Category: News

edcom at the EMOK conference in Hungary

Posted on by Anna Fanchini

edcom takes the stage at Hungary’s EMOK conference

edcom is on a continuous mission to spread its value across Europe – connecting universities, educators, and industry professionals to shape the future of commercial communications education. On 24 August, that mission took a significant step forward in Hungary, as edcom was presented at the EMOK International Conference. Integrated into one of the conference’s workshops, organized by the Consumer Behaviour Research Committee of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, the session brought together around 30 professors and researchers representing all 10 major Hungarian universities.

A Prize Beyond the Competition

The presentation was delivered by Szabolcs Pronay, Fulbright Scholar at UC Berkeley and Associate Professor at the University of Szeged, who has been actively championing edcom’s presence in Central Europe. Speaking to the audience, Szabolcs highlighted the network’s unique collaborative model:

“edcom offers a unique opportunity for collaboration in Europe, bringing together not only different countries, but also industry professionals, university lecturers, and students. It is already present at 46 universities across 16 countries, but Hungary is still missing from the map. Let’s make sure that changes in 2027!”


His presentation concluded with an open invitation for interested academics to connect directly, creating a clear pathway for Hungarian institutions to join the edcom network.

Be edcom’s voice in your country

Stories like Szabolcs’ show how a single advocate can open doors for an entire academic community. If you’ve been a spokesperson for edcom – whether through a conference talk, a university event, or a local partnership – and you have an interesting story to share, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us and help us map the next chapter of edcom’s growth across Europe!

francesco.bottegal@eaca.eu
anna.fanchini@eaca.eu

From Ad Venture to Cannes Lions: The Oven’s unforgettable creative journey

Posted on by Anna Fanchini

Summary

The winners of the 2026 Ad Venture competition, The Oven, experienced one of the most inspiring weeks of their creative journey at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. From celebrating world-class campaigns to connecting with industry leaders and fellow creatives, the team shares how this unforgettable prize marked the perfect conclusion to their university years.

A Prize Beyond the Competition

Winning Ad Venture is more than taking home the trophy. Every year, the winning team receives one of the competition’s most exciting prizes: complimentary passes to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, where they join thousands of creative minds from around the world for a week dedicated to inspiration, learning, and innovation.

A Week That Left a Mark

For The Oven the experience became much more than attending a festival. It was an opportunity to discover new perspectives, celebrate creativity, and imagine what their own future in the industry could look like.

As Aurora puts it, “Cannes Lions is the celebration of creativity,” while watching the awards ceremony made her feel “like a child”, thinking, “one day, it will be me!”

For Chinouk, the week was a reminder that “hard work truly pays off”, while also bringing “lifelong friendships and memories we will cherish forever.” Looking back, she described the experience as “the perfect ending for our college years.”

Kamil found inspiration in the people around him, saying that “going to Cannes Lions for the first time feels like finding a second home.” Surrounded by creatives who shared the same passion, he felt encouraged to “think bigger, look at things differently, and ultimately strive to create work that leaves a lasting, positive impact on culture and society.”

Natalia captured the feeling in just four words: “Feels like a fever dream.”

For Xhesiana, the week completely changed her perspective. “This week changed the way I see creativity in real life,” she shared, explaining that “ideas were not just presented on stage, they were everywhere, in conversations, people, and unexpected moments.” She left Cannes “inspired, grateful, and ready to think bigger about my own future in marketing and communication.”

Discover Their Stories

The journey from Ad Venture to Cannes Lions is more than a prize – it is an opportunity for young creatives to immerse themselves in the industry’s biggest celebration of creativity, connect with inspiring people, and return home with fresh ideas, lasting memories, and even bigger ambitions.

Read the full reflections below and discover the Cannes Lions experience through the participants’ own words:

“Cannes Lions is the celebration of creativity, and I felt privileged to be there. Watching the awards was my favourite part: you could see the tears of the winners, and the joy of the presenters. I felt like a child and I thought “one day, it will be me!”

– Aurora

“Moments like these are a powerful reminder of why we push our limits. Hard work truly pays off. Beyond the incredible experience of attending Cannes Lions, we’ve walked away with lifelong friendships and memories we will cherish forever.”

