Athar Festival 2024 to Spotlight and Nurture Saudi Arabia’s Most Valuable Asset and Greatest Wealth – Its Youth

During a press conference held today, Athar - Saudi Festival of Creativity, the Kingdom's largest gathering of the creative marketing industry, unveiled a comprehensive lineup of speakers and initiatives for its upcoming second edition. The announcement made by Motivate Media Group and TRACCS, in the presence of partners MBC Media Solutions (MMS) and flynas, sets the stage for the highly anticipated event scheduled for 3-6 November 2024 in Riyadh.

The press conference shed light on the details of the two-day festival, which will feature two distinct content stages with the main conference and sessions commencing from 5-6 November. Specialised training academies in creative marketing and communications tailored for young talent will be carried out from 3-6 November. The series of events, set to usher in a new age of Saudi creativity, will then culminate in a grand finale with the prestigious Athar Awards ceremony on the evening of 6 November.

Ian Fairservice, Chairman of Athar Festival and Managing Partner of Motivate Media Group, emphasised the festival's evolution, stating, " Beyond a robust lineup of speakers and panellists that will lead the festival’s key sessions, the Young Talent Academies and Maheerah Programme exemplify the festival’s focus on learning and development. These initiatives, both having debuted during the inaugural edition held last November, embody Athar Festival's commitment as an enabler of Saudi Vision 2030 by nurturing future leaders, empowering wo--men, and driving the creative marketing sector forward.”

Mohamed Al Ayed, Vice Chairman of Athar Festival and CEO of TRACCS, highlighted the festival's commitment to empowering the Kingdom’s future leaders, saying, "Athar Festival 2024 serves as a unique national platform that enhances skills and fosters talent among Saudi Arabia’s greatest asset and wealth – its youth, preparing them to compete and lead globally and overcome imminent future challenges. Through our programme and initiatives, it is our aim to stimulate an inspired future for our nation’s youth and its progress."

Registrations are now being accepted for the Young Talent Academies, which include the Student Creative Academy in partnership with MCN, Student Marketers Academy, NextGen Creative Academy, and NextGen Marketers Academy, all of which are completely free to apply to. Open to full-time university students between the ages of 18-25 and young professionals under the age of 30 in the fields of creative communications, advertising, or marketing, the Academies feature keynote sessions from industry experts, workshops, and a 24-hour hackathon.

An impressive lineup of speakers was revealed, including His Highness Prince Fahad bin Faisal Al Saud, Founder of NA3AM, Sir Martin Sorrell, WPP plc Founder and Executive Chairman of S4 Capital, Matt McKie, Director of Marketing at Manchester United, Najeeb Jarrar, CMO - Middle East and North Africa at Google, and Tim Miles, SVP Global Sync at Warner Music Group.

A strong lineup of partners and sponsors for Athar Festival 2024 was revealed, including, Bloomberg Media, flynas, MBC Media Solutions (MMS), Dentsu, MCN, Publicis Groupe, UTURN among many others, showcasing the broad support and collaboration driving the festival's latest edition.

Ahmed Al Sahhaf, CEO of MBC Media Solutions, remarked on the significance of their continued partnership, "At MMS, we are dedicated to delivering innovative and diverse advertising solutions that connect you with the most prominent and largest media platforms in the MENA, including MBC Group and the Saudi Sports Company (SSC). We are committed to fostering collaboration, integration, and ongoing communication with our partners. The inaugural edition of Athar Festival solidified its position as a global hub for the creative industry, and we are proud to continue our strategic partnership for the second consecutive year. This partnership is instrumental in shaping the future of the creative industry in Saudi Arabia.”

Waleed Al Ahmed, General Manager of Corporate Communications and Official Spokesperson of flyans, said: “At flynas, we are proud to be part of Athar Festival 2024, which is considered to be Saudi’s Arabia largest gathering of the creative marketing industry, and an extraordinary platform to enable the young talents, which aligns with flynas commitment to adopt and support initiatives with sustainable impact on society.”

Registrations are also open for the Maheerah Programme, powered by Publicis Groupe. This mentorship initiative empowers women in marcomms through one-on-one mentoring and coaching. Participants, who are women with mid to senior-level expertise, will benefit from tailored coaching sessions, individualised workshops, and exclusive networking opportunities, all guided by esteemed industry leaders from around the world.

Athar Festival 2024 also offers exclusive opportunities for industry leaders through the Future CMO Academy, presented by Omnicom Group, which provides future CMOs with professional development through a one-day programme. Additionally, the Festival will host CEO and CMO Roundtables, invite-only events powered by Raiyn Group and Bloomberg Media, respectively, bringing together the Kingdom’s top brand leaders to discuss pressing issues affecting their businesses and the region.