Karachi: The Pakistan Public Relations, Event Management, Digital and Activations Association (PREDA) successfully hosted PREDAXIS: Minus the Gatekeep, its inaugural industry conference at the Mövenpick Hotel. The event brought together leading business executives, marketers, agency professionals, digital specialists, event experts, creators, academics and media practitioners to discuss the future of Pakistan’s communications and creative industries.

The conference opened with a keynote address by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, who spoke about connection, influence, trust and purpose-driven collaboration. She emphasised that meaningful transformation begins when individuals have the courage to imagine a different future.

PREDA’s executive committee, including Selina Rashid, Frieha Altaf, Shanaz Ramzi, Fareshteh Aslam, Sarfraz Niazi and Hasan Rizvi, said PREDAXIS was created to unite industries shaping influence, culture, commerce and public trust while promoting professional standards and collaboration.

The afternoon keynote by Imtisal Abbasi, Managing Partner at IAL Saatchi & Saatchi, explored leadership, creativity and the changing communications landscape. He highlighted three key ideas: technology does not destroy value but relocates it; AI changes the questions businesses ask; and discernment is becoming a major competitive advantage.

Seven panel discussions examined major industry trends, including the Agency-Client Nexus, AI and the Reputation Economy, Influencers and the New Attention Economy, the Experience Economy, Human-Centred Leadership, The Pitch Room and The Next Ecosystem.

Discussions highlighted the growing impact of artificial intelligence, creator culture, immersive experiences and evolving agency-client relationships. Speakers stressed the importance of transparency, trust, authenticity, empathy and shared accountability.

Looking ahead, participants emphasised collaboration, innovation and cross-industry partnerships as essential to building a future-ready communications ecosystem. Speakers also discussed AI-driven job disruption, startup challenges and the need for greater investment and government support, while stressing that Pakistan possesses exceptional creative and technological talent.

Hosted by PREDA, with Pinnacle X as Organising Partner and Pakistan Advertisers Society as Exclusive Strategic Partner, PREDAXIS marked a significant step toward strengthening Pakistan’s PR, digital, event management and activations sectors.