South African creatives urged to go to Lions Health Festival

With over 1000 delegates, made up of over 60 nationalities and from over 400 different companies, Lions Health looks at the meaning, function and value of creativity in a fiercely innovative but highly regulated sector and shines a light on the people and work advancing a more enlightened approach.

Marketing manager and account executive for Cinemark, Yvonne Diogo, says, “It is important for South African creatives in the industry to attend the international festival, not only to learn and grow by networking and experiencing global innovations, but to also showcase what our country has to offer. Lions Health is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to grapple with this field of communications with some of the best minds in the world.”

2015 Lions Health judge and MD of Boomtown, Andrew MacKenzie, says that the Lions Health Festival is a unique platform in the global advertising healthcare arena. “This is where the world’s best come together to celebrate their craft. A challenge facing the industry, particularly in the healthcare sector, is the retention of talent. There is an assumption that healthcare advertising does not afford creatives the same opportunities that mainstream agencies offer, but I would argue that the opportunities are more in the healthcare sector.”

MacKenzie explains that in the healthcare industry, not only do you have the opportunity to work on challenging brands but also the majority of these brands facilitate the betterment of society. “This sector of advertising gives us the ability to make a marked difference in the lives of those who need it.”

He adds that the Festival is not only a showcase of this talent, but also an opportunity to listen and learn from the best in the industry.

A few of the Lions Health speakers have been announced for 2016 and include Jack Kreindler from Sentrian Remote Patient Intelligence, entrepreneur Yossi Vardi, Mark Lightowler from Novartis, Matt Lowe from Health Unlimited and Jeremy Perrott from McCann Health. Register now at www.canneslions.com/lions_health.