Colvyn Harris, the soft-spoken chairman of India's advertising carnival, Goafest, is also CEO of JWT, one of India's biggest ad agencies. Despite the challenge he's facing in making sure the fest happens on time — and on its usual scale — Arcopol Chaudhuri finds him calm and composed while scepticism bubbles about the delegate turnout. Excerpts:

It is understood you're having a hard time finding sponsors for Goafest this year...

Not really. We've already signed on about 7-8 sponsors. More will follow. Moreover, we're going to discuss some key challenges for the industry in our knowledge sessions at Goafest. The theme this year is . It's true, since there is so much we can do and emerge out of it far ahead, in a way we never thought possible. And any delegate can immerse himself in the breadth of work that will be put up on display. Some MNCs I know are using their entire training budgets towards sending delegates to Goafest. At 2,300 euros per delegate, very select few get to visit Cannes. This is still the most economic ad festival. From JWT alone, we're sending about 200 delegates.

Some agencies claim they'll send entries but may not send delegates. How does that change the scheme of things?

It doesn't change. We're happy that they're entering. In fact, we are constrained as to how many people can come into Goafest, because there is limitation of rooms. The infrastructure there doesn't allow us to take more than 3,000 people. So we're not worried.

Which are the areas where you've eliminated costs?

Well, we've made the announcement here at the JWT office (smiles). But seriously, I don't think there are major costs that need to be chopped out. We're responsible people. We run our companies responsibly. The recession just teaches us to be a little more cautious, not to say that we weren't cautious earlier. In terms of infrastructure for Goafest, we've pegged everything a little lesser than it was last year. But in terms of sponsorship, our card rates remain the same.

Finally, how are you managing the two hats — as CEO of JWT and as Goafest chairman?

Well, JWT has eight executive creative directors (ECD), and they have about 350 people reporting to them. Each ECD has a special role for client or a group of clients. This is the structure we've adopted; it's a reliable one and somehow takes care of things.

Arcopol Chaudhuri/ DNA-Daily News & Analysis Source: 3D Syndication