By, Shafiy Nordin
GOMBAK, 31 May 2025 : The Communication Festival 2025 (Comm Fest 2025), a three-day academic and industry celebration organized by final-year Communication students of IIUM from 27 to 29 May 2025, concluded its journey with a heartfelt closing ceremony on Thursday evening at HSC Speech Lab 1.23, Human Sciences Building of IIUM Gombak.
The closing marked the formal conclusion of the vibrant festival, aimed to bridge the gap between students and industry professionals with the theme, “COMMpletely Connected.” The ceremony served as a moment of reflection, recognition, and celebration of collective achievements.
“What started as just an idea has now been translated into a festival that showcases the brilliance, creativity, and passion of our students,” said Program Director, Siti Sarah binti Muhammad Yuha during her address.
Comm Fest 2025 featured over 20 events including forums, talk sessions, industry exhibitions, podcasts, and student exhibitions. Some of the major highlights were the launch of Platform Keibubapaan Digital (KID), the Institute of Public Relations Malaysia Student Association (IPRMSA) Forum, and a colloquium featuring postgraduate students. Notable guest speakers such as Amin Idris and Hafizul Faiz, along with Communication department icons such as Prof. Dato’ Sri Dr. Syed Arabi Syed Abdullah Idid, Assoc. Prof. Ts. Dr. Shafizan Mohamed, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zeti Azreen Ahmad added credibility to the sessions.
One of the festival’s core missions was to promote responsible use of technology and artificial intelligence while fostering ethical communication practices. “The overall goal of Comm Fest 2025 is to connect students with professionals and provide real exposure, this was absolutely achieved,” Siti Sarah said. “From insightful talks to interactive sharing sessions, students gained valuable insights about the media and communication landscape today,” she continued.
Organizing the large-scale event came along with its inevitable challenges. With up to eight simultaneous programs per day and overlapping sessions across venues, coordinating logistics, committee schedules, and speaker availability was difficult.
“One of our biggest challenges was managing multiple parallel sessions,” she said. “Some days we had three programs running at once. Coordinating committees, food, finances, and even securing chairs was a real struggle.” She added that securing exclusive speakers aligned with the festival theme was really tough due to the schedule clashes with the ASEAN Summit.
Despite these challenges, the festival was still filled with unforgettable moments. The opening ceremony gimmick was a standout, where months of hard work finally paid off. The lively student exhibition, a wide range of industry booths, and the unwavering support shown by the lecturers, students and guests, added to its sweetness.
Comm Fest 2025 is more than just an event; it was a leadership and learning experience for many. “I’ve learned that being a good leader isn’t about giving orders; it’s about communicating effectively, resolving conflicts, and being systematic,” Siti Sarah reflected. “Handling internal conflicts between bureaus taught me the importance of empathy and strategy.”
As the program came to an end, Comm Fest 2025 leaves behind not just memories, but also meaningful connections and new perspectives among the committees involved. “Let’s not see this as an end,” the director concluded. “Let’s see this as a beginning, to push boundaries and communicate with impact.”
The evening continued with a montage of festival highlights, followed by lucky draws and closed with a musical performance, including a touching song of “Bergema Sampai Selamanya” by Comm Brothers which left a lasting impressions.***
