Joe Pullos, the Festival Director of Spikes Asia is set to visit Sri Lanka and share his industry expertise at an exclusive programme organized by Metal Factor in collaboration with the International Advertising Association (IAA) Sri Lanka chapter. The engaging 45-minute session centred on the theme ‘Creativity Matters’ is scheduled to take place at the Leo Burnett Boardroom on 2nd April, and will be open to all creative directors and executive creative directors working in a cross-section of agencies. Joe will also host a dedicated session for marketers at the Colombo Swimming Club on the 1st of April. The sessions will provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for members of the local marketing and advertising fraternity to meet and learn from Joe, who is hailed as one of the region’s most acclaimed industry specialists and thought leaders. 
 
Joe Pullos currently serves as the Festival Director of Spikes Asia, the Asia Pacific’s largest annual creative festival and most coveted awards programme in the creative communications arena. A world-class three-day celebration of creativity, the Spikes Asia Creative Festival offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of learning and networking for creative communications professionals across the globe. Having taken up the post of festival director in 2018, Joe is a highly seasoned and accomplished brand marketer with over 20 years of experience within the creative communications industry. His primary area of expertise includes driving better commercial outcomes across a variety of sectors such as media, retail, finance and entertainment. Having been associated with Cannes Lions for over a decade, Joe now leads the Spikes Asia Festival and Awards show across the region, providing a platform for the finest talent from around the world to highlight their work. 
 
In his presentation, Joe will leverage a series of handpicked case studies and award-winning work from Cannes 2018 and the Spikes Asia Festival to build a case for creativity and prove its utmost importance in business and life as a whole. In addition to investigating the correlation between creativity and business performance, Joe will also delve into a host of key future industrial trends and demonstrate how award-winning creativity has the power to change the culture of your organization and drive greater returns for your business and clients.
 
Commenting on the upcoming IAA event and Joe Pullos’ visit to Sri Lanka, Ranil de Silva - Founder, Metal Factor stated: “We are very pleased to be able to facilitate Joe Pullos’ visit to Sri Lanka and work with the IAA to bring this highly anticipated thought leadership event to life. This programme will be instrumental in helping creative directors and executive creative directors to broaden their horizons and learn more about the transformative power of creativity. Over the years, Metal Factor has played an active role in uplifting the local advertising industry and empowering the island’s future generations of advertisers and creative leaders, by initiating and supporting various events and programmes of this nature. We look forward to a dynamic and insightful session from Joe Pullos - one of the most eminent and accomplished names in the region’s creative communications industry.”    
 
About Metal Factor:
Metal Factor is a non-profit partnership created to help Sri Lanka’s advertising industry to realize its dream of achieving world-class standards by gaining global recognition for its work. Over the years, Metal Factor has spearheaded numerous programmes to benefit the industry and the nation’s next generation of advertisers and marketers. Metal Factor has organized several national-level competitions to select promising young advertising professionals to represent the country at the Cannes Young Lions competitions, whilst also giving students the opportunity to attend the highly acclaimed Roger Hatchuel Academy at the Cannes Lions. It also represents several publishers such as Archive and Contagious in Sri Lanka and also markets the Cannes Lions materials and other renowned annuals, books and periodicals. Metal Factor also supports the Cannes Prediction program conducted by Leo Burnett in partnership with the IAA Sri Lanka Chapter.”

 
About the IAA: 
The international Advertising Association (IAA), headquartered in New York, was founded in 1938 to champion responsible marketing. The IAA, with members in over 40 countries, is a one-of-a-kind strategic global partnership comprising advertisers, media, advertising and public relations agencies, media companies and academics. The IAA is a platform for industry issues and is dedicated to protecting and advancing freedom of commercial speech, responsible advertising, consumer choice and the education of marketing professionals. 
 
The IAA Sri Lanka Chapter is committed to providing high quality training opportunities to help support the development of the local advertising industry, whilst ensuring its continuous evolution and progression at large.