23 May 2014 – Lions Health, the new festival and awards dedicated to healthcare communications, is getting ready to open its doors for the first time. The two-day event will provide an unmissable digest of the industry whilst helping to set new creative benchmarks.
Throughout the Festival a series of 18 seminars will run, providing delegates not only with essential knowledge and insights into the industry but also with fresh inspiration to bring creativity back to their workplace. Highlights from the world-class content programme include global thought leaders, marketers and scientists from organisations such as Novartis, Unilever, Bristol Myers Squibb, TEDMED, Interbrand Health and McCann Health. Friday’s programme will see speakers taking to the stage that include, John McCarthy, Vice President, Global Commercial Excellence, AstraZeneca; Ewen Sturgeon, Chief Executive, International, DigitasLBi; HE Toyin Saraki, Former First Lady, Kwara State Nigeria & Founder, Wellbeing Foundation; Kathy Calvin, President, CEO, United Nations Foundation; Dr Ron Cohen, Founder and CEO, Acorda Therapeutics; and, just announced, cancer survivors Diem Brown, Founder of MedGift.com and Renee Nicholas, Director of Corporate Relations for the LIVESTRONG Foundation, will join Weber Shandwick on stage. Following this, Saturday’s sessions will come from the likes of Dr Rita Charon, Professor of Clinical Medicine and Director of the Program in Narrative Medicine at Columbia University, Jason Silva, Futurist; Mike Cooper, CEO, PHD Worldwide; Jacques Séguéla, Founder, Havas; and prolific television director David Nutter.
The numerous entries received into the Pharma and Health & Wellness categories will be judged, in Cannes, by a team of 25 industry professionals. Delegates will be able to view exhibitions of the shortlisted entries bringing them a wealth of stimulation from ground-breaking work from across the globe. The winners, as decided by the juries, will be announced and honoured at the first ever Lions Health Awards taking place on Saturday 14 June. All delegates are invited to attend the awards and discover which pieces of work are pushing the boundaries with creative healthcare marketing.
The awards ceremony will see an introduction from English stand-up comedian and actress, Francesca Martinez. Francesca, who is celebrated on the comedy circuit and has cerebral palsy, will bring her unique brand of stand-up to the stage and offer an entertaining introduction to the inaugural awards. The official Lions Health Gala will follow the awards, allowing delegates, jurors and speakers to network and celebrate.
Louise Benson, Festival Director of Lions Health, comments, “Lions Health exists to testify for the necessity of creativity in healthcare communications. We’re delighted that we can bring such a well-rounded and high profile learning programme to the Festival with speakers that will deliver intensive, constructive and inspiring sessions. Alongside this, the awards offer an unbeatable opportunity to see current work from around the globe displayed in one place. Accompanying all of this, is the exclusive chance to network and exchange ideas with global leaders of the industry.”
With delegates attending from 47 countries – including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Germany, Japan, Mexico, UK, USA – networking is a vital part of Lions Health. Delegates will be welcomed to the event with a briefing breakfast hosted by FleishmanHillard on Friday 13 June, with tips from veterans and insights into the healthcare communications industry. Further networking events will include official networking drinks, in partnership with Chandler Chicco Companies, GSW and Palio+Ignite, all part of inVentiv Health, at the end of the day’s sessions on the Friday and pre-award drinks, sponsored by WebMD, ahead of the ceremony on Saturday.
A variety of delegate packages are available for Lions Health which include the two-day delegate pass and subsidised rates for young creatives, young agency executives, young marketers and students. Anyone wishing to be a part of the event can register online at www.lions-health.com, where further details of what’s on, the jury and speakers can also be found. Lions Health takes place from 13-14 June in Cannes, France.