration) and the Ministry of Labour,
Pension System, Family and Social Policy. During her studies, she was a freelancer on international cultural projects at the Institute for
International Relations and Development in Zagreb, before being recruited as regional coordinator of international ICT projects for
UNIQA insurance.

She holds a Master’s degree in contemporary European Studies from the Sussex University in the UK, as well as in German and English
Studies from the University of Zagreb. She studied International Relations and German Studies at the Technical University of Dresden
and conducted her PhD research in Comparative Politics at the University of Zagreb and the Johns Hopkins SAIS – School of Advanced
International Relations in Washington DC. She is alumna of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the US Fulbright
Programme and the British Chevening Programme. A volunteer in several non-profit organisations, she is the author of projects
„Women in the Lead“ for the Academy for Political Development and „AI in PR: Educating the Next Generation of Communicators“ for
the Croatian Public Relations Association.

Starting from January 1, 2026, entrepreneurs will face significant changes related to Fiscalization 2.0 and new regulations that will impact their business operations. Ivan will briefly provide the context of the upcoming changes in the introduction, and then introduce the Parra application – the simplest eInvoice application, fully compliant with Fiscalization 2.0, designed to help entrepreneurs adapt to the new rules and simplify administration.

Nikola demonstrates how AI accelerates the journey from idea to functional prototype – from the first meeting and concept shaping to Figma and an almost production-ready version of the prototype. Faster validations mean less risk and a higher-quality final product.

Nikola Dadić is the Design Team Lead at Profico, an agency specialized in digital product development. With over 10 years of experience in developing various digital products, Nikola leads the team through all stages of development, from the initial idea to the final solution.