Ask anyone for their favourite part of Loeries^®Creative Week™ Durban and they’re likely to list the DStv Seminar of Creativity. It’s a day of top-notch speakers from across the globe, and if you don’t focus on what they’re saying you’ll miss out as things zip along speedily to the next big name.

I’m not alone in this. Roanna Williams, creative director at Joe Public; as well as Tseliso Rangaka, executive creative director of Ogilvy & Mather Cape Town; Camilla Clerke, creative director at Hellocomputer; and Brian Carter, executive creative director at Liquorice, all listed the seminar as an annual highlight and inspiration when I polled them recently. Williams went so far as to state that she is: “Looking forward to the female seminar speakers this year sharing their challenges, insights and personal experiences on how they made it to the top in the industry.”

Mallowah and Cremona

One of those inspiring female speakers is Debra Mallowah, currently vice president of personal care for Unilever Africa. Based in Kenya, her seminar talk will focus on the fact that advertising continues to perpetuate gender-based stereotypes, which in turn lead to prejudice, and prejudice leads to discrimination. She explains that they hold people back, damage society and damage brands. That’s why she urges marketers to be aware of the unhelpful stereotypes that advertising may propagate and the fact that progressive portrayals are proven to be better for society, and better for brands.

Little wonder that she’s looking forward to the inspiration that comes from the amazing connection of people’s hearts and the magic of brands at Loeries^® Creative Week™ Durban 2016. Mallowah explains: “We’re living in an era of rapid innovation and creativity. For businesses to survive, they must keep pace. As the biggest gathering of creative minds comprising marketers and advertising talent in Africa, the week offers an inspired view point and offers ideas that trigger competitive advantage.

Creative business dilemmas unpacked

Some of those ideas will come from another of this year’s highly anticipated DStv Seminar of Creativity speakers: Marco Cremona, Google Creative Lab lead in Russia. He in turn is looking forward to learning about African communication and networking with brilliant local talent.

Cremona’s presentation will delve into three dilemmas that affect him as much as every other person in the communication business today. These are the dilemma of deciding whether it’s better to pursue a career in technology or in advertising; identifying the differences between companies with tall and flat chains of command in terms of creative output; and when communicating globally, whether it’s better to have one consistent voice or to go hyperlocal. He hopes this will provoke the audience and make them re-evaluate their career paths as well as their attitude towards local communication.

With a 25-year run in the advertising business and wins at Cannes, Clio, D&AD, LIA, NY Festival, Epica, Eurobest, and Art Directors Club of Italy under his belt, we’re sure the presentation will have its desired outcome.

You can also look forward to talks from Facebook’s vice president of global business marketing, Sarah Personette, as well as all the 2016 Loeries^® Jury Presidents I’ve had creative conversations with in the run up to #Loeries2016: Jimmy Smith, Laura Jordan-Bambach, Susan Credle and Bridget Jung.

Here’s to concentrating on the value creativity adds. Ready, set, get to the Durban International Convention Centre! Click here for my overview of last year’s DStv Seminar of Creativity highlights.