American University students win Innovation Challenge

The Innovation Challenge is part of the activities leading to the forum to be held at the Dubai International Convention Centre from May 8 to 10. The winners of the challenge were the five-member Team Bingo represented by Alex Cordier, Kaveh Kashani, Golnar Mohsenzadeh, Al Zahra Suleiman, and Sami Al Turki. Their 30-second advertisement is at present being aired on both BCC and CNBC Arabiya for two and a half months.

The Innovation Challenge was created to uncover and utilize the skills of a team of young designers who could use their knowledge of the design process to integrate the spirit of innovation espoused by the forum. "The partnership with AUD has been outstanding. The ideas and commitment that the students have shared with us have been beyond our expectations and we are pleased with the impact of the finished article live on air,' says Alan Kelly, Event Director, Leaders.

The claymation proposal utilizing stop motion photography submitted by Team Bingo impressed the judges for its playful dynamism and genuine inventiveness. The winners of the Innovation Challenge will attend the Management Innovation Forum where they will be able to network with potential employers as well as meet with some of the world renowned speakers. The winning advert will also be displayed on the big screen alongside 500+ delegates during the conference.

"The Visual Communication Department at AUD is continuously seeking out opportunities for our students to authenticate to the professional market their technical adeptness, creative genius, and professional demeanor. The students have stood up to the demands of a professional challenge and succeeded in producing a result that radiates genuine confidence and distinctive originality," says Roberto Lopardo, Chair of the Visual Communications Program and Assistant Professor of Photography at the American University in Dubai.

"When we were first given the brief we were stumped. How would we get our message across to a group of managers, CEO's, top business people in the region in a market that is cluttered with ads and messages? We decided to take a risk and create a TVC that was very simple and to the point and yet quite wacky.

'We knew our method was something people here don't see very often thus we believed it could grab people's attention. We believe our production is very new and different thus very innovative and a perfect fit for the Management Innovation Forum," says Alex Cordier, Member of Team Bingo and a photography student at AUD.