Welcome to ADFEST Human+, the dynamic annual celebration of Asian cultures. We hope you find an unparalleled combination of learning, inspiration, and networking in its rich mix of industry forums, breakout sessions, cultural connectivity, and multi-event awards.

Here’s an overview of the informative and fulfilling events ADFEST has planned for you, beginning with the Welcome Party for everyone to get acquainted on Thursday evening, 19 March.

The 2026 Lotus Awards judging is well underway, and Buzz will keep you up to date with jury insights until the full Jury President’s Insights presentation on Saturday morning and the festival finale, the Winners Showcase, that evening before the After Party to close ADFEST 2026. Note that this year, there is a new special award, Independent Network of the Year, celebrating the glorious rise of indies. (Don’t overlook our indie series, Indie Life: Over Hyped: Or As Good As it Gets in today’s Buzz.)

ADFEST’s Innova Lotus Awards is the category where truly remarkable work is applauded – the groundbreaking, "landmark" ideas and technologies that push marketing into unchartered territory. The 2026 INNOVA Lotus shortlist teams will present their work live in front of ADFEST delegates and face a Q&A with juries of the INNOVA Lotus panel on Thursday 19 March.

The Innova Shortlist Presentation is a session that’s not to be missed. This is the work where genuine innovation, talk-value, and results are on show.  

The 2026 INNOVA Lotus shortlist teams will present their work live in front of ADFEST delegates and face a Q&A with juries of the INNOVA Lotus panel on Thursday 19 March.

Here are some other ADFEST highlights:

ADFEST’s knowledge-building speaker sessions will be held in the Conference Hall. Here’s a tiny snapshot of the three-day “mustn’t miss” program:  Rey Tiempo’s Game On, Plus: Growing Asia’s First Gaming X Marketing Content Hub on Thursday 19 March; The Uncomfortable Truth about The Future of Creativity by Ted Lim, DIFF Creative Consultants & Andreas Moellmann, FUTURE INC, and GUT Instinct: Intuition vs Algorithm by GUT leaders, Jessica Davey and Meyvi Wedelia on Friday 20 March; and HUMANIZING BRANDS: Creativity in the Age of AI, by Grand Jury President & dentsu Global Chief Creative Officer, Yasuharu Sasaki on Saturday 21 March.

This year’s workshop and forum programs are skills treasure chests. Highlights include Linda Lim, CEO of MOONJI and Studio X Beyond will lead Creative Tech With SoulTM: Dream Bigger, Build Faster with Martin Rivera Head of Creative Tech at MOONJI and LinkedIn for Creatives: The 2026 Edition with Sarah Clay Social on Thursday 19 March; The World Producers Summit and Producers+ (the APAC producers forum) on Friday 19 March; and D&AD Conditions for Creativity led by D&AD COO, Donal Keenan, on Firday 20 March;  and Build Your Creative Taste: Judgement Masterclass for Human+ Era led by Vishal Sagar, Director of Brand, Creative Strategy & Social at Pocket FM on Saturday 21 March.

Don’t forget to download the ADFEST App + QR Code and use the official hashtags, #ADFEST2026 #HumanPlus, to spread your experience on socials.