THE three-day AdAsia 2019 Conference that concluded in Lahore proved to be a remarkable success as it achieved, among other things, the most desired objective of promoting Pakistan’s soft image in the backdrop of negative portrayal of the country by some sections of the international media. The conference brought together about 800 delegates from around the world including some of the prominent names in the world of media and advertising, who not only spoke on different subjects and issues of interest to the industry but also witnessed for themselves the ground situation in Pakistan.
Pakistan Advertising Association and Asian Federation of Advertising Associations (AFAA) deserve credit for bringing the event back to Pakistan after 30 years and making excellent arrangements for its successful conduct. It was, indeed, an honour for Pakistan to host Asia’s largest and most prestigious Ad Congress and that too at a time when the country needed such gatherings to counter negative propaganda against Pakistan unleashed by some vested interests. Sarmad Ali, President of Pakistan Chapter of International Advertising Association and Chairman of the Organizing Committee for AdAsia 2019 rightly pointed out that those who dared to visit the country were surprised to see a Pakistan which had no connection with the negative image of the country, created by the media. Hopefully, the opportunity afforded by the Congress to foreign delegates and their interaction with local leadership and cross sections of the society would help change the perception of the country created by the media which was far from reality. Pakistan has now fully returned back to normalcy after an all-round success achieved by our armed forces and law enforcing agencies in the war against terror. The successful organization of the conference has conveyed a clear message to the outside world that there was complete peace and stability in the country and the phenomenon of terrorism is now a thing of the past. It is also hoped that the event and the resultant interaction and exchange of ideas would help stimulate the advertising industry of the country, which was going through a lean period because of overall economic conditions of Pakistan.
