Photo Gallery: Who's who at the Media Federation's event MFA EX 2024

MFA EX Sydney saw media professionals from different levels descend upon the White Bay Cruise Terminal on Thursday for a day of people development and to drive the industry forward.

The conference celebrated what the industry has achieved and looked ahead to its future and the innovations set to create change.

This year’s content was curated by industry leaders, including Katie Rigg-Smith from WPP, Linda Wong from MFA, Chloe Hooper from Barefoot, and Dan Johns from Tumbleturn Marketing Advisory.

In her opening address, MFA organisation CEO Sophie Madden said the conference is a day for “creating and inspiring change, and ultimately to deliver great effectiveness in everything we do, because we are the changers.”

“Each and every one of us has a role to play in that,” she added.

See also: ‘Creating and inspiring change’: MFA EX Sydney sparks effective, challenging and inspiring industry conversations

Madden noted that next month, MFA and fellow industry bodies will launch Ad Net Zero, a climate action plan for the media industry to support.

On the speaker line up of the day, Madden said she loved seeing the passion and commitment of the community to be changers together. “There’s no better example of that than so many of the sessions today which are true collaborations between agencies. I don’t think we’ve seen that at MFA EX before.”
 
She praised presenters from competing agencies for having the initiative to come together to do a session on stage and inspiring the industry to change for the better. 

See also: OMD Create wins Grand Prix at the 25th MFA Awards for Telstra’s ‘Free Calls to Santa’ campaign

Mind the Gap: Tips to Bridge the Media-Marketer Relationship

Cam Luby, head of consumer marketing at Optus, told attendees he believes there is a “chasm of knowledge and understanding that exists between marketers, media agencies and creative agencies.

“If you want to be the changers like you say that you are, closing the gap is what you need to do,” he said.

Luby share tips to bridging the gap, including: 

• Keep it simple: Being understood is better than being smart
• You’re a connector: Look for opportunities
• Hold the jazz hands: Marketers will take risks if there’s a safety net
• Don’t focus on being right: Being interesting is better than being right

It’s Time to Break the Rules 

EssenceMediacom’s Sophie Price and Jack Graham took to the stage to share their five rules for breaking the rules in the industry.

• Know the rules to break the rules
• Breakthrough the category norms
• Use data to take calculated risks
• Build a bank of breakthrough case studies 
• Set up your management to prove success

See also: ‘Creating and inspiring change’: MFA EX Sydney sparks effective, challenging and inspiring industry conversations