– Chinouk

“Going to Cannes Lions for the first time feels like finding a second home. You’re surrounded by incredible talent who share the same passion for creativity as you do, while watching extraordinary work that inspires you to the core. This environment challenges us students to think bigger, look at things differently, and ultimately strive to create work that leaves a lasting, positive impact on culture and society.”

– Kamil

“Feels like a fever dream”

– Natalia

“This week changed the way I see creativity in real life. At Cannes Lions, ideas were not just presented on stage, they were everywhere, in conversations, people, and unexpected moments. Being surrounded by such inspiring energy made me realize how powerful this industry is when passion and purpose come together. I leave feeling inspired, grateful, and ready to think bigger about my own future in marketing and communication.”

– Xhesiana

To the next Ad Venture!

Edcom BIP: Fontys AI Campaign Hackathon

Posted on by Anna Fanchini

The first Edcom‑branded Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) officially launched on 24 April, as the Fontys AI Campaign Hackathon brought together students from across Europe for a unique, hands‑on learning experience at Fontys Economie in Tilburg.

Organised by five Edcom members and hosted by Fontys University, the programme welcomed participants from several partner institutions, including Prague University of Economics and Business, the Faculty of Journalism and Communication Studies – University of Bucharest, CEU – Cardenal Herrera University, and Sup de Pub Lyon. 

The result was a dynamic, international environment where collaboration, experimentation, and innovation were truly at the heart of the experience.

A real brief from KLM Royal Dutch Airline

At the heart of the week was a real client challenge provided by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Students were tasked with developing campaign solutions using emerging technologies such as AI, vibe coding, and virtual humans.

The teams focused on the following challenges: 

  • the introduction of tagless luggage
  • bringing a brand book to life through a virtual human
  • enhancing the premium lounge experience and driving app downloads

This direct engagement with a leading international brand allowed students to move beyond theory and actively contribute to solving real industry challenges.

Learn more about the BIP

The BIP experience through participants’ words

Throughout the week, participants and partners highlighted the value of the experience from different perspectives, underlining both the learning intensity and the impact of collaboration between academia and industry.

Exploring the BIP through students’ words:

“It gives you more of a feeling of success after you’re done, compared to just presenting a school project in front of other students.”
– Team Dream Team

“It’s not just a great experience to get to know AI and learn about it -especially since it’s such an amazing tool right now – but also to meet so many people from different cultures. It’s really cool to make friends from all over the world.”
– Team Sky

“In BIPs you have ups and downs, left and right. You have to be adaptive. You need the spirit to improvise, you know, to become better.”
-Andrei Predescu

“The best part is that we’re used to doing things in a certain way in Spain, in our university, and here you see how other people work on the same thing but in a different way. It really gives you perspective.”
-Team Juanbas

“If I had to say one thing I enjoyed the most, it’s the networking – the fact that we met a lot of interesting people here and we keep in touch with them, maybe even collaborate in some way. That’s really nice.”
– Team Group 1 (Challenge 1)

As Joep Peeters, Senior Lecturer & Course Manager Creative Advertising at Fontys Hogescholen, explains, the added value of such initiatives and of being part of the Edcom network is clear:

“These initiatives are really powerful because they challenge students on so many levels in a one-week pressure cooker format, culturally, technically and cognitively. It really is a playground for everybody involved, where we can work with the latest technologies and developments without having to consider how they fit into the curriculum, which is normally quite time-intensive and sensitive. Edcom provides the perfect network of universities with a similar mindset, and we can harness the innovation power of multiple universities.”

He also highlights the programme’s role in bridging academia and industry: “It takes away the gap altogether, as we are quite literally moving forward on a brief together.”

From the industry perspective, Jordie Knoppers from KLM Royal Dutch Airlines emphasised the importance of engaging with young talent and gaining fresh insights:

“I think we can learn a lot from this new generation because the ‘aha’ moments are there. We are developing all kinds of customer propositions, mainly based on customer profiles or segments. And as we are quite a premium airline, we are not automatically focused on younger generations. But these are, of course, the new premium travellers, right? So I think that’s the biggest aha moment: gaining insights into what is running in their minds as a generation.”

By bringing together students, universities, and industry partners, the Edcom BIP demonstrates how collaboration can turn learning into real impact, equipping the next generation with the mindset and skills needed to shape the future of the industry.