Q&A with Mr. Steve Lane

Q. Please introduce yourself and your organization
A.   I am the Dubai Lynx Festival Director, having spent around three years working for the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival before taking on this position last summer. The Dubai Lynx is a partnership between the Cannes Lions organization and Motivate Publishing, who have been the representatives of the festival for many years and who identified the desire for a Cannes-like festival in the MENA region celebrating creativity here. The event is also held in association with the IAA – UAE Chapter

Q. What motivated Cannes Lions to introduce the Dubai Lynx, and is it the first such regional event?
A.   Actually, it’s the second sub-event to be introduced by the Cannes team, as we already organize an awards ceremony covering European creativity, called Eurobest. However, Dubai Lynx is the first full festival outside Cannes. The Dubai International Advertising Festival runs for three days, including seminars, workshops and screenings that start on March 31st leading up to the gala awards night on April 2nd. Last year Dubai Lynx was just an awards ceremony, but this year will offer agencies the opportunity to not only have their worked judged by an international panel of judges but see and hear some of the worlds top advertising names such as David Droga and Steve Harrison, give their insight on the business, as well as have the chance to see some of the very best work from around the world at the exhibitions and screenings.

Q. How do Dubai Lynx juries handle Arabic-language entries, considering the international nature of the jury.
A.   We tackle this issue by including Arabic-speaking assistants within each jury. I like to call them ‘cultural attaches’ as their role is not merely to translate ad copy, but to explain the cultural aspects of the region which convey the spirit of advertising messages more clearly to jurors.

Q. Tell us a bit more about the judging process, categories and prizes
A.   After consulting with the IAA in the UAE and all the major industry players in the region, a decision was taken to invite world leaders from the global community to judge. At our core is the neutrality of our judging system, and it's important that the results of our competitions are seen to be so." We have a sophisticated and automated judging system, which actually ‘flags’ irregular results, bearing in mind that jurors do not know the name of the agency presenting the work. It is exactly the same system we use in Cannes, so creatives can be assured their work is receiving a fair viewing. We’ve got eight groups of categories: TV/Cinema, Print, Outdor, Radio, Interactive, Direct, Media, Integrated. Within each of these, there are specialized product and service categories so work is judged on a like for like basis. There can be several Bronze, Silver and Gold winners in each category, or none at all. Once the judging system has determined the shortlist the jury discuss each piece of work and award prizes via a majority vote. From among the Gold winners in each category the jury will award a grand prix.

Q. Any closing words?
A.   The deadline for entries is fast approaching. It’s the 25th of February, and we look forward to presenting our jurors with the best pieces of creative advertising from the MENA region to judge. The festival promises to be a busy three days for anyone in the advertising or media business looking to learn from the best and we already have a lot of delegates registered. Places are filling fast so visit the website to secure your badge. Be part of the first ever Dubai International advertising festival and enjoy this celebration of MENA creativity.