With the tag line ?May the best brain win? the Goafest 2009 began with a big bang in Goa on Thursday.

Inaugurating the adfest, Colvyn Harris, chairman, Goafest 2009 & CEO, JWT said,: ?It is heartening that India?s premier advertising awards festival, Goafest is being supported by the advertising fraternity. Goafest 2009 is organised on a grander scale than the previously held Goafests with the theme ?Why waste a good recession??

This year the list of world-renowned keynote speakers for Goafest 2009 includes advertising icons such as Sir John Hegarty, Sean Finnegan Dan Wieden and Jean Marie Dru from the global advertising industry to address the participants.

The Goafest 2009 was kick started with the Discovery Industry Leadership Conclave where keynote speakers from across the globe reflected and debated issues and challenges facing advertising and marketing and share their learning?s and thoughts on the future.

?A Crisis is too good an opportunity to miss .Strengthen your brands now, stated Vineet Taneja,head of marketing , Nokia while addressing the conclave.?Take the risk and innovate but it should be consumer oriented.There is shift from conventional media to digital focus. From ?do more? our mantra is now ?Less is more,? he added.

Sharing similar views, Dr Pawan Goenka, head of Automotive business, Mahindra & Mahindra, said it was an opportunity to build brand. ? During the economic slowdown, keep your head above water and prepare for the future,We launched our new brand Xylo during the recession. While people are reducing their ad budgets, we have increased our ad budget by 50% now,? he said.

Goafest is India?s a national advertising awards festival, organised by The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) in association with The Advertising Club Bombay. More than 3000 delegates from the advertising and allied industries attend the event to witness the high-profile seminars, workshops and listen to keynote speakers from across the globe. Over 4500 ads from all over the country are showcased and judged at the Festival. Goafest is India?s largest intellectual & information exchange in the world of Advertising & Media and provides an opportunity for professionals in marketing and advertising to meet, exchange ideas and recognize creative talent.