Missing Lynx

If you could create a one-day event to quickly get up-to-speed with what’s happening in the advertising and creative industries in this region and meet the key movers and shakers, then it would be the Dubai Lynx festival. For me, this year’s event timing was perfect as I am still on a steep learning curve, understanding the hot topics and trends and trying to meet all the agency’s big cheeses. I ticked off many boxes in the space of a few hours.

The festival itself was extremely well attended, including the panel discussion I moderated on the future of creativity in Saudi Arabia. There is so much interest, and excitement, about Saudi that I put myself forward to chair the discussion. And I made the right choice, with a packed room full of energy and curiosity thanks to my panel of passionate Saudi-based creative directors.

And then of course we had the hotly contested awards, a night of glamour, prizes and cocktails. There were so many great works and campaigns on show that I have sympathy with the judges and juries in the hard choices they had to make picking the eventual winners. There were 18 Grands Prix winners including the very worthy Empty Plates campaign.

As soon as I heard about the Adidas x Ravi shoes campaign many months ago, I knew it would pick up some kind of award, and inevitably it did. While I missed out on buying a pair of the limited-edition sneakers, I was really pleased to see the creative teams on stage in their green and white Adidas x Ravi footwear collecting their deserved award.

And what a genius and witty campaign from Heinz during last year’s World Cup tournament. It made me smile a lot, and I secretly wish my surname was Heinz not Harper. All in all, the Dubai Lynx team and all the creatives in the region can give themselves a huge pat on the back for a great year and body of work.