Eurobest Open House Brings a Taste of the Festival to the Public
For the first time, this year’s Eurobest will take selected sessions from its content programme directly to the public. In an exciting initiative, Sanoma House are set to host ‘Eurobest Open House’ in their publically accessible foyer, allowing non-attendees to experience a taste of the Festival. Elsewhere at Eurobest, further speakers have been announced that include artist Alison Jackson, and She Says are set to curate a series of sessions.
With themes including “Vision”, “Thought” and “Insight”, Eurobest Open House is bringing the Festival to the general public for the first time. Each lunch-time, Sanoma House will provide a taste of the Eurobest experience to students, young creatives and anyone with an interest in the creative industries. About the initiative, Louise Benson, Festival Director says, “Finland is awash with innovation and creativity and this is a fantastic reflection of what the Festival is all about. With Eurobest Open House we wanted to create a showcase and introduce the people of Helsinki to what is happening at the Festival and in the industry overall.”
Opening the “Vision” sessions on Monday afternoon Lassi Kurkijavi, Director of Innovation at Sanoma Labs will discuss how to channel innovation. Following this, Tapio Rosenius, Director of Light Design Collective (LDC) presents award winning LDC case studies combining coding, LED technology, biomimicry and human error.
Tuesday sees Hablo van der Klaaw, Founder of The Ambassadors, exploring the power of exercising your mind by taking “me-time” and stretching your creative boundaries. Phil Teer, Partner & Strategy Director of Brothers and Sisters, looks at this idea from the opposing perspective. Acknowledging that people switch off and engage in activities to develop personal growth, this session examines how brands can penetrate this personal establishment and redirect interest.
Under the theme of “Insight”, Brian Miller, Director of Strategy at Sense Worldwide discusses his Gonzo innovation mantra “Fast, cheap and out of control” and how this way of thinking encourages learning from the failures as well as the successes. Reflecting this, Chantal Rickards, Head of Programming & Branded Content for MEC and Eurobest Branded Content Jury President will highlight her experience of working with the entries and how her jury decided upon the winning entries in her Presidents Address.
Bringing creativity and controversy to the fore in Finlandia Hall, contemporary artist, Alison Jackson looks at the cult of celebrity and how art can effortlessly ingratiate itself within marketing and branded content campaigns. Discussing how her work captures the imagination of her audience, Alison says, “My work blurs the normal boundaries between media and celebrities, where the media creates images of people in the public eye. I deconstruct the barriers between celebrities and the public, so people see the pictures that they really want to, the scenes we have only ever imagined and never seen before.”
Looking to what the future holds for the creative community, She Says, brings a series of engaging sessions to Eurobest, with Sarah Scott, Digital Account Manager, Think Tank saying, “She Says speakers will ask the best of the European advertising community to revalue and reposition the role of women in the media, in both the public eye and behind the scenes.” While graphic novelist Karrie Fransman leads delegates on an exploration of the history of sequential art and visual storytelling, with a unique opportunity to create and take home their own graphic stories.
The Eurobest Festival of Creativity, running from 1-3 December, celebrates the best work from the region and, over three days, offers delegates an unmissable opportunity to hear from some of the best names in the industry. Further information on the programme along with details of networking events and how to attend can be found online at www.eurobest.com.
