AWARD’s This Way Up festival kicks off in Melbourne: 6-8:30pm, March 13, The Prince Hotel

February 8 2024, 1:20 pm | BY Ricki Green | No Comments

AWARD’s signature creative festival This Way Up will kick off in Melbourne in 2024 with AWARD today announcing the launch of This Way Up Southern Sessions on Wednesday, March 13 in St Kilda.

The new event series will give Melbourne’s creative community access to inspirational talks by world-class speakers, bringing all the insights of This Way Up, Australia’s only pure-play creative festival, to Victoria.

The inaugural event gets underway on Wednesday 13 March at St Kilda’s Prince Hotel featuring a fantastic lineup – VML New Zealand Group Executive Director Kim Pick, DDB Melbourne Group ECD Psembi Kinstan, Ogilvy Melbourne ECD Hilary Badger, Mrs Walker Founder Lea Walker, CHEP Network ESD Nomfundo Msomi and Ogilvy Sydney ECD Bridget Jung.

Says Mandie van Der Merwe, AWARD Chair and Chief Creative Officer at Saatchi & Saatchi: “This Way Up was a huge success in 2023 and now we’re proud to provide Melbourne with its own event program, one that leads the creative conversation, showcases our sharpest thinkers and celebrates the year’s greatest talent.

“AWARD Southern Sessions will be a unique opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the biggest names in creativity, catch up over a drink, and gain invaluable insights you won’t find anywhere else.”

Headline speaker Pick, one of Adland’s most prolific creatives, will share her secrets to a sustainable career; one that has spanned three decades and five continents running creative for some of the world’s biggest brands. Her session in Sydney last year was hailed as one of This Way Up’s most honest and thought-provoking.

She’ll join the evening’s panel of industry leaders and top creatives to debate the age-old question “Is it better to work overseas or do I have it pretty good on Aussie shores?”, with the group sharing the pros and cons of working internationally and navigating creativity’s culture divide.

Adds van der Merwe: “This Way Up has fast established itself as creativity’s breeding ground for worthwhile opinions and we look forward to hosting a standout festival event in Melbourne. Tickets are limited so book your team’s seats early to ensure you don’t miss out.”

Event details: AWARD This Way Up Southern Sessions, March 2024

6-8:30pm, Wednesday 13 March
Prince Deck, The Prince Hotel, St Kilda, Melbourne
Tickets $100 for ACA members, $150 for non-members (ex GST)
Drinks and eats included.
Purchase your tickets here.