Last month Ogilvy & Mather hosted ihaveanidea’s annual Portfolio Night review in mainland China for the third time – this time in both Beijing and Shanghai. Happening in 18 cities worldwide, the China events were the first to kick off Portfolio Night 10.
Ihaveanidea’s Portfolio Night is an annual event where aspiring young advertising copywriters, art directors and designers meet with several renowned advertising creative directors in a fastpaced evening of advice, networking and recruitment. In the ten years since its inception, Portfolio Night has grown to a global event, reaching creative hubs in every continent in an evening where the best of the present meets the best of the years to come. Now in its milestone tenth year, Portfolio Night brought together thousands of young creatives, hundreds of creative directors, dozens of host agencies in cities around the world, and a select few global partners, all in a “one night only” event across the planet.
Forty-three of the two cities’ top creative directors from a number of the world’s best agencies including O&M, Saatchi & Saatchi, JWT and BBDO, among others, gathered to meet with more than 140 students and aspiring creative hopefuls to offer them portfolio critiques, professional advice and recruitment opportunities. Each candidate that attended the simultaneous events received 45 minutes of undivided attention from three senior creatives.
Nine paid internships were offered on the spot by Ogilvy & Mather signalling their intent on attracting the most promising talent. Talent acquisition and retention in China is a large challenge not just for ad agencies but also for companies across many industries. Expect to see an increasing amount of similar initiatives that aim secure talent at a young age as the battle for talent heats up.
