Creative chaos, bucket list goals reached and tears of emotion all poured out from an “outstanding” trio of Cairns Crocodiles Masterclass, presented by News Australia.
More than 100 ambitious mentees and inspirational mentors gathered on day three of Cairns Crocodiles, presented by Pinterest, to take part in the new Masterclasses.
The spin-off educational hub included a trio of masterclasses followed by a hearty speed mentoring session with industry professionals, including David Ohana, global CMO, United Nations Foundation and Alex Rienecker, CMO of Swisse Wellness and Sally Kissane, CEO, Ogilvy.
Kicking off the masterclasses was Adam Ferrier, co-founder of Thinkerbell, with his ‘Measured Magic’ session. This was followed by Irene Joshy, head of creative, insights Kantar Asia & Australia, who presented ‘Culture, Connections & Creativity: Unlocking the Creative Multiplier Effect’.
Rounding out the two powerhouse sessions was legendary Sherilyn Shackell, founder and global CEO, The Marketing Academy, with her candid ‘Leadership Exposed: Why Our Industry’s Leadership Sucks And What YOU Can Do About It’ spot.
“Being up close and personal with such incredible leaders was a real pinch me moment,” said one Cairns Crocodiles Hatchling who attended the masterclass as part of the new Hatchlings opportunity.
“The learnings, insight, stories and real-world applicable information exceeded my expectations and my brain is already in overdrive thinking about how and when I can directly use what I have just learnt to not just improve my job, but also to improve myself as a leader.”
Ferrier’s creative masterclass took attendees behind the curtain of how brand-building creative ideas are developed. He mixed together a splash of brand strategy, marketing sciences and hard-core creativity to show how to create measured magic for brands.
Fully interactive, lucky ticket holders to the sold-out event were able to learn from each other, as well as learn practical skills in brand-building creativity.
“Meeting a creator, founder and Gruen legend like Adam was bucket list goals,” said another Hatchling.
“As a brand, it can be an uphill battle sometimes getting buy-in with more creative, but I’ve never felt so inspired, empowered and driven to keep fighting for this internally. Creativity can and is changing the world, and this was just the boost I needed.”
Joshy’s session tapped into how culture supercharges creativity. Exploring the three cultural tiers of country, category and brand, the discussion around blending cultural insights with powerful data put fun into the funnel with a one-of-a-kind creative masterclass that inspired, informed and undoubtedly helped transform attendees’ approaches to creativity.
“I can honestly say that this Masterclass was the best training and insights I can have ever had on the job – outstanding! said one leader who bought the Masterclass ticket as an add-on to his Cairns Crocodiles ticket.
“It’s been a tough year for business, staff and me personally, but for the first time in a while, and thanks to this Masterclass, I feel really positive and emboldened about what’s ahead. It was a wake-up call about the power we have to do good and do better, not just for clients, but personally.”
Shackell’s fast, furious and no-BS session truly laid bare why leadership in the industry is so broken — and, more importantly, what attendees could do to fix it.
Flying in from the UK to attend and speak at Cairns Crocodiles, Shackell unpacked the myths, mistakes and messes that hold people back.
Featuring raw truths, big laughs, and a serious wake-up call on why leadership isn’t about power, it’s about action, attendees were treated to a whole new level of wisdom that only Shackell could deliver.
“No matter your title or where you sit on the org chart, you can start leading, right now, and transform your career, your workplace, and your life,” Shackell highlighted.
From gaining practical tools to be an outstanding leader in any situation to learning how to navigate tricky bosses, difficult clients, and workplace politics like a pro – as well as how to ‘ditch the doom loop’, attendees were armed with how to recognise when it’s time to move on, level up, or shake things up, before their career flatlines
“When you have a team and lead, there’s an expectation and an assumption that you know everything …but in reality, it couldn’t be further from the truth,” one agency leader confessed while holding back tears.
“Sherylin blew me away and I feel quite emotional, truth be told. Taking the time to do this has given me the perspective I needed, and it’s actually made me rethink if I am even in the right job – but in a real positive way that has given me clarity.”
Following the three masterclass sessions, a solid block of networking commenced via a speed mentoring activity.
The unique opportunity saw mentees move around tables of specially selected mentors for set times before moving on to the next.
With nothing off the table, lucky attendees got to pick the brains of scores of top talent.
“I was blown away by the keynotes this year, the Masterclasses rocked my world and entire thought process, and the speed mentoring really was the cherry on top,” said one Hatchling who had flown to the event from Singapore.
“The speed mentoring conversations were so powerful and all really left a mark on me. One leader even offered to catch up with me on Teams so continue to support, which I know will be so valuable.”
