The Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN) has announced kick-off of the 21st edition of the Lagos Advertising and Ideas Festival (LAIF).

Addressing journalists in Lagos recently, newly re-elected AAAN President, Lanre Adisa, noted this year’s theme, “From glitch to great,” is not just a slogan but a reminder that the path to greatness is rarely perfect.

To him, “every great idea faces obstacles. Every creative breakthrough is preceded by moments of doubt, disruption, experimentation, and even glitches. What distinguishes great creators is not the absence of challenges but the courage and resilience to learn, adapt, and keep creating. In many ways, it is the natural progression from grit through the inevitable glitches to greatness. That is the story of LAIF, and indeed, the story of creativity itself.”

Speaking further, he added the journey from glitch to great, from local acclaim to global relevance, will demand more originality, craft, innovation, and more courage to create ideas that can stand shoulder to shoulder with the very best in the world.

On her part, the newly elected LAIF Management Board President, Funke Adekola, disclosed the new board is committed to consolidating on the previous board’s key learnings and structural momentum and to creating a festival that truly reflects where the industry has moved, as well as a governance structure that mirrors the modern creative economy.

She added, “as we step into a brand-new cycle today, we are not here merely to announce an award show. We are here to announce an evolution. This board stands on the shoulders of two decades of remarkable progress, and we are stepping into this season with a commitment to honour our past while fearlessly defining our future.”

The one-week-long event will feature knowledge-sharing sessions, including C-suite fireside chats and masterclasses dissecting tech, AI, brand strategy, and commercial growth; youth hackathons empowering professionals under 30 and university chapters tagged Young LAIFers & UniLAIFers; the Nominees Party & LAIF Awards Gala.

The LAIF Festival week will hold from November 23 to 28, 2026 in Lagos.