DUBAI: The second edition of the Athar Saudi Festival of Creativity opened on Tuesday at the Crowne Plaza RDC in Riyadh.

Hosted by the UAE-based Motivate Media Group and communications consultancy TRACCS, the event featured 100 regional and international speakers and several training initiatives.

One such initiative was the Young Talent Academies, which boasted four academies aiming to foster talent in the creative and marketing fields in Saudi Arabia.

The four academies were the Student Creative Academy, in partnership with regional advertising group Middle East Communications Network; the Student Marketers Academy, in partnership with Arabic entertainment firm UTURN; and the NextGen Creative Academy and NextGen Marketing Academy, in partnership with the Saudi Tourism Authority.

The first two were tailored for students, while the latter two were for young professionals already working in the industry.

The Young Talent Academies were a key component of the festival and are dedicated to “nurturing the next generation of creatives that will shape the future of Saudi Arabia,” said Ian Fairservice, chairman of Athar Festival and managing partner of Motivate Media Group.

He told Arab News: “The remarkable interest received is a clear indication of ambitions being aligned, and the lineup of immersive workshops and mentorship and networking opportunities at the festival promised to equip participants with invaluable insights and transformative career lessons.”

The Student Creative Academy, in partnership with MCN, brought together experts from across its agencies, which included FP7 McCann, MullenLowe MENA, UM, Initiative MENAT, MRM, Jack Morton, and Weber Shandwick.

Designed to “equip the next generation of creatives with skills and insights, while also instilling the fun of being a creative,” the academy provided participants “with a curated program of talks, mentorships, and creative brief challenges judged by industry leaders, culminating in an awards ceremony,” Ricarda Ruecker, chief talent officer of MCN in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkiye, told Arab News.

UTURN’s Student Marketers Academy’s participants consisted of 60 percent female and 40 percent male students representing universities including Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, University of Business and Technology, King Saud University, and King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals.

Led by Salwa Bankhar, Webedia Saudi Arabia’s business director, the academy featured eight speakers with expertise in content creation, marketing skills, storytelling, networking strategies and self-promotion.

Both MCN and UTURN are committed to developing local talent in the Kingdom and the academies were part of these efforts.

The Athar Saudi Festival of Creativity plays “an active role in shaping up the creative and marketing industry in Saudi Arabia” and provides “much-needed visibility and exposure to local Saudi talent,” said George Maktabi, CEO of UTURN’s parent company Webedia Group.

“Students take a sponge-like attitude to learning, but also give back candid observations and raw perceptions that puts everyone on a different learning curve,” he told Arab News.

The company is “established around young local talent, and by structure it acts as a hub for Saudi talent,” he added.

For MCN, the academy is of “strategic importance” to the company and a “natural extension” of the initiatives it has in place to foster talent development, Ruecker said.

Earlier this year MCN launched a six-month graduate program in Saudi Arabia to attract and train young local talent. It will launch a second edition in February 2025.

Although MCN and UTURN did not directly offer jobs or internships to participants, both companies said they have various initiatives in place for talent development.

Maktabi said: “UTURN is continuously headhunting talent and young marketers.

“Recruitment is of course competitive-based, and it is important to maintain an open call for talents to ensure open and equal access to all talents.”

The Student Marketers Academy is aimed at guiding students and empowering them “to pursue new opportunities more proactively, and UTURN is always approachable,” Maktabi added.

Ruecker said that MCN already had internship programs across the region and was “committed to inspiring students at the Student Creative Academy to pursue rewarding paths with us, whether through our graduate program or full-time roles across MCN’s agencies.”

The festival took place on Nov. 5-6 with the academies featuring from Nov. 3-6.

LONDON: Dubai claimed the title of most reputable city in the world in the 2024 Brand Finance Global City Index, which revealed notable improvements across the region.

The brand valuation and strategy consultancy firm’s second annual global survey on city perceptions, the results of which were released on Thursday, placed Dubai fifth in the overall global rankings, which are based on all measured attributes, behind London, New York, Paris and Tokyo.

Last year, the Emirati city ranked ninth. This time, the survey found it had made substantial gains in terms of investment appeal and reputation, bolstered by strong governance and strategic investments.

Riyadh and Jeddah also improved, climbing four and six places respectively to rank 75th and 79th on the overall global list.

Riyadh enjoyed some impressive gains in specific attributes, moving up 37 places in the rankings in recognition of its high-profile sports teams and clubs, 24 places for its private schools, and 20 places for its shopping, dining and nightlife options, making it one of the fastest-growing cities by these measures.

Andrew Campbell, managing director of Brand Finance Middle East, attributed the rapid improvements in the regional rankings, particularly the success of Dubai, to strategic investments by governments in infrastructure, tourism and the business sector.

“The substantial improvements in Dubai’s consideration metrics further highlight the city’s increasing allure as a premier destination for visitors, residents, businesses and global investors,” he said.

Dubai’s appeal in terms of business and innovation, along with a stable economy and favorable corporate tax policies, were credited with moving it four spots higher in the overall rankings than a year ago. It also achieved significant improvements in its rankings for local working (from 16th to 8th) and remote working (from 24th to 4th).

The index is based on a survey of more than 15,000 respondents. It measures factors related to familiarity, reputation and consideration to assess how desirable a city is viewed for living, working, studying, visiting, retiring and investing.

Abu Dhabi ranked 30th on the overall global list, the same as last year, but improved in terms of science, technology and economic appeal.

Other cities in the Middle East and North Africa that appear on the list include Cairo (63rd place in the overall rankings), Doha (69th), Casablanca (73rd) and Tel Aviv (83rd), which dropped six places amid ongoing conflicts.