International Jury
Design
Products
Julian Daynov
Throughout his career as a Fashion Director, Curator, Artistic Advisor, Trend Analyst and Brand Scout, Julian Daynov has worked in the intersection of contemporary lifestyle for decades and consulted global fashion brands as Chanel, Rolls-Royce, Fendi, Gucci, Ferragamo, Bvlgari and major retail chains as Saks Fifth Avenue, Lane Crawford, Harrod’s ensuring they maintain an exciting and aspirational product mix of established designers and promising newcomer labels from around the globe.
With a background spanning trend forecasting, fashion design, and art buying, Julian Daynov has become a sought-after voice in the global fashion and lifestyle industries. Operating at the melting point of editorial thinking, conceptual styling and commercial relevance, he specializes in brand building, fashion direction, art curation, storytelling, and the design of immersive physical and digital experiences.
He has frequently collaborated with various brands from lifestyle-related industries, advisory enterprises and creative collectives on initiating and overseeing all cooperation marketing, retail innovation and communication strategy units.
His eye for zeitgeist-defining aesthetics and his strategic fluency have shaped collaborations with leading lifestyle, fashion and art trade shows in Milan, Maris, Florence, Miami, Seoul, New York and Copenhagen, where he curates forward-thinking concepts.
Fluent in the codes of both subculture and luxury branding, Daynov is more than a curator and lifestyle expert — he is a connector of ideas, people, and products.
As a prominent fashion industry expert and passionate ambassador for reassessing of traditional gender ideologies, he has been invited to co-create numerous capsule collections for brands, capturing his signature look and manifesting his personal philosophy on fashion beyond gender constructs. Designs of the four collections he creatively oversees are being sold in over 2000 stores globally.
Julian is currently commuting between homes, offices and projects in Berlin, New York, Athens, Los Angeles and Seoul.
Advanced
Technologies
Vess Bakalov
Technology executive and serial entrepreneur with more than 25 years of experience in designing and scaling cloud-native platforms for network and IT operations. His work spans the architecture and deployment of distributed systems used by some of the world’s largest telecom operators and financial institutions.
He is currently SVP of Product at Core42 (a G42 company), where he leads product strategy and execution across a portfolio of AI and cloud solutions. Prior to this, he served as CTO of IBM’s Networking Business Unit, overseeing cloud-based networking and observability platforms and driving AI-powered innovation in predictive network operations.
He is the co-founder of SevOne, a large-scale network performance platform adopted by Tier 1 telecoms and major global banks, which achieved unicorn status and was later acquired, and Pliant, a low-code automation platform acquired by IBM in 2024.
Earlier in his career, he held architecture and engineering roles at JPMorgan Chase and played a key role in early broadband infrastructure development.
A frequent speaker at international forums including Mobile World Congress, he is recognized for his work in AI-driven transformation of cloud and networking technologies.
Food &
Beverage
Erik Wolf
Erik Wolf is widely recognized as the founder of the modern food tourism industry and serves as Executive Director of the World Food Travel Association, the world’s leading authority on food and beverage tourism. With nearly three decades of experience, he has dedicated his career to preserving and promoting the world’s culinary heritage, helping destinations, governments, and artisans showcase their unique food and beverage cultures.
Through his leadership, Erik has built global initiatives, certifications, and movements that connect people through shared traditions and taste. He has authored Crafting Your Taste of Place and Culinary Tourism: The Hidden Harvest, and is the publisher of Have Fork Will Travel. His insights have been featured in The New York Times, Newsweek, Forbes, CNN, BBC, Sky TV, and other leading media.
A thoughtful and inspiring speaker, Erik combines practical expertise with deep respect for local food traditions. His mission is simple yet powerful: to celebrate the flavors that connect us, protect the traditions that define us, and inspire a world united by taste.
Health &
Wellness
Dominique Roques
Dominique Roques has worked in the perfume industry for over 35 years, specializing in the sourcing of the natural ingredients used by the best perfumers worldwide.
Traveling more than 45 countries, he has been sourcing a wealth of star ingredients from vanilla to jasmine, from vetiver to sandalwood. He has been strongly involved in the supply chain of rose extracts, visiting Bulgaria since 1994 and contributing to the investment of a French perfume company in rose plantations and a distillery in the country.
After 15 years of heading the procurement of Firmenich, a Swiss perfumery leader, he has established his own consulting company : Balsam Consulting. Published in 2021, his book “In Search of Perfumes”, has been translated in 13 foreign editions.
Home &
Quality of Life
Venelin Kokalov
Venelin Kokalov is the Design Principal and Owner of Revery Architecture, a Vancouver-based, internationally recognized practice with focus on cultural, academic, and community buildings. The firm’s name reflects its mission: to create a harmony balance between creative reverie and technical precision in every project.
With a background rooted in art and craftsmanship, Venelin is respected for his distinctive ability to seamlessly weave together established and emerging technologies in engaging and innovative ways. He believes that the built environment must connect to nature, and that form and function should serve as a medium to stimulate human interactions, meaningful experiences, and joy. His creative vision is evident in numerous award-winning projects such as Freedom Mobile Arch Amphitheater in Vancouver, Canada; Xiqu Cultural Centre in Hong Kong; Arena Stage Theatre in Washington, DC; University of Chicago Campus in Hong Kong; The Butterfly in Vancouver, Canada; Simon Fraser University Sustainable Energy Engineering building in Surrey, Canada.
Bulgarian Jury
The nomination stage is conducted by a Nominating Jury composed of 10 Bulgarian experts — two per category. Each of the two jury members assesses the products against 10 evaluation criteria using a scale of 1 to 10. Scores are submitted independently through the evaluation platform. Results for each category are determined by the automatic consolidation of both scores.
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