As the region sees the light at the end of the Covid-19 tunnel, the advertising, marketing, and communications industry has to grapple with the reality that their job will never be the same.

Indeed, the pandemic has turned life and business upside down, challenged plans, and tested processes. Consumers’ expectations have been heightened and their behaviors have changed – possibly for good – accelerating the need for organizations to embrace digital transformation and truly turn their focus to authentic purpose and values.

As a result, the rules of marketing effectiveness have been altered. Today more than ever, companies need to seriously raise their game to be effective and succeed. But what are the new rules of this game?

The MENA Effie Thought-Leadership Program means to offer industry stakeholders a space to discuss the challenges they face in this post-pandemic world; share the learnings they gathered from their own experience; and examine, together, how we can activate the hard-learned lessons from 2020.

Sahar Rafique, Associate Director of Events at Mediaquest, the organizer of the MENA Effie Awards, the MENA Effie Bootcamp, and the MENA Effie Thought-Leadership Program, says, “For years, the MENA Effies have recognized and celebrated marketing effectiveness and every year, we see great work coming out of the region – work that has real results, that leads to social change, that showcases best practices and strong insights. However, today more than ever, marketing is at the forefront and needs to drive the transformation required to match the challenges ahead. We created the MENA Effie Thought-Leadership Program to give industry players the opportunity to start this important conversation and equip themselves with much-needed insights in the face of profound changes.”    

On May 18-19, a broad array of speakers, including marketing leaders, strategists, agency heads, tech platforms specialists, will explore a range of critical issues: the importance of marketing leadership and the critical role of marketing as a growth engine; ways to plan during unpredictable times; how to embrace the paradigm shift happening right in front of us and the new customer experience; how to remain creative on shoestring budgets and maintain performance in a cookie-less ecosystem, and more.

Via a variety of formats meant to offer a rich and engaging experience to the audience, the MENA Effie Thought-Leadership Program will happen in person, with all social distancing precautions in place, at the City Walk Roxy Cinemas in Dubai.

Because attendees’ and speakers’ safety is paramount, the number of places is limited. So, book your tailored experience now.