Don’t we Indian PR professionals need our own Goafest?

In April 2012, Amith Prabhu was in Chicago attending PR events while Goafest was happening back in India. He tweeted: “Don’t we Indian PR professionals need our own Goafest?” I had attended Goafest with Amith too, so the thought had stayed with me. A few months later, Amith sent the details of the first PRAXIS – which happened in Puducherry.

Twelve editions later, I have somehow managed to attend every one. And as PRAXIS 13 gets ready for Kochi, here are 13 reasons, memories and observations from the journey.

1. This one is personal. As I write this, we woke up this morning to the sad news of losing our dear friend, former colleague and PR community fraternity veteran, Bhaskar Majumdar. It makes putting this post out a little emotional. Yet there is something about communities like ours that you notice at times like these. People show up. They remember. They support each other. And then, despite the sadness, the show goes on. Perhaps that is also the story of PRAXIS.
2. It has stayed the course. From that first edition in Puducherry to Kochi, 13 editions later, PRAXIS has kept showing up. It has seen partners come and go, formats evolve and the communications industry change almost beyond recognition. During COVID, it moved online and even survived an internet outage. It has experimented with masterclasses, book launches and newer formats while retaining the basic essence of bringing the community together. Twelve editions done, the thirteenth underway. That is consistency.
3. I have been equally consistent, so far. I have managed to attend every edition, sometimes for learning, sometimes for sharing, sometimes for meeting people and sometimes simply because PRAXIS has become one of those annual fixtures that you do not want to miss. After 12 editions, I suppose I have earned the right to call it a habit.
4. The city changes, and that is part of the fun. One of the things I enjoy about PRAXIS is that it is an offsite. A different city every time gives you a reason to step outside the conference venue and actually experience the place. Kochi will be the next chapter.
5. Which brings me to the morning run. I like exploring a new city on foot before the sessions begin. At the Pune PRAXIS, one morning run led me to a conversation with a newspaper vendor. Nothing to do with PR strategy, reputation or digital transformation. Just a real conversation with someone beginning his working day and delivering newspaper- something which we all PR people swear by. Those little encounters often stay with me longer than some conference sessions.
6. PRAXIS has also introduced me to people I would otherwise probably never meet. At one edition, I met another Anup. Yes, another Anup. It is not every day that you meet your namesake at a PR conference, so naturally there had to be a photograph. Somewhere in the PRAXIS archives, there may be proof that two Anups occupied the same conference.
7. There is a serious business agenda hiding behind the conference agenda. Put hundreds of PR and communications professionals from across India in one place and business development is bound to happen. Agencies meet potential clients, companies discover talent, professionals explore new opportunities and people who have not spoken for years suddenly find themselves discussing a project. These days, conversations can perhaps even lead to an acquisition or merger. PRAXIS is a conference, but it is also a rather efficient networking marketplace.
8. It is a talent hunting ground too. If you are hiring, looking for a specialist or simply trying to understand who is doing interesting work, having the community gathered in one place helps. Sometimes the person you are looking for is sitting three rows away.
9. And then PRAXIS plays Cupid. I personally know at least two happy couples who first met at a PRAXIS event. So the unofficial services perhaps include business development, talent hunting, networking and matchmaking. I have no idea whether this comes under the registration fee.
10. Then come the after parties. They have their own PRAXIS folklore. I still remember the Goa edition, where the line between “industry networking” and “we should probably call it a night” became pleasantly blurred. The formal programme may have ended, but conversations rarely do. Some of the most memorable exchanges happen after the badges have stopped being useful.
11. The profession itself has changed. PRAXIS has travelled through the transition from traditional media to digital, social platforms, creators, influencers and now AI. I have used AI to help write this piece too. It is remarkably useful for structuring thoughts and finding sharper ways to say things. But PRAXIS also reminds me why human encounters remain useful. Technology can help you prepare for a conversation. It cannot tell you who you will bump into over dinner.
12. And perhaps that is why showing up matters. PRAXIS has continued through difficult periods, industry changes and personal losses. This Kochi edition arrives at a particularly poignant moment for our community. We have lost Bhaskar, but people will still gather, remember him, share stories, do their work and carry on. Not because the loss matters any less, but because communities survive by continuing to show up for one another.
13. Which brings me back to that tweet. “Don’t we Indian PR professionals need our own Goafest?” In 2012, it was a question. PRAXIS 13 suggests that the answer was perhaps less about creating another conference and more about creating something that could keep bringing the community back together. From Puducherry to Kochi, through 12 editions, changing formats, changing cities and a changing profession, PRAXIS has simply kept showing up.

And sometimes, in our profession and in life, consistency is the most interesting story of all.

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