Judging starts today, the first day of Creative Week, and we’ll be announcing finalists every day for the week ahead. Finalists will be live on finalists.loeries.com and on the new Loeries app. Also – for the very first time – we’ll have a finalists viewing station at the ICC from Thursday so everyone can see all the work that’s up for the awards at the end of the week.

We also launch the Loeries MasterClasses this year. This is a big addition to the programme, offering a variety of focussed learning sessions, all taking place on Thursday, 18 August, at Tsogo Sun Elangeni Hotel. The sessions are presented by Donovan Goliath, Accenture, Google and Mike Schalit for IAS.

Registration opens on Thursday and this is coupled with great exhibits from our partners. Also definitely not to be missed, is the Adams & Adams Student Portfolio Day on Friday, where the best students from across the country present their portfolios. It’s like speed-dating for creatives – bring your employment contracts and a black pen!

One of the major highlights of the week, the DStv Seminar of Creativity which takes place on Friday, 19 August, at the Durban ICC, has a really interesting and strong line-up of thought leaders. What is amazing in this year’s speaker line-up is the impact that women are having in senior creative roles globally – five of the seven speakers are women, namely Bridget Jung (Sydney), Laura Jordan-Bambach (London), Susan Credle (New York City), Debra Mallowah (Nairobi) and Sarah Personette (New York City). Other speakers in the line-up are Marco Cremona (Moscow) and Jimmy Smith (Los Angeles).

Loeries CEO, Andrew Human

In terms of where to hang out and network, the DStv Beach Café has been launched this year, right on the beach in front of the Elangeni. The café is open Friday to Sunday from 6am, with specials taking place and a DJ on the decks. Tables can be reserved via the number on the website and meals and drinks are served. We also have the Patisserie in the Elnageni foyer serving the best cheesecake in town, as well as the Tall Ships bar in the Elangeni for the last stop in the night or early hours of the morning!

It’s also worth keeping an eye out on the Loeries Fringe Festival – events in and around Durban during creative week. Two to watch out for are Wednesday Jazz Live on 17 August at ItsTaboo, on Meyiwa Avenue, and a Durban InstaMeet at the Whale Bone Pier Umhlanga where igers meet friends and followers as well as get a chance to take some really awesome new shots.

For a little shopping and for the second year running, the I Heart Loeries Market brings Durban’s best craft market to the beachfront on Sunday, 21 August, from 9am to 3pm. There’s also the Joe Ride on Sunday at 11am for the brave, with a 7km and 21km bike ride starting and ending at the DStv Beach Café.

Then of course Creative week culminates with the coveted awards ceremony, on Saturday, 20 August, and Sunday, 21 August. You can catch a little red carpet glamour spotting the who’s who in the industry and beyond before we’ll find out who this year’s winners are.

The best way to stay in touch with everything that’s happening is to download the Loeries app at loeries.com.

Major partners of the Loeries 2016

Tourism KwaZulu-Natal (TKZN), the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, KwaZulu-Natal Province (EDTEA), EThekwini Municipality – Durban Tourism, DStv Media Sales, Gearhouse South Africa.

Category partners

Accenture, Adams & Adams, ADreach, Channel O, Facebook, Film & Publication Board, Google, JCDecaux, Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa (PRISA), The Times, Unilever South Africa, Woolworths, YFM.

Additional partners and official suppliers

AAA School of Advertising, Antalis South Africa, Aon South Africa, Arcade Content, Association of Practitioners in Advertising, Backsberg, BEE Online, Clive Stewart Photography, Circus Circus Beach Café, Egg Films, First Source, Fresh RSVP Guest Logistics, Funk Productions, Gallo Images, Graphica, Grid Worldwide, HelloCrowd, Hetzner, Independent Agency Search and Selection Company, Locomute, Multiprint Litho, Newsclip, Paygate, Red Hot Ops, Rocketseed, SAB, Scan Display, South African Airways, Telkom SA SOC Ltd, Tiekie Barnard Consultancy, Total Exposure, Tsogo Sun, Universal Music Group, Vega School of Brand Leadership.

Official media partners

Between 10and5, Bizcommunity.com, CliffCentral.com, Coloribus Advertising Archive, Design Times, Film & Event Media, Goliath and Goliath, iDidTht.com, Marketing Edge Nigeria, Music in Africa, The Redzone, YouTube.