It must have been in 2019 when I first set out to be part of the newly renamed Tashkent Advertising Festival. I was working in Tbilisi and I became increasingly curious about the whole Central Asian region – but especially Uzbekistan. Three years into the new strategy to end the country’s isolation, to liberalize the economy, and to loosen the government’s grip on media and expression, the progress was beginning to be felt across the Caspian Sea.
Back then, it was still too early for a Western European advertising dude to be part of the festival’s jury, but I told myself to keep an eye open for what’s going on in UZ.
It took seven years to finally make it to Uzbekistan. Yes, it took a while, but it felt like the perfect moment to go. Because what I experienced in Tashkent was way beyond anything I could have expected.
First of all, it was huge. I have seen some festivals in my life, but for a regional show this was simply unbelievable. No less than six halls, each with a full day program, and each dedicated to a specific aspect of advertising and marketing. Digital Communication, SMM, Design, Branding, Public Relations, Creativity – every major field was covered.
So much curiosity
More than 70 speakers were on stage, not just from Uzbekistan and neighbouring countries, but also from Singapore, UK, Bulgaria and Switzerland. The two large auditoriums were packed constantly, and even the four rather sizable halls were visited extremely well. The place was so packed that it was sometimes hard to just get through the crowd chatting in the entrance hall.
This kind of attendance on a Saturday (!) made me wonder how many folks back home would visit a conference on a weekend. Even if they went – they wouldn’t bring the same enthusiasm to the floor that was felt at TAF this year.
It’s a privilege to be invited to an event like that. But then this huge wave of curiosity hits you, an exceptional willingness to listen and learn, and an enthusiasm about working in advertising and marketing that has been lost in Western Europe at least a decade ago. These people love what they do, no doubt about it.
The only time I didn’t talk to curious and friendly participants or fellow speakers was when I was on stage myself. I didn’t even have lunch. Tons of selfies made, lots of stuff uploaded to LinkedIn and Instagram – there was a big, heartwarming wave of gratitude for people making their way to Tashkent from places thousands of kilometres away.
On the evening of my arrival, I had been invited to an event at a really good looking coworking space, and it turned out that I was the guest of honour, with my face all over the huge screen behind me. Feels good, I must admit. It was a kind of meet-up, organized by the Marketing Association of Uzbekistan in partnership with Creative Park, and it was all about having a career in advertising, what it is and what it isn’t, and a ton of other topics as the questions from the surprisingly large audience came raining in, all wonderfully moderated and translated by my old friend Askhat Uskembayev. I loved it. And they loved my chocolate too. Glad I brought a few extra boxes.
So much energy
Later I found out what Creative Park is. Not an organization really, but rather an enormous government program that supports no less than 15 distinct industries and 142 creative fields stretching all the way from digital arts to traditional Uzbek crafts. The task is to grow the creative industries in the country to reach at least 5% of the national GDP, to create 500.000 new jobs and to expand Uzbekistan’s creative and digital service exports to no less than 1 billion USD.
That’s no less than admirable. And with hubs in all larger cities of Uzbekistan, this is very much not a program that would simply build on the capital’s already thriving infrastructure.
It’s been ages since I experienced so much positive energy, such an enormous amount of professional curiosity (except for White Square), and most definitely I can’t remember when I last experienced the kind of hospitality I was hugged with in my six days in Uzbekistan. I could write for another few pages on this topic alone.
So much gratefulness
What a life, I keep saying every now and then. First, I was super happy to be invited, then I was absolutely dumbfounded by what I experienced, and now I have this suspicion that this might not be my only visit to Uzbekistan. Such a gratifying experience. And such an incredibly beautiful country.
You just got to go too. Maybe we’ll meet at TAF 2027
