Unable to attend this year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity?
Don’t worry! You can still be part of the Festival with the Cannes Lions ‘Digital Pass’!
Here’s your chance to experience the Festival from anywhere in the world. Filmed in glorious detail by dozens of HD cameras, the daily stream is produced by an award-winning production team and fronted by world-class journalists.
Broadcasting for 12 hours every day of the Festival on canneslions.com, the ‘Digital Pass’ gives you access to the mainstage as well as exclusive interviews and behind the scenes goodness.
Crafted to give a flavour of the entire Festival, the ‘Digital Pass’ means you get the inside track on the latest innovations, insights behind the award-winning work and the big new ideas influencing the market – all of which will be available to watch live and on-demand (even after the Festival draws to a close).
Purchase the pass for €195 + sales tax.
Don’t miss out on being part of the world’s biggest gathering for the entire creative marketing community.
Click here to find out more.
Motivate Media Group and Motivate Val Morgan are the official representatives of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in the UAE
The 17th edition of the prestigious UAE Young Lions Digital Competition, hosted by Motivate Media Group and Motivate Val Morgan – the official UAE representative of Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, in association with Dubai Media City took place on Saturday 20th April 2019 at the offices of Motivate Media in Dubai Media City. The Judging and Awards Ceremony followed on Monday 22nd April 2019 at the In5 Media Innovation Centre in Dubai Production City, with Arwa Al Jundi (Art Director) and Warsha J. Dhemani (Copywriter) from Livingroom Communication named the Gold winners of the competition.
The wining duo was selected from a pool of 16 participating teams, and will be flown on an all-expense paid trip to Cannes to represent the UAE at the International Young Lions Digital Competition, which will be held in June 2019.
Not too far behind them were Sumer Kotwal (Art Director) and Gaurav Maitreya (Copywriter) from Publicis Sapient (Gold winners of last year’s UAE Young Lions Digital Competition) who bagged Silver.
With so many creative ideas and inspiring submissions, determining the Bronze winner was a challenge, and this year, the UAE Young Lions Digital Competition saw a tie between three teams – Felipe Menezes (Art Director) and Sabine Haddad (Copywriter) from TBWA\RAAD, Alan Hong (Art Director) and Poroma Pant (Copywriter) from Saatchi & Saatchi Dubai, and Nour Mohammad (Art Director) and Peter Mazloumian (Copywriter) from Socialize.
Other participating agencies at this year’s competition included:
Leo Burnett Dubai, APCO Worldwide, Mullenlowe MENA, Publicis Middle East, RAPP Middle East, Wavemaker, Amber Communications, Rain Creative, and McCann Health Dubai.
The ‘Creative Club’ who judged this year’s competition comprised:
Manuel Bordé – TBWA\RAAD
Prajakta More – McCann Health Dubai
Ali Shabaz – RAPP Middle East
Georgine Hajjar – Wavemaker
Mohamed Bareche – Publicis Middle East
Seyoan Vela – Livingroom Communication
Samer Zouehid – Saatchi & Saatchi Dubai
Anton Marais – Leo Burnett
Prasad Pradhan – Amber Communications
Pascale Youssef – APCO Worldwide
Alfonso Arbos – Mullenlowe MENA
Shwan Nazar – Publicis Sapient
Shamrock Nevis – Rain Creative
Rafael Bergamini – Socialize Agency
Shyam Vipin – Praxis Advertising
This year’s client was World Food Programme (WFP) – the food- assistance branch of the United Nations and the world’s largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger, and the competition was sponsored by Getty Images and Xerox Middle East.
Ian Fairservice – Managing Partner, Motivate Media Group, said “After 17 years of hosting the Young Lions competition, we have seen some inspiring work from these exceptional young professionals. This year is certainly not different and I’d like to wish Arwa and Warsha from Livingroom Communication the best of luck representing the region in Cannes. I’m sure they will be great ambassadors for the UAE.”
Majed Al Suwaidi – Managing Director of Dubai Media City, said: “Dubai Media City is proud to collaborate once again with the UAE Young Lions and Motivate to encourage the rise of digital platforms and the region’s creativity. As our mandate to support the growing upcoming talent, the UAE Young Lions and Motivate competition provides the opportunity for our people to gain recognition and grow their careers. Our partnership, with the collaboration of our incubator in5 media, looks forward to a successful outcome and we wish all the participants great learnings every success.”
