Memac Ogilvy Advertising and Public Relations Company held a training course for 40 students from Jeddah's Dar Al-Hekma college on Sunday under the patronage of Waleed Bin Jameel Kattan, director general of Okaz Organization for Press and Publication. Held in collaboration with the international “I Have an Idea” organization, the course looked to “train the creative talents of young people”, according to Memac Ogilvy managing director Rabei' Al-Khouri. Senior figures from Okaz accompanied Kattan: Assistant General Marketing Manager Yasser Eid; International Advertising Manager Mustafa Ghandour, and the head of local advertising Adil Al-Hindi. Also involved were creative art directors from advertising agencies and representatives of the press. “We looked at the students' works, gave them the necessary advice to forge ahead in this extensive field, and provided the opportunity for them to meet with creativity department heads from established advertising agencies,” Al-Khouri said. Al-Khouri said Memac Ogilvy had been organizing a series of programs to help interested persons get involved in the field and to “support Saudi talent and be of service to the public and the profession”, and thanked “I Have an Idea”, advertising agencies and Dar Al-Hekma for their collaboration. Saheer Al-Qurashi, director of Dar Al-Hekma, described the workshop and course as a “great opportunity to gain experience”. “The students were able to share ideas with large international companies that have extensive experience in advertising and publicity,” Al-Qurashi said. “It was a wonderful idea and will hopefully open up new paths for the students in the future.” For student Basma Attar it was the first time she had been involved in such an event. “It's the closest I've been to a personal interview and it's given me the chance to hear different impressions and views from experts in the field,” Attar said. “I've learnt a great deal from them and I hope the experience can become a regular occurrence.”
