Ideas Insights Connections

Head over to the Dubai Media City Courtyard (Building 7), meet with fellow attendees over a cup of coffee, make new connections and find a comfy spot to enjoy the content.

This session explores the shift from impression‑driven creativity to conviction‑driven brand building, a shift that requires ideas strong enough to influence real decisions rather than simply generate attention. In the MENA region, one of the most visually ambitious and fast‑evolving creative landscapes in the world, this evolution is especially important. Identity, aspiration and commerce move quickly here, and bold, culturally expressive work shapes how people see themselves and their place in the region. In this environment, brand cannot be decorative. It becomes infrastructure, a signal of belonging, progress and intent. This session examines how conviction‑driven creativity shapes that future.

Join Chrissie Hanson, CEO, OMD, Omnicom, USA, for a warm and engaging fireside chat with communications expert Lucy Harvey. Together, they’ll explore the major shifts shaping how people around the world think, buy, and behave — and what the biggest global brands are doing to stay ahead. From rising consumer expectations to the growing influence of technology and culture, Chrissie will share what she’s seeing firsthand from working with some of the world’s most influential advertisers. Expect an open, insightful conversation about how brands can prepare for a future that’s moving faster than ever.

Drives Innovation and Healthy Competition — vs. — Pitching Culture Exploits Agencies and Devalues Creative Labour.

The GCC market is rewriting the rules of branding: a young, fast changing population and nation level storytelling are creating a rare opportunity for homegrown brands. The key to success? Local authenticity. Both local and global consumers are more likely to buy into brands they trust and that feel true to their origins; the task is translating that truth for increasingly diverse audiences without diluting its core. But how? Join Lippincott for a panel on the strategies behind some of the most successful brands in the region and hear from leaders who struck the balance and came out on top.

Winning a World Cup is not just about talent, it is about building belief at scale. This talk explores how a nation, a team and Quilmes, Argentina’s most iconic beer brand, aligned behind a single emotional idea to create an unstoppable cultural force. It is about daring to risk when safety feels easier, and understanding the deep need of a wounded nation to believe that something good can finally happen. Audiences will gain insights on leading under pressure, building culturally resonant ideas, and turning creativity into collective energy through the most iconic campaign in Quilmes’ history.

In today’s creative and communications industries, diversity isn’t a value‑add — it’s a strategic necessity. This session brings together leaders from around the world who are reshaping what representation looks like inside agencies, on set, and in the work itself. They’ll explore how diverse teams unlock deeper cultural insight, build more authentic connections, and drive stronger business outcomes. From navigating regional nuances to challenging legacy structures, this conversation reveals why having the right voices in the room isn’t just the ethical choice, but the creative advantage every modern organisation needs.

A sharp, unfiltered session where Tiyale Hayes, Executive VP of Marketing and Audience Development at BET Media Group, breaks down the failures that shaped his career. In a business that spotlights success and buries everything else, he brings the stories we rarely hear: the campaigns that misfired, the strategies that didn’t land, the calls he’d take back, and the uncomfortable moments that ultimately made him a stronger, more intuitive leader. Through honesty, humor, and hard‑earned insight, Tiyale shows how setbacks can sharpen judgment, deepen empathy, and unlock better creative and business decisions, reminding us that the lessons that matter most often come from the mistakes we least want to admit.

In this session Sara Raffaghello explores how to create a work environment, for yourself and for those you manage, to help unlock neurodivergent potential. Drawing on her experience as a creative leader and neurodivergent professional, she looks at different ways of thinking and what people need in their environments to thrive. Sara highlights how traditional structures can unintentionally exclude talent and shows how small, thoughtful changes in culture and process can unlock real value and allow people to drop the mask. Attendees will gain practical insight into creating flexible, clear and trusting environments where diverse minds can thrive. Leaders will leave better equipped to design inclusive teams, and employees will gain confidence to understand what helps them do their best work and ask for it.

Indie music didn’t just change who owned the work. It changed how it sounded. Artists stayed close, made bold choices, and built identities you could recognise instantly. Creative work behaves the same way. In this keynote, Kaz and Ghazy use indie music as a lens to explore why so much creative work today feels interchangeable, and why indie agencies are having a moment. Drawing from experience across indie shops, global networks, and in-house leadership, they share what happens when creatives stay hands-on, protect identity, and keep the work close enough to shape it with intent.

The Future Forecast brings together five sharp perspectives in a rapid‑fire format designed to spark provocation and possibility. Five speakers. Five minutes each. One big prediction about the forces reshaping our industry. Topics:

• Data, Privacy & the Post‑Cookie Reality
• AR, VR and the Rise of Mixed Reality
• The Future of Talent & Creative Workforces
• Consumer Behaviour Shifts & Predictive Marketing
• The Future of Brand Trust, Purpose & Reputation