Unravelling the knotty question of what makes creative excellence

What does it take to deliver creative excellence? In this workshop, Donal Keenan, Chief Operating Officer of D&AD, London, will guide attendees to find out. The workshop will delve into brand-new D&AD research to create an understanding of what matters most in the making of work that stands out as remarkable. The workshop will then become a collaborative effort to put one of the insights into practice, leaving attendees with a tangible way to effect change in in their creative work.

Donal Keenan is an awards expert who has spent much of his career at D&AD. After joining in 2007. Keenan worked his way through the awards team to become Chief Operating Officer in 2024. In this role, he leads the drive D&AD’s mission to celebrate, stimulate and enable excellence in commercial creativity, to develop young talent, and to campaign for a fairer, more diverse industry in the belief that this creates better outcomes for all. Keenan has overseen many developments in the expansion of the D&AD awards programme, through the additions of Health, Pharma, Commerce, PR and Media awards along with the development and running of D&AD Impact, which aligns with the UN Global Development Goals. In 2023, as Awards & Festival Director, Keenan led the successful revival of the D&AD Festival post-COVID-19 which continues to grow today. In 2013, he also acted as a consultant managing the development and operational launch of the Kyoorius Awards in India, a now well-established regional awards rewarding the best in Indian design and advertising.

D&AD Conditions for Creativity will be held on Friday 20 March at 11.30-13.00 in Room Pattaya 6, Mezzanine Floor, PEACH. Pre-registration is required, strictly first-come-first-served, and limited to 36 delegates only. To sign-up, you must be a confirmed registered delegate of ADFEST 2026. Registration is not confirmed until you receive confirmation from ADFEST. For more Information, click here.

For more information, contact Workshop@ADFEST.com

ADFEST 2026, Human+, will be held Thursday 19 – Saturday 21 March 2026 at the Royal Cliff Hotels Group in Pattaya, Thailand. ADFEST is open for delegate registrations. Find out more about the ADFEST delegate registrations here.

As the beacon of Asian branded marketing communications creativity, ADFEST is the dynamic annual celebration of Asian cultures. It offers an unparalleled combination of learning, inspiration, and networking—no other regional event provides such a rich mix of industry forums, breakout sessions, cultural connectivity, and multi-event awards. At its heart, ADFEST is the place to meet and be inspired.

ADFEST is a not-for profit entity that believes passionately in its role to nurture and support the creative industry in the Asia Pacific and MENA region. It is 1 of only 7 regional creative festivals included in the WARC Creative 100 Rankings, 1 of 12 awards included in the Campaign Brief Asia Rankings, and 1 of 22 awards included in The Drum World Creative Rankings.