Even before the curtains go up for global and regional experts to comment on the trends impacting the industry, the Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity has made room for students attending training and workshops. Leo Burnett and Starcom Mediavest Group have called in not only students but also the younger professionals from the industry in their academy.
“The idea behind the academy is to help initiate communications with bright, young minds, and assist them in their journey. The academy is like a launch pad that gives them a whirlwind tour of what it feels like to work in an agency, and what the challenges are. We are stimulating working conditions that we as professionals work in. Consequently, by the time they graduate, they have already sampled what it feels like,” explains Kamal Dimachkie, Executive Regional Managing Director, Leo Burnett MENA.
Dubai Lynx looks to nature MENA’s young talent. In the last five years, the Festival has increased emphasis on students for across the region and not just in Dubai. “We have the du integrated awards and creative awards for print to give them the opportunity to evolve and understand the industry,” Dubai Lynx’ Emma Farmer commented.
Omar Mougharbel attended the academy last year, and was subsequently appointed in Leo Burnett Saudi Arabia. Speaking to The Arabian Marketer at Dubai Lynx, he said, “My major is graphic designing. Attending the academy last year helped me significantly. This experience helped me to understand things better when I joined Leo Burnett.”
At a time when technology, changing consumer and marketer behavior and the challenging times in the region is changing marketing, it’s time for people to rethink their business models. “We have to all revisit how we operate, how we achieve growth, and obviously the next few years will be influenced by what people inside this room will do for their company. The next three days will enable conversations on how to handle these changes and relook the marketing strategy. These students will benefit from discussions from experts in this field and they will also interact with each of them which is all very valuable experiences,” said Tarek Daouk, Regional Managing Director, MENA Mediavest.
Many students have already made way to the Festival and are attending the academy this year. Asem Askar, from American University Dubai said, “The speakers are very excited, and the vibe rubs on us. It is very interesting to listen to them. It is simply great to be in the same room with so many of us sharing the same interests.”
Zeina Hamdan, of American University Sharjah agreed and added, “As we begin our career, we discover what we love. And the best way to do that is learn from the top players of the industry. The activities over here, the talks, the interactions with experts –all put together gives us a good start to know what we want to do and grow up from there.”
“We were expecting a tailored education from experts from the field when we were heading to the academy and we are not disappointed. I am looking forward to the talks on the big stage as well,” commented Rami Jammail, Amercian University Beirut.
