Adfest Names Marco Venturelli 2027 Grand Jury President
The creative festival's 30th edition, themed 30&BEYOND, will be held March 18-20, 2027, in Pattaya, Thailand.
Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in Advertising
Adfest has appointed Marco Venturelli as Grand Jury President for its 2027 edition. Venturelli is President and Chief Creative Officer of Leo, a creative network of 15,000 people across 90 countries.
Why it matters
The appointment places a senior creative leader at the head of the festival's judging for its 30th anniversary year. It signals the festival's focus on creative leadership within the global advertising industry.
Leo, the network Venturelli leads, spans 15,000 people across 90 countries, while Venturelli's own work has won more than 100 Cannes Lions. Entries for the Lotus Awards are open across 22 categories, and the full 2027 jury roster has not been published.
The players
Marco Venturelli
A French creative leader and Chief Creative Officer of Publicis Groupe France who was ranked the world's number-one Chief Creative Officer by D&AD in 2024.
adfest
A creative advertising festival in Thailand whose 2027 edition marks its 30th anniversary under the theme 30&BEYOND.
Leo
A creative network of 15,000 people across 90 countries, which Venturelli serves as President and Chief Creative Officer.
The details
Marco Venturelli, who began his career as a copywriter in Milan in 2001, is Chief Creative Officer of Publicis Groupe France and CEO and Chief Creative Officer of Publicis Conseil, which was named Agency of the Year at Cannes Lions in 2024 and 2025. Adfest will also name him Jury President of the Lotus Roots award and the Creative Strategy, Effective, Innova and Sustainable Lotus categories, and he will deliver a keynote at the festival.
Timeline
2001: Venturelli begins his career as a copywriter in Milan.
2014: Venturelli becomes Executive Creative Director of Les Gaulois.
30 November 2026: Deadline for adfest content proposals.
18-20 March 2027: adfest 2027 is held at the Royal Cliff Hotels Group in Pattaya, Thailand.
Industry Benchmark
Venturelli's agency, Publicis Conseil, was named Agency of the Year at Cannes Lions in both 2024 and 2025, placing the appointment within the same competitive awards circuit. The move extends that industry-wide recognition of creative leadership into the Asian festival calendar.
Agencies and creatives seeking recognition can submit entries across 22 Lotus Awards categories, with proposals due by 30 November 2026. Delegate registration is expected to open soon for those planning to attend the March 2027 festival in Pattaya.
The takeaway
For creative professionals, the festival's judging panels and award categories offer a clear route to industry visibility, so timing submissions and registrations early matters.
What happens next
Delegate registrations for adfest 2027 will open soon, and content proposals are accepted until 30 November 2026.
Further reading
Explore more advertising industry coverage for context on how creative festivals shape agency reputations.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Bestmediaifo.
