From story-telling in 2014, Dubai Lynx has shifted its gaze fittingly during this year’s edition towards a critical discussion: In an arena where technology is accelerating at a breathtaking pace, how does the role of creatives change? This becomes transparent once you glance at the schedule – strategically placed and repeating #techtalks take place just outside the seminar hall in cozy tents with beanbags.

[box]Favorite Quote of the Day: “We need to go the maker route”  – Chuck Phillips, JWT[/box]

The Day 1 Lowdown: The usual creative migraine had most of our heads spinning as we walked about meeting familiar faces, faces of our artistic idols and fresh faces. Networking aside, Day 1 saw some memorable talks wrapping up the biggest trends in the market:

1. David Shing’s Scintillating ‘The Connected Human’ session

This skilled digital forecaster from AOL gave us a whirlwind lecture taking us through past and upcoming digital trends, never losing the audiences’ attention for a single moment. His emphasis on consumer attention being a ‘currency’ -measurable in time and intensity was only one of the talking points that had us salivating for more.

2. David Carson’s Enrapturing Designs

 

Watching every person in the seminar hall silently glaring at the screen with a glimmer of awe on their faces, some hanging open, would be a brilliant sight to capture, if only you weren’t busy gawking at this graphic maestro’s work yourself. Absolutely destructing ‘design boundaries’ in the most beautiful manner, each edgy, carefully conceptualized, analog picture showed the audience [and the starstruck graphic designers] to not play by the rules.

3. Mariano Bosaz’s Mind-Churning Ideas

The Global Digital Director of Coca Cola made us sit up and take notice as he shared short and useful tips for creating engaging content. His idea of not getting caught up in doing ‘digital marketing’ and focusing more on ‘Marketing in a Digital World’ gave us a new perspective on tech advancements and the role of advertisers. He also skillfully integrated important pointers like using Arabic hashtags, designing online experiences based on geography and culture and the fruitfulness of testing ideas into a short yet informative talk.

That was the LD for Day 1. Stay tuned for more, you kooky creatives.

Note:For anyone looking for a job in the advertising industry, #DubaiLynx is an unmissable opportunity to rub shoulders with the right people and absorb what works in the real ad world.

Featured Image and other images courtesy of Getty Images/ Francois Nel