Congratulations to the winners and a job well done to all 16 teams that participated in this year’s competition.
The UAE Young Lions Digital Competition – hosted by Motivate Media Group and Motivate Val Morgan, in association with Dubai Media City and supported by Getty Images and Xerox Middle East, aims to unveil the brightest creative minds from across the UAE, and is part of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity – the world’s biggest celebration of creativity in communications. The International Festival will take place from the 17th to the 21st of June 2019 in the city of Cannes, located on France’s mesmerizing south coast and will offer five days of award ceremonies, seminars, workshops, master classes, exhibitions, screenings and networking.
Up until 2018, Motivate Val Morgan Cinema Advertising – official representative of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in the UAE, nominated one student to attend the Roger Hatchuel Academy – a student learning programme carefully designed to offer students of advertising, communications and other creative disciplines, the head-start they need to secure a role within the competitive creative industry post-graduation.
In 2019, Motivate Val Morgan recommended three students whose submissions were reviewed by a global panel of 7-9 jurors from Cannes Lions – comprising of a diverse mix of professionals from reputed education institutions, the industry and related creative fields. Earlier this month, the panel of jurors selected Meera Saeed Humaid Alaraj Alsuwaidi – a student at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi, currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree of Communication & Media Science, to represent the UAE at the prestigious Roger Hatchuel Academy which will take place from the 17th – 21st June 2019 in Cannes, France.
The Roger Hatchuel Academy is a student learning programme carefully designed to offer students of advertising, communications and other creative disciplines, the head-start they need to secure a role within the competitive creative industry post-graduation.
Students can expect a programme tailored to the current industry landscape, one which combines classroom sessions and a selection of official Festival content – under the guidance of course tutors Abraham Abbi Asefaw and Maksimilian Kallhed – Co-Founders of The Pop Up Agency.
Academy students get full access to the Cannes Lions Festival, including the five Award Shows and the Young Lions Party. They will also have exclusive access to the Jury rooms, which are closed to all other attendees of the Festival. This is a unique way to navigate the world’s most important discussion of creativity in communications, and an unrivalled opportunity to network with other future Lions-winners.
Creative leaders that have previously lectured at the Academy are – Bob Greenberg, Bob Isherwood, Neil French, David Droga, Jim Stengel, Michael Conrad and Tham Khai Meng, to name a few.
Commenting on being selected, Meera AlSuwaidy stated, “ I can’t even put into words how honored I am to be a part of the Roger Hatchuel Academy class of 2019, I’m also very proud and grateful to represent my country in this event. This wouldn’t have been possible without Dr. Park – my advisor, who has guided me through it all and has always believed in me, even at times when I wasn’t confident in my abilities. He has always inspired me to be the best version of myself, and I knew the best way to appreciate his efforts was to earn my spot in the academy. Travelling to different parts of the world has opened my eyes and broadened my thoughts and perception about my surroundings – you can say that it is the fuel that channeled creativity into my work. With this opportunity, I will begin a new journey as a determined communication and media student eager to learn, rather than travelling as a tourist, and will attend this academy that is filled with various opportunities to help build up my character, skills and future career. In addition to that, it is an experience that will help me find inspiration to bring creativity into media. In conclusion, I am very excited to meet my fellow classmates, some of the most creative minds from all over the world under the same roof. This is a once in a lifetime experience that I will cherish forever.”
Park Beede – Graduate Coordinator and Assistant Professor at Zayed University, said, “Everyone, in the College of Communication and Media Sciences, is extremely excited for Meera, to be selected for this opportunity. The rich tradition of creativity at Cannes Lions is a recognized pinnacle of achievement in our field, and the Roger Hatchuel Academy offers such a wonderful opportunity for young creatives to experience this energy. We know that Meera will be an excellent ambassador of creativity for the UAE, contributing to the diverse cultures brought together in this talented group of up-and-coming creative minds. We look forward to all the experiences Meera can absorb during this opportunity and bring back to share with her fellow students. We also appreciate the gracious support of Motivate Val Morgan in nurturing young talent to be tomorrow’s creative professionals. The opportunity for students to share firsthand experience from seasoned professionals is a truly unique opportunity.”
Motivate Media Group and Motivate Val Morgan would like to wish Meera AlSuwaidy the best of luck as she embarks on this journey, and we hope her experience and learnings at the Roger Hatchuel Academy will create positive impact and contribute to her future endeavors in the industry.
