On Saturday, October 19th, Bangladesh Brand Forum (BBF) hosted its flagship event, the 13th edition of the Communication Summit, bringing together leading professionals from the creative communication industry, business leaders, and brands to explore the future of creative marketing. The event, held at Le Méridien Dhaka, was organised in Association with The Daily Star & Miniso Bangladesh. 

Themed "Disrupting the Norm: The Future of Creative Marketing," the summit focused on how brands and agencies can leverage innovation to break away from traditional practices and succeed in the rapidly evolving digital landscape alongside topics focused on creative disruption, brand authenticity, AI integration, and personalised marketing strategies. The summit hosted a Leaders Dialogue, 02 keynote sessions, 04 Panel discussions, and 02 Insight Sessions. 

The summit began with opening remarks from Shariful Islam, Founder and Managing Director, Bangladesh Brand Forum. In his speech, he emphasised the need for creative innovation, stating, "In a rapidly changing world, brands must go beyond the status quo by pioneering bold ideas and leveraging AI to create personalised experiences. Authenticity and purpose-driven marketing are now essential for building trust and lasting consumer relationships."

The keynote sessions were conducted by Firrdaus Yusoff, Head of Creative, Forsman & Bodenfors Singapore and Moiz Khan, Creative Director, Edelman. The leaders Dialogue featured the two legends of Bangladeshi creative communication industry - Geeteara Safiya Choudhury, Founder & Chairman, Adcomm Limited and Muneer Ahmed Khan, Managing Director & Creative Chief, Unitrend Limited. Moderated by Ashraf Bin Taj, General Secretary, Asia Marketing Federation (AMF); Co-Founder & Managing Director, IDC Bangladesh PLC., the session highlighted the pioneering advertising endeavours of Bangladesh and captured the essence of that in today's advertising. 

The first panel discussion, titled "Redefining Brand Authenticity: How to Stand Out in a World of Skeptical Consumers" was moderated by Nazim Farhan Choudhury, Managing Director, Adcomm Ltd.; and featured panellists including Farha Naz Zaman, Marketing Director, Grameenphone Limited; Awrup I., Agency Head & Chief Creative Strategist, Mighty; Saiful Azam Chowdhury Mukul, Executive Creative Director, Grey Advertising Bangladesh;  Sharjeel Karim, Managing Director, Interspeed Advertising Ltd.; and Md. Shadman Sadikin, Marketing Director - Home Care Head, Digital Hub, Unilever Bangladesh Limited. 
The following panel discussions were decorated with discussion-generative topics such as Creativity in Crisis: How Brands Can Communicate Effectively During Uncertain Times, Purpose-Driven Marketing: Building Brands that Advocate for Social Change and Drive Business Value, and The Evolution of Storytelling: Creative Impactful Narratives in a Disruptive Era.

In the two insight sessions, speakers Md. Ehsanul Hoque, Regional Partner Director, APAC, Mediam Bangladesh Ltd. And Tanzeen Alam, Chief Executive Officer, Delhivery Ltd. Discussed their analysis and observation about the Genz as the target audience in the digital landscape and Importance of Unstereotype Advertisement in Bangladesh, respectively.  The 13th Communication Summit saw the presence of key industry figures, as the speakers of different sessions, including Sayeda Umme Salma, Chairman & CEO, BrandGear; Kaushik De, Executive Creative Director, Interspeed Advertising Ltd.; Mohammad Akrum Hossain, Executive Creative Director, Asiatic Marketing Communications Limited; Drabir Alam, COO & Director, X - Integrated Marketing Agency; Zakia Zerin, Sr. Manager, Marketing Communication and Consumer Engagement, Nestlé Bangladesh Ltd.; Salahuddin Shahed, Chief Executive Officer, FCB Bitopi and many others.

Communication Summit 2024 was held in association with The Daily Star and Miniso Bangladesh. Strategic Partner - Bangladesh Creative Forum (BCF), International Advertising Association Bangladesh, Roaring Lions; Knowledge Partner- Marketing Society of Bangladesh (MSB); Technology Partner – aamra Technologies Limited; Hospitality Partner – Le Méridien Dhaka; PR Partner – Backpage PR. Communication Summit is an initiative of Bangladesh Brand Forum.