Dubai Lynx announces today that the Festival of Creativity will no longer take place in September 2020 as planned. The next Festival will now be held from 7-10 March 2021.
The impact of Coronavirus continues to be felt both globally and across the MENA region. Health and economic concerns are now determining the priorities of societies and businesses across the world. Businesses in the MENA creative marketing and media industries are facing unparalleled challenges and the need to protect companies and people, and to support consumers, is everyone's priority during this challenging time.
Therefore, the difficult decision to cancel Dubai Lynx is said to follow in-depth consultations with the festival's partners and customers in response to the unprecedented global situation. The desicion to remove uncertainty and provide clarity to the ad community around the running of the Dubai Lynx Awards and Festival was said to be important too.
Ian Fairservice, Vice Chairman of Dubai Lynx, commented: “During this global crisis, we want to support our customers and partners and respond to the needs of the wider marketing and creative industries across the region. Dubai Lynx will continue to bring the MENA creative community together and provide inspiration, as we look towards celebrating and honouring creativity at the Festival in 2021.”
Philip Thomas, Chairman of Cannes Lions and Dubai Lynx, added: “As the world manages the impact of COVID-19, the MENA marketing and creative industries are facing immense challenges, alongside the global creative community. We are announcing this move today to give our customers and partners in the region clear guidance and remove speculation about the Festival this year. We look forward to honouring creative work in 2021, when the world is hopefully more secure.”
