RIYADH: In recent years, Saudi Arabia has emerged as the world’s latest creative powerhouse, sparking international interest in giga-projects such as The Line and NEOM, winning awards for art festivals such as Noor Riyadh and developing a growing fan base for its annual Soundstorm music festival.
With innovation embedded at the heart of many industries, Saudi creativity has become its own brand.
Today, the Saudi Athar Creativity Festival, the Kingdom’s largest gathering of creative marketing industries, brought together experts, creators, marketers, influencers, musicians and leading students.
Mohammed Al-Ayed, vice-president of the festival and CEO of Trans-Arabian Creative Communication Services, told Arab News: “It is always known that a society that has lost touch with its creative side is an imprisoned society. What we are trying to do today is three things: we are trying to celebrate the past, to challenge the present and to co-create the future.
Forming a community of creatives builds problem-solving skills, but no industry is without challenges. For example, entrepreneurs may encounter difficulties in terms of firm leadership, adaptation and proactivity.
To combat this, Al-Ayed suggests that “focus, communication and depth” are key to successful creative branding and marketing.
“Creativity is a journey and it doesn’t stop. Saudi Arabia is a big machine that generates passion. This generates empowerment. This generates creativity. It generates positivity. And we just have to keep that engine running,” Al-Ayed added.
The festival aims to deepen the discourse between local creatives and international experts. The diverse panels explore all aspects of the industry, including unleashing creative thinking, creative impact, navigating the metaverse, creative career potentials, influencer marketing, and leveraging the industry Saudi music.
Princess Loulwa bint Yazeed, founder and CEO of +966 and CEO of RiseUp Saudi, kicked off the festival with a talk titled “A New Saudi” in which she spoke about the exciting times ahead for the local creative industry, the opportunities for entrepreneurs and startups. and her experience as a woman in the field.
She shared advice for aspiring creatives, noting that key values for entrepreneurs include building connections, patience and maintaining a clear vision.
“The courage to take the first step is what we lack here,” she said.
In line with the country’s vision, the festival creates a space for students and younger generations to explore the offerings of the creative industries. Through the Young Talent Academies program, six schools are participating in three days of immersive learning and a 24-hour hacking competition to continue their journey towards the country’s economy of the future.
The training program aims to connect knowledge and creativity to various fields, including public relations, copywriting, innovation, branding and design, social communications and planning.
Reema Saad Al-Saif and Haya Abu-Ghazaleh, both graduating students from the International American School in Riyadh, said participating in the festival provided a great opportunity to integrate creative aspects into their futures. areas.
Al-Saif, who plans to pursue a degree in finance, attended a panel titled “Influencers in Saudi Arabia, Best Practices for Brands,” which included social media personality Ahmad Aljar. The student said she was drawn to the session for its original account of people as brands or marketable businesses.
“There’s so much (influence) that we don’t see,” she said.
Al-Saif told Arab News: “In our business management course, we usually study companies and their products and their creativity, and that is also an area I want to go into – maybe open my business in the future. To do this, you have to be creative and differentiate yourself from other competitors.
The future graduate was able to see how the country has opened its horizons for immense economic growth – and more career options for emerging talents.
“We no longer depend solely on oil. We see different avenues such as tourism, the creation of new businesses. And all this creativity, with The Line for example. This is such a creative idea and there are more to come. I’m so excited for the future.
Abu-Ghazaleh, who hopes to move into international business with an interest in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, said of his experience at the festival: “You gradually realize that creativity is in everything. »
She told Arab News: “Saudi Arabia has always had this talent, but no one has really discovered it or talked about it as much. But now everyone comes here. I know that my country is here to support future generations in this sense, so I have a lot of hope. »
Students had access to a wide range of internship opportunities, alternative advertising possibilities and the integration of artificial intelligence and robots in certain sessions.
Careers that were considered restrictive in the region decades ago are now ushering in a new era for creative paths.
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