The event was held from 20 to 23 July at the Sheraton Saigon Hotel and Towers. It was the seventh successful running of the specialised training course and conference, and the second time in Vietnam.
This year, 141 rising stars of Asia-Pacific’s media and advertising industries took part, joined by 13 industry leaders, who acted as mentors through the competitive pitch simulation at the heart of the programme.
The pitch involved the real-life client of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts. Brendan Inns, vice president of brand communications for the group, asked each of the 13 teams to come up with a unique pitch and strategy that would help it to build more recognition in the region for its resort offerings. “We want to urge people to take a break, and to have the Shangri-La experience top-of-mind when they do,” he said. The challenge was to bring resort occupancy levels to 90 percent, all year round.
The teams, together with their respective mentors, had just over 24 hours to come up with their own client-winning pitch. Teams pitched in private sessions with the judging panel throughout the third afternoon, culiminating in a final night celebration during which a shortlist of three finalist teams was announced. Those three then made their pitches in front of the entire delegation on the final morning – before the final winner was presented with the MediaWorks prize.
“MediaWorks is the best assimilation training for young stars in the industry,” said Susana Tsui, Asia-Pacific President for Neo@Ogilvy, and the mentors of the eventual winning team. “It encourages out-of-the-box, creative thinking and most of all, challenges young minds to expand.”
MediaWorks also incorporated a one-day conference, utilising the skills and knowledge of some of the mentors and event sponsors. It covered some exexamined some of the obstacles facing the new generation of media specialists, strategies for winning pitches, and how to maintain creativity while still delivering on client objectives.
See photos of MediaWorks 2011 here.
