The Majlis of Possible Publicis Groupe Louvre Abu DhabiMarking ‘100 years of transformation’, Publicis Groupe hosted The Majlis of Possible event at Louvre Abu Dhabi, where more than 600 leaders representing UAE government ministries and entities, global and regional brands and the Groupe’s agencies gathered to chart out a path for the future during a time of significant economic, technological and societal change.
The overarching theme of The Majlis of Possible was to continue catalysing an engine of transformation through collective thinking and purposeful engagement with key opinion leaders (KOLs) and stakeholders across the advisory, marketing, advertising, creative, technology, luxury, sport and business landscape.
Campaign Middle East was on ground at Louvre Abu Dhabi and spoke exclusively to several client-side marketers as well as members of the Groupe’s senior leadership teams about the purpose of the event and how it resonated with attendees at the event.
Jennifer Fischer, Chief Innovation and Growth Officer, Publicis Groupe Middle East, said, “If you think about it, this begins with the concept of the ‘majlis’ itself,” referring to a traditional, yet intimate, space in Arab homes and community centres Arab homes and community centers that is meant for social interaction, highlighting hospitality and hosting discussions.
Fischer adds, “The Majlis of Possible brought people together to imagine, discuss and build what comes next. The power of collective intelligence is something that we should not overlook. Sure, we sometimes don’t speak the same language or hail from similar backgrounds, but that ability to come together, find common ground and build a better world together is extremely powerful. Genuinely, to be able to engineer and orchestrate stronger collaboration, where all our different brains come together possibly a superpower of the future. This also sits perfectly within what we believe at Publicis Groupe: The Power of One. ”
The event was intentionally anchored in Abu Dhabi, acknowledging the capital’s role as a centre for long-term value creation, policy and cultural leadership, and its growing importance as a place where public and private sector priorities converge.
As such, the event welcomed insights from several leaders in the UAE capital such His Excellency Mansoor Ibrahim Al Mansoori, Chairman, Department of Health – Abu Dhabi; Yahya Mohamed Saleh, Retail Advisor, Abu Dhabi Investment Office; and Steve Cox, Acting Executive Director, Strategic Marketing & Communications, DCT Abu Dhabi.
Reflecting on the event, Bassel Kakish, CEO, Publicis Groupe Middle East & Turkey, said, “One of the statements that stood out the most to me today was by His Excellency Mansoor Ibrahim Al Mansoori who said that we have the option to either transform or become obsolete. It’s as simple as that when we talk about the power of transformation. He also mentioned why it’s OK to lose once in a while, and the power of what we do next, once we lose. This tied neatly into what Ferran Soriano, Global Chief Executive Officer, City Football Group said during his session. Ferran also spoke about the art of losing – and the timing between the loss and dusting up to make the next move. That, for me, was very inspirational because it takes a lesson from sport across all aspects of life, including the technology and business ecosystems.”
- Faheem Ahamed, Group Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, G42,
- Ghia Khayat Hawari, Marketing and Communications Director, Tiffany & Co. – Middle East,
- Marco Venturelli, Global Chief Creative Officer and CEO, LEO Constellations, and
- Lara Traboulsi, Regional Creative Strategy Lead, Snap Inc.
View this post on Instagram
From ‘The Power of Play: Leadership, Legacy, and the Business of Sport’ and ‘The New Equation – AI, Humanity, and the Next Chapter of Transformation’ to ‘The Economy of the Possible: Growth, Trust, and Transformation Revised’ and ‘Redefining Work in the Age of Intelligent Collaboration‘, the event witnessed speakers delve into what the future holds for several different sectors and categories.
The feeling of inimitability, the power of culture and the beauty of a collaborative ecosystem stood out to Alexis de Montaigu, Global Client Lead & Chief Growth Officer, Publicis Luxe, who spoke to Campaign Middle East shortly after moderating his panel discussion on ‘Luxury as a Force Multiplier: The Art of Myth, Iconicity and Desire’.
de Montaigu said, “If I have one word for what I’m feeling the most from this region, it is: inimitable. This region wants to do something that has never been done before, and that is incredible. It’s not about being the best in something that already exists; it’s about something building something that has never been done before. The second thing that inspires me is how the region aims to place culture at the heart of everything – connecting the economy to society to how people interact and the way we look at marketing. And the final piece is the ecosystem itself; it’s one that calls for collaboration instead of siloes and one that calls for building great, entertaining experiences for everyone within that ecosystem.”
As part of the event, Publicis Groupe Middle East also hosted The Studio of Possible, inviting young Gen Z and Gen Alph students from across the region to learn how to fine tune their strategic thinking and creative skills. The session was hosted by Tahaab Rais, Group Chief Strategy Officer and Film Director, Publicis Groupe Middle East & Turkey, and Ahmed ‘Fizo’ Younis, CCO, Publicis Communications KSA, Egypt and Visa One.
The through-line for the event remained the power of collaboration, the untapped potential of AI and a return to humanity and human values, culture and meaningful storytelling that emotionally resonates with the audiences for which that story is intended.
Elie Milan, Chief Performance Officer, Publicis Media Middle East, summed it up nicely in conversation with Campaign Middle East, saying, “Let’s take the time to pause, stop what we’re doing for a moment, and get together. I think this event gave us that opportunity – and the outcome is worth more than millions of meetings and video calls. This gave us an opportunity to not only find synergies, understand each others challenges and work towards solutions, but also gave us the opportunity to connect on a human level. Although several conversations revolved around innovation, AI adoption and the right use of technology, what stood out what the human at the centre of it all.”
