Last week we held our annual #LXAcademy Awards – an event designed to celebrate our latest and greatest work, with fast-paced pitching throughout the day, finished with an evening awards ceremony to award the worthy winners. This year we have been joined by friends from the network through the Havas Lofts programme. Jen Margulies, Account Group Supervisor from H4B Chelsea, New York, shares with us her experience of the Havas Lynx Group #LXAcademy Awards! 

What an exciting week to start my Lofts journey to Manchester! On Thursday, Havas Lynx Group hosted the #LXAcademy Awards ceremony. This is an internal awards ceremony that celebrates all of the great work from the last year. Internal teams submit their work for consideration in a variety of categories such as “Best Innovation” and “Best Use of Insight.” On the day of the awards ceremony, teams present their work to the judges in a 5-minute pitch.

My fellow Lofter, Paolo, and I were extended the opportunity to help judge some of the categories. I was assigned to a group that judged “Best Internal Campaign” and “Best Sales Tool.” My group consisted of three clients, the CEO of HH&Y Europe and one of the lead creative directors of Havas Lynx Group. To say I was in an esteemed company would be an understatement! I learned that when the awards first started, only internal leaders were included on the judging panel. However, after a few years, agency leadership decided to ask clients to join to provide an unbiased opinion on the work from outside the agency. The other benefits of including clients were that the agency teams got the opportunity to practice presenting in front of clients, and the clients got to see the breadth of highly creative, innovative work that the agency was producing.

Taking part in the judging was a fantastic opportunity to see some of the best work from across the agency, hear the kinds of questions the judges were asking and listen to the debate that ensued once the presentation teams had left the room. In the first category, “Best Internal Campaign,” we unanimously agreed on a winner, a campaign to inspire women to book their annual gynecological screening. The campaign was bold, humorous and the tone was spot on for the target audience. You can view the work on their Instagram account @don’t_beat_around_the_bush_. There was more debate around who should win “Best Sales Tool.” We ultimately awarded the win to a more nontraditional sales tool that solved a key client challenge.

Later that night, all 16 category-specific awards and the Grand Prix award were presented at a fabulous party. Since it was Halloween, everyone came in costume. Each agency had their own sub-theme and seeing everyone’s originality gave me a flavor for the diversity and creativity among the agencies at Havas Lynx Group. When each award was announced, the winning agency would erupt in cheers. It was clear they were so proud of their teams and what they were creating.

I can’t wait to see what the next few weeks have in store!