Crystal Hay’s Final Creative LIAisons Diary: The Curtain Call

Crystal Hay, Copywriter, TBWA Auckland representing Aotearoa at the 2025 Creative LIAisons program in Las Vegas featuring some of the world’s most respected creative directors as speakers. Hay reports on her final days in Las Vegas, exclusively for Campaign Brief.

Hello dear readers.

I’m a few days overdue, but here’s the tail-end of my LIAisons experience.

Day #4 was stacked with some of my favourite speakers of the whole event.

My kabayan (fellow Filipino) Rey Tiempo, CCO of Minotaur Manila, took the stage with gusto as he delivered his wisdom on gamifying ads. Aside from all the good he had to speak, Kuya Rey was somehow managed to ignite excitement amid a room of people who’d arrived Tylenol’d TF up after the party held the night before. A true testament to the energy he brought to the room.

Pictured above: Things that made me go OOOOOH + my cool friends Yanz Sven Paddie Madelo from Ace Saatchi & Saatchi Makati City, Wai Boon Tee from Ogilvy Malaysia and Mina Sugioka from Dentsu Tokyo. Also, shout outs to the casino carpets for being an eyesore printed on my brain.

Following this, Chris Smith took the stage. Throughout the event, he served as an MC – reading the lofty list of accolades attached to each speaker. Fittingly, his talk covered the unrelenting malady that is Imposter Syndrome. Hearing Chris say that even he still suffers the sick twinge of Imposter Syndrome felt wild, because from my perspective – any speaker who manages to continuously engage and entertain 130 creatives is no imposter.

The takeaway from Chris? Learn everything you can about the client. Be more excited than them about the brand. And mould that knowledge into an idea that feels like it was formed by the client themselves. Chef’s kiss!

Pictured above: Some new pals, and one pal since forever – Justin Lindberg from BBDO Energy, Chicago, Liz (Tonner) Philpott from Edelman Chicago, Rhiana Merota from Special Aotearoa, Tomato me and Sam Wong from Leo Burnett Hong Kong. Everyone else in this pic is awesome.

And… after a whirlwind of friend-making and CVS-sandwich-consumption, we’d made it to the end of the LIAisons Programme.

As Alexandra Taylor tattooed into our minds: If you’ve got no industry horror stories, you’re not making anything new. And if you’re working from what you know, you’re working backwards.

I’ll never forget the lessons I wrote down. Because pen ink stands up pretty well against the test of time. And Vegas busted my recall.

But to future LIAisons attendees who may be reading this in 2026, here are three things to remember:

1.        Let your shyness dissolve as you walk to your first day of the programme.

2.        Write down your questions before you ramble them out to the speakers.

3.        Know your limits when it comes to the fruit machines and special fruit gummies 🌱

4.        Want to save money? Chuck a a box of Weetbix in your suitcase. Buy milk at CVS and eat up those brekky savings. Vegas is expensive.

If you’ve made it this far, we should probably chat more. Add me on LinkedIn or peep my portfolio at crystal-hay.com.