Sir Martin Sorrell, WPP founder, to headline this year’s Athar Festival speaker lineup

Athar - Saudi Festival of Creativity, the Kingdom's first and largest gathering of the creative marketing industry, made a significant impact last year with its lineup of distinguished speakers, curated programmes, and bespoke industry initiatives. The festival attracted many of the industry’s top minds and leading figures to Riyadh. Athar Festival 2024 is set to build on this success, featuring businessman and founder of WPP plc, Sir Martin Sorrell as its first headlining speaker, who will share his extensive knowledge and insights into emerging trends and insights. 

The two-day festival, now open for registration, is poised to generate over 100 hours of innovative content delving into effective strategies, advancements in AI and current and future challenges facing the industry and what this means for Saudi Arabia. Taking place on November 5-6 at the Crowne Plaza Riyadh RDC Hotel & Convention, this event offers dynamic sessions, top-tier networking opportunities, and an impressive lineup of industry experts. It is a must-attend for anyone in the creative marketing community looking to gain insights into the Kingdom.

Anticipating his participation at the Festival, Sir Martin Sorrell, Founder and Executive Chairman of S4 Capital PLC, a tech-led, new age digital advertising company, commented, "Through my involvement in Athar - Saudi's own Festival of Creativity - I look forward to joining all the participants to celebrate the stories and campaigns coming out of a region with diverse cultures and dynamic growth."

In addition to the main festival programme, bespoke learning and development sessions will be offered for young talent in the creative marcomms sector. The four Young Talent Academies will support full-time university students in Saudi Arabia, as well as young professionals at the start of their careers seeking to advance their roles and gain valuable experience.