Congratulations to the winners of the MVM Oscars Challenge 2019:
Having answered 7 out of 8 questions correctly, Gerald and Priyanka won 2 x VOX Cinemas luxury movie passes (each) to watch a movie of their choice at either a Theatre by Rhodes or Gold by Rhodes cinema.
This year, Bohemian Rhapsody led the 91st Academy Awards – which took place on Sunday 24th February 2019, taking home four Oscars in the actor, film editing, sound mixing, and sound editing categories, while Black Panther surprised with wins in production design, costume design, and original score.
Click here to access a comprehensive list of Oscar Winners in 2019.
Source: Variety
With less than two weeks to go for the biggest creative communications event in the MENA region, here are the latest updates from the desks of Dubai Lynx.
This year’s festival (10th to 13th March 2019 at Madinat Jumeirah), will be a focused two-day event dedicated to inspiration and insight, followed by an awards show. The event guarantees to bring top creatives, the world’s best brands, fledging start-ups and everyone in between under one roof, to learn, network and celebrate creativity in communications.
Choose your perfect pass for 2019
Meet the world’s biggest brands, agencies, media owners and consultancies at Dubai Lynx. Find the right option for you and secure your place at the Festival in 2019.
Compare all passes
Spotlight on Saudi Arabia
Image credits: Kingdom Centre
The opportunity for growth in KSA is clear. Creativity will be the differentiator for brands looking to win in this market. In 2019, the Festival will dedicate a full day to focus on Saudi Arabia. Powered by STC, the tailored programme brings together a diverse selection of speakers. Hear from content creators, creative agencies, TV stars, media platforms, the Ministry of Health and more, on what the landscape looks like today.
Topics that will be covered as part of this programme include:
Find out how to keep up with a nation that doesn’t stop evolving.
Learn how to plan for social impact with strategic creativity.
Hear what Saudi’s next generation really want from tomorrow.
Discover more about culture in KSA from the content makers influencing it.
Don’t miss out.
Dubai Lynx 2019 – Toolkit
We don’t need to tell you that attending the Festival is essential. However, we do understand how difficult it is to make your case to the budget-holder – quite possibly your BOSS.
Therefore, the team at Dubai Lynx have put together a toolkit to help you out. It’s a handy set of resources – including a guide to how the Festival offers great ROI and a ready-to-send cover letter – designed to help you frame the conversation. You’ll be able to make an argument so compelling, they’ll simply have to say ‘YES’.
Get the toolkit
Dubai Lynx 2019 will champion diversity
Image credits: Odyssey
Discover the programme of onstage content, sessions giving women a stage to thrive, initiatives spotlighting the next generation of female talent, and much more.
Discover what it means to create real cultural impact.
Understand subconscious bias with an interactive workshop.
Find out how to be a female leader at our Meet Up.
Spotlight on the Industry’s Bravest Brands
Image credits: The Drum
This year’s festival will welcome some of the world’s boldest brands. Witness CMOs and brand leaders on stage, sharing behind-the-scenes insight – on leadership, creating compelling content and building innovative campaigns. Also expect an exciting programme of panels, informal sessions and competitions hosted by some of the industry’s biggest names.
Get inside Amazon’s creative hub.
Brand Breakfasts with Euronews | Monday 11, 9:45AM at the Discover Stage
Have breakfast with Euronews.
The Strange Power of Movement Marketing | Monday 11, 16:30 at Transformation Stage
Discover the power of movement marketing with Mahindra Group and Emirates Airline.
Learn why emotions matter most with Fatafeat and Mayar Foods.
Tell Us a Secret – The Human Side of Leadership
Explore the human side of leadership with General Motors and The Marketing Society.
For those of you who haven’t attended Dubai Lynx in the past, check out the highlights from 2018 to see why this is a ‘must-attend’ event:
Visit Dubai Lynx for more information.
Source: Dubai Lynx
Motivate Val Morgan has signed an exclusive advertising sales partnership with AMC Cinemas for their cinema locations across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
AMC, a global leader in entertainment, opened the first cinema in Saudi Arabia in April 2018 at King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) in Riyadh. Globally AMC’s brands include Odeon Cinemas, UCI Cinemas and Nordic Cinema.
Over the next five years, AMC plans to open 50 cinemas in cities all across Saudi Arabia, expanding to a total north of 75 locations throughout the kingdom by 2030.
