Dubai Lynx: Ones to watch

Visitors to the Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity have grown accustomed to a first class line-up of speakers, with some of the creative communications industry’s biggest names gracing its stages.

True to form, the 2018 edition is set to be another stellar year. Taking place at the Madinat Jumeirah Arena and Conference Hall on March 11-14, some of the region’s – and the world’s – most interesting, insightful and engaging talents will discuss a host of topics and issues, shedding light on today’s industry and its potential future.

With dozens of sessions lined up for the first three days of the festival, there will be a wealth of talks, discussions, workshops and screenings on offer – taking place across five stages: the Inspiration stage, the Arabic Creativity stage, Data x Innovation x Tech stage, Start-up stage, and Networking stage.

We have picked out some of the top talks taking place at this year’s Dubai Lynx, but for a full rundown of what’s taking place and who’s taking part, visit dubailynx.com.

Fernando Machado

One of this year’s major draws will be Burger King’s chief marketing officer, who will address the audience on the power of brand purpose both for good and for business. Fernando Machado played a pivotal role in the brand being named creative marketer of the year at the 2017 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity – an accolade that goes alongside numerous other personal achievements collected over the years. Named by AdAge last year as being one of the top 50 most creative people in the business, Machado is sure to be a highlight for festival attendees.

Hatoon Kadi

Blogger, scriptwriter and presenter of the Noon Alniswa show, Dr Hatoon Kadi, will take to the Arabic Creativity Stage to discuss the role of content in creating and maintaining identity. The creator of the critically acclaimed show will explore how to use entertaining and authentic content to build a unique brand identity, looking at what goes into writing content that gets noticed by the world and large. Kadi will also examine how brands and individuals can use content as a powerful tool to raise issues and opportunities on subjects that matter to society.

Younus Al Nasser

One of the most intriguing sessions this year will surely be on how happiness, blockchain and AI are changing the way we create. Well placed to give an insider’s perspective will be Younus Al Naseer, assistant director general of the Smart Dubai Office, who is helping to guide efforts to transform Dubai into the world’s smartest city. The conversation will look at the changing way we design spaces, creative campaigns, and more, as well as forging the development of the future.

Reem Hameed and Omar OT Tom

The duo behind multi-media platform The Dukkan Show will present a session entitled Defining neo-Bedouin: Shaping the Identity of the Arab Digital Generation. The term ‘neo-Bedouin’ was coined by The Dukkan Show to define the movement of the modern Arab culture class, and in this talk they will discuss the challenges and triumphs faced by the region’s content creators and cultural innovators, and how that plays out in the world of advertising.

Nathalie Habib

For more than a decade, executive producer and general manager of Blink Studios, Nathalie Habib, has created, developed, executed and delivered engaging content against the backdrop of continuously evolving technology. Her talk, Content and Technology in the Year 2050, will take this idea of evolution and run with it, projecting what the industry – and the wider world – will look like 32 years in the future. Communication, advertising, marketing, entertainment are all destined the change. The question is: how much?

Michael Tringe, Sean Graham and Natalia Iragorri

The CreatorUp team of CEO and co-founder Michael Tringe, managing director Sean Graham, and branded content strategy director Natalia Iragorri will explain how you can get the best results from short-form video ads. The company has trained thousands of top creatives in more than 30 markets across the world on best practices and strategies for video content creation, and will impart some pearls of wisdom to Lynx attendees. This workshop will present insights, examples and actionable advice to help you create short form ads in an interactive setting.

Mariam Farag

The head of MBC Group’s CSR programme will take to the Inspiration Stage to give a talk entitled Creativity Supporting Arab Youth Development: Giving Change Makers a Voice. With sustainability becoming a key pillar of brands’ communication processes, and an increasing need to create shared value by matching social causes with consumer sentiment, Farag will outline the commitment and creativity necessary to implement initiatives with true socio-economic impact. Farag has more than 18 years of experience in the fields of social development, humanitarian relief, communication, and corporate and social change both regionally and globally.

Meredith Carson

Carson is CEO of Bravo Romeo by AJ, an executive with nearly 20 years’ experience in content marketing and integrated communications. Her talk on the Data x Innovation x Tech Stage, Generation Innovation: why Gen Z will Hack the World, will examine this generation’s social, cultural, political and economic outlook to reveal how they will ‘hack’ the world to create a better future. Carson will discuss how hyper connectivity and collaboration will be key aspects of this future, based on a realistic and practical view of the world.

Jose Miguel Sokolff

Internationally awarded and respected ad creative Jose Miguel Sokoloff is well known for his work for the Colombian Ministry of Defence, which helped him become a household name across the industry. The global president of MullenLowe Group’s creative council will be joined by the company’s global creative lead Ben Knight to discuss The Power of Long-term Relationships – Working with Governments for Good. Detailing what it takes to build healthy relationships with governments, the duo will explain how creativity, tact and trust lead to three impactful campaigns in Colombia over an eight-year period, and how this approach can be applied in the Middle East.

James Welch

Dubai-based digital-savvy marketer James Welch specialised in helping businesses grow and monetise their audiences. His session Blockchain for Marketers, alongside curiositas.io founder Dimitrios Vourakis, will aim to help the audience make sense of the blockchain ecosystems and new business models emerging for marketers. A key talk for CMOs and CEOs, the hosts will present use-cases for distributed ledger technology and bring clarity to what might be around the corner in terms of this new technology.