Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

Saudi Arabia holds Reesh Creative Festival for advertising and marketing | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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File photo taken during Reesh Creative Festival in Riyadh. (Courtesy of Reesh Creative Festival)


File photo taken during Reesh Creative Festival in Riyadh. (Courtesy of Reesh Creative Festival)

File photo taken during Reesh Creative Festival in Riyadh. (Courtesy of Reesh Creative Festival)

Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—In an innovative move that aims to enhance the creativity of Saudi Arabian nationals, the Reesh Creative Festival was launched earlier this week in association with the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

The festival hopes to establish links between the Saudi Arabian youth and distinguished professionals in the fields of advertising, marketing and public relations. It celebrates the accomplishments of the Saudi media industry, which has gained international recognition for its innovation. Reesh aims to discover creative people in Saudi Arabia through diverse activities based on education, opportunity, inspiration and motivation. The festival was held in partnership with the Saudi Research and Marketing Group (SRMG) and Amalees LTD.

Innovators in the field of advertising and marketing gathered at the Riyadh headquarters of the Saudi Research and Marketing Group (SRMG) earlier this week to discuss market innovation. The festival provided a platform for coordination between Saudi Arabian professionals, in addition to hosting talks and lectures regarding successful career paths and advice for young professionals.

The CEO of the Reesh Creative Festival, Sultan Al-Fakeer, said that meetings such as this will be hosted on a monthly basis.

He made it clear that the first meeting focused on four main themes: the establishment of a media agency, success stories behind the development of identifiable businesses for leading global companies, the important secrets behind capturing creativity from the surrounding environment, and establishing a unique selling point in the domestic Saudi Arabian market.

Fakeer said: “The [Reesh Creative] festival is an extension of the annual [Cannes Lions] global festival held in France. It will work to uncover creative talent in different fields, prioritizing the participation of Saudi youth.”

“This is essentially a collection of events that will be hosted throughout the year, focusing on creativity and marketing in advertising. It is the perfect place for industry specialists and figures to network,” he added.

Reesh aims to raise creative standards in Saudi Arabia through education, the creation of job opportunities and providing ideals and inspiration to Saudi youth. The festival allows young people the opportunity to showcase their creative ideas, nurturing their interest through competitions and educational programs. It is also a fantastic opportunity for Saudi youth to network within the industry and look for employment.

Sultan Al-Sudairy, CEO of SRMG’s Numu Ventures, the host of the Reesh festival, said that this event aims to market creativity to Saudi youth. He said that Saudi youth possess the requisite talent and simply require a way to showcase it on a national and international stage.

Sudairy said that last week’s festival showcased a total of 75 Saudi youth, both men and women, in the field of advertising and marketing, adding that Reesh aims to improve this figure in order to allow Saudi innovators and companies to expand their market share and compete with foreign companies. He said that this represents just one of the long-term objectives of the Reesh Creative Festival.

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is the largest celebration of its kind, awarding international prizes for creativity. It sponsors and promotes creativity of the highest international standard.

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is one of the world’s largest creative gatherings, attended by over 14,000 competitors from all across the world. Over 37,000 entries are submitted to the competition. Competitors from Saudi Arabia, or any other Arab state, have yet to win a Cannes Lions award, however the Reesh Creative Festival aims to change this.

“Our role here is to raise the level of creativity in the long-term in order to promote a new platform for creative jobs in Saudi Arabia that compliments social conventions,” Sudairy added.