“This is a game-changing initiative within the regional entertainment space,” said Ian Fairservice, Managing Partner of Motivate Media Group. “Expanding into Saudi Arabia remains one of our key business objectives and fulfils our long-held belief in the value of key strategic partnerships.”
Additionally, as part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, Motivate Val Morgan will support AMC in the education and training of young Saudi Nationals through a special internship programme, including sponsoring their attendance at the Dubai Lynx Festival of creativity each year, which brings together top creatives and the world’s best brands.
For more information on AMC Cinemas, please visit their website and contact us for cinema advertising opportunities at this location.
On Monday 28th January 2019, VOX Cinemas opened its doors to the very first cinema in Jeddah at Red Sea Mall.
The multiplex, with a seating capacity of over 1,400 seats, features 12 screens in total and includes Saudi Arabia’s largest IMAX viewing experience, three Gold Class screens and a Kids screen.
Cameron Mitchell, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Cinemas, said Saudi Arabia has the capacity for high audience numbers.
Speaking at the opening ceremony at Red Sea Mall, Mitchell stated: “If you look at Dubai we have some 15 million customers there per annum. On the short-term goal in Saudi Arabia we are expecting the market to reach about 30 million customers.”
Research from PwC Middle East in November 2018 estimated that that total cinema revenue in Saudi Arabia would reach $1.5 billion by 2030. The forecast was based on a projected 2030 population of 39.5 million, and 6.6 screens per 100,000 people.
Last year, VOX Cinemas announced it would be investing $533 million to open 600 theaters in the next five years.
“Some 95 percent of our employees here are from Saudi Arabia. In any country where we operate cinemas, we localize the team. We have an Egyptian team in Egypt and a Lebanese team in Lebanon and of course Saudis in Saudi Arabia,” said Mitchell.
“We expect the cinemas in the Red Sea Mall to be showing…a mix of films, probably about 300 films per year with at least six new movies every single week. It will take a while for us to have enough cinemas for everyone to get to go to the cinema whenever they want to.
“In my opinion, the cinema is a good place for families to spend time together in a social environment, especially in hot summer days, when outdoor activities are limited.”
The new multiplex in Jeddah will offer cinema enthusiasts the opportunity to watch some of the world’s biggest blockbuster movies, and according to Mitchell, there would be no issues in relation to gender segregation as there are cinemas for families and separate ones for bachelors.
Here’s the walk-through video of VOX Cinemas – Red Sea Mall:
And a glimpse of the opening ceremony of VOX Cinemas – Red Sea Mall:
تم افتتاح ڤوكس سينما، أول سينما في جدة!
شكراً لضيوفنا الكرام الذين حضروا حفل افتتاح ڤوكس سينما #رد_سي_مول. تم افتتاح أول سينما في جدة ونحن متشوقون لخدمتكم جميعاً ابتداءً من اليوم! أضخم الأفلام وأفضل التجارب في انتظاركم في ڤوكس سينما، رد سي مول. احجزوا تذاكركم عبر https://voxcinemas.info/2ScvAh4 #ڤوكس_سينما_السعودية #ڤوكس_جدةThank you to our esteemed guests who attended the grand opening of VOX Cinemas, Red Sea Mall, and those who tuned in! The first cinema in Jeddah awaits you with the biggest blockbusters and amazing experiences. Book your tickets now at https://voxcinemas.info/2ScvAh4 Jeddah
Posted by VOX Cinemas KSA ڤوكس سينما السعودية on Tuesday, 29 January 2019
VOX Cinemas- Riyadh Park Mall has been operational since May 2018, and Motivate Val Morgan is the official cinema advertising partner of VOX Cinemas at both locations in the Kingdom.
Contact us for more information on cinema advertising opportunities in KSA.
For more information on locations and movie timings, visit https://ksa.voxcinemas.com/
Related Articles:
VOX Cinemas Opens in Saudi Arabia at Riyadh Park Mall
Sources: Arab News and VOX Cinemas
Motivate Val Morgan is proud to announce its twentieth year as a leading cinema advertising company in the Middle East.
Established in 1999 by Motivate Media Group and Val Morgan Cinema Network, Motivate Val Morgan launched with a six-screen multiplex in Ajman (UAE), one sales professional and a part-time administrative assistant. The business has since expanded exponentially and we now represent leading cinema exhibitors across UAE, Lebanon, Oman, Egypt, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, and comprise a team of more than 30 members.
