(Photo of me standing at the packed conference room. For some reason I’m almost replicating Tara McKenty’s pose)
DDB Group Aotearoa senior art director Josep Jover is representing New Zealand at the 2024 LIA Creative LIAisons program in Las Vegas, featuring some of the world’s most respected creative directors as speakers. Here Jover reports exclusively for CB.
First Impressions of Las Vegas
My first encounter with Las Vegas began on the plane: just kilometres of desert, and then, all of a sudden, the city emerges. Symmetrical houses dotted the ground, contrasting sharply with the natural desert. As we neared the city centre, giant screens advertising jackpot winners became visible from kilometres away. The first thing you see right after the plane has landed is slot machines, offering an immediate taste of Las Vegas.
My drive to Treasure Island Hotel was quite interesting too, with the taxi driver sharing tips for navigating the city and recounting his many experiences with scams and losses in the city. He mentioned a contact he has for exclusive tickets to events and parties, advising me to text that contact and share my passport details to enjoy free entry. I politely added the number but deleted it immediately after drop-off—he had just taught me an important lesson about scams a few minutes before.
The city is unlike anything I’ve seen: a blend of beautiful, though fake, European-style architecture that somehow works. Everything is oversized and entertaining: the Treasure Island Hotel has a giant pirate ship that activates at night, while the Venetian features a faux canal where gondolas drift. It’s bizarre yet captivating. There’s quite a contrast between the overwhelming consumerism of Las Vegas and the calm natural beauty of New Zealand which I’m still getting used to.
First Impressions of the Creative LIAisons Program
This program is fantastic, and I hope it never ends! As Tara McKenty (Chief Innovation Officer and Executive Creative Director at BMF Sydney) noted in her opening speech, the LIA program is like an MBA, providing the chance to connect with over 100 talented young creatives—an invaluable networking opportunity for the future of our careers.
The first day was overflowing with insights and knowledge from all the amazing industry speakers, leaving many attendees—mostly jet-lagged—needing to rest before heading out for dinner.
One of my favourite sessions of the day featured a panel on Creative Strategy and Transformative Business Impact with advertising legends Suzanne Powers, Adam Ferrier, Conrad Persons, Andrea Diquez, Emma de la Fosse, and Ben Tarr. They passionately discussed how changing our perspective on a problem or a business could have such a big impact. Suzanne highlighted how Pedigree became the brand it is today by shifting its business from being just a pet food brand to one centred on the love for pets. This shift at the very top of the creative process fundamentally changed Pedigree’s interaction with its audience and completely transformed the brand.
Another standout idea mentioned in the room by Emma de la Fosse was “The Move to -15º” from DP World. For over a century, frozen food was shipped at -18º, but -15º suffices, which could mean saving millions of tons of carbon emissions for the planet—the equivalent of removing 3.8 million cars from the road overnight. This small change, initiated by DP and quickly adopted by 60% of the logistics companies, showed how by changing a very small part of the business could create such a significant impact in the world. Imagine how many things we’re taking for granted everyday that could be challenged, revealing many great opportunities that we can’t yet see.
Overall, it was an amazing first day at the LIA program, and I can’t wait for all the learning ahead (especially the half a day trip planned for tomorrow).
Till we meet again.