We are fortunate to have experienced steady growth over the last two decades and are extremely proud of our accomplishments along the way.
Our success can be attributed to a clear and focused vision, along with a talented and dedicated team. Specifically:
There’s no doubt in saying that everybody loves cinema! It’s one of the favorite past times in the region and guarantees delivery of affluent audiences with high spending power.
Cinema is even recession proof!
For advertisers however, cinema had always been considered a local medium. And one of the main challenges faced when pitching for regional campaigns has been the lack of a footprint in Saudi Arabia – the main market in the GCC.
Following the lift on the 35-year-old ban on cinema in Saudi Arabia in May 2018 – a massive breakthrough for cinema in the region – Motivate Val Morgan was able to establish a new arm of its business in the Kingdom. 2019 will be the continuation of this new journey, as we gain greater market share in the coming years and foresee our team in KSA growing to the size of our regional team.
As we enter our twentieth year, we are sharply focused on the future strategy of the company. Our key goals include:
We sincerely thank our advertisers and business partners who are a valued part of our company’s growth and success, and look forward to your continued partnership and the opportunity to serve you in decades to come.
In addition to the company-wide celebrations of our 20th anniversary milestone, we would also like to express our genuine gratitude to our valued advertisers by:
Additionally:
Finally, a big thank you out to all the team members of Motivate Val Morgan. Thanks to their dedication and hard work, we are strongly positioned to grow our geographical footprint and continue to be recognized as a leader in cinema advertising, offering innovative solutions in an ever-changing industry landscape.
Motivate Val Morgan – connecting brands to cinema: a blockbuster pairing
Landmark Group recently booked an off screen digital pillar campaign through Motivate Val Morgan for brands Splash – the largest fast fashion retailer in the Middle East, and Babyshop – the very first brand launched by the Group, at VOX Cinemas – Mall of Egypt.
The campaign was booked from 20th January 2019 to 23rd February 2019 to screen across the 4 digital pillars in the foyer area of the cinema – displaying a discount offer of up to 70% at both Splash and Babyshop.
Other off screen advertising opportunities available at VOX Cinemas – Mall of Egypt include:
Download the off screen advertising rate card for Egypt, and contact us for more information on similar advertising opportunities across the Middle East.
Related Articles:
In 2019, Walt Disney Studios may break box office records for having the highest-grossing year of all-time for a Hollywood studio.
Since the start of Hollywood’s golden age, Disney has been at the forefront, pushing forward creativity – mainly animation movies.
While Disney experimented in live-action films over the years, it wasn’t until the 2000s that they really took the medium seriously – with their very first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, The Curse of the Black Pearl.
Gore Verbinski’s 2003 Pirates of the Caribbean movie was the studio’s first PG-13 film ever, and its overwhelming success ultimately convinced Disney to pursue more movies in that vein.
Eventually, that meant acquiring Marvel Entertainment in 2009 and Lucasfilm in 2012. Thanks to a steady stream of Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars releases, as well as a new trend in live-action remakes from the company’s flagship studio, Disney has managed to dominate the worldwide box office, and 2019 seems to be the year where the studio will take things to the next level.
Walt Disney Studios is set to release nine blockbusters in 2019, and while nine releases are a lot for one year, it’s actually the size of them that’s truly overwhelming:
Captain Marvel (March)
Dumbo (March)
Avengers: Endgame (April)
Aladdin (May)
Toy Story 4 (June)
The Lion King (July)
Artemis Fowl (August)
Frozen 2 (November)
*Awaiting the release of the trailer
Star Wars: Episode IX (December)
*Awaiting the release of the trailer
Taking all of these movies into account – two saga endings, two massive live-action remakes, and several other highly-anticipated films, Disney is on track to top their record of being the only studio in history to earn US$6 billion at the worldwide box office twice. In fact, they just might be the first studio to hit US$7 billion (if not higher) in 2019. With Avengers and Star Wars releasing in the same year, not to mention another Frozen film, it’s VERY possible.
Disney Movie Success – UAE
Don’t miss out on advertising your brand alongside these highly anticipated Disney Blockbusters of 2019.
Contact us for more information on cinema advertising opportunities across the Motivate Val Morgan circuit.
Sources: ScreenRant, YouTube and MVM Analysis
