This year, the Institute took place in New York City. Lowe South Africa was proud to send Emily Rule, strategic planner of Lowe Cape Town, Andre Breuer, senior designer and art director of Lowe Johannesburg, and account manager Mbongeni Mthabela, as representatives. CEO of Lowe + Partners South Africa, Julian Ribeiro, joined the team as a trainer at the Institute.

Rule shared her personal experience of the week, which had a huge impact on her: “The CBS Bootcamp is a fantastic way for hungry young creative, business, and strategic minds to feel the magic that is the Mullen Lowe Network, recently named the most effective agency network in the world.”

Every year Mullen Lowe invites trios made up of a creative, a business account manager and a strategist (hence CBS) from each of its network agencies. The trios are whisked off to spend a week under the tutelage of some of Mullen Lowe’s most inspirational specialists and business leaders.

“This was ultimately one of the most intense transformative experiences of my life. We worked hard by day and played even harder by night in the city that literally never sleeps, as we were given the opportunity to crack two hot global briefs in mixed multinational teams,” adds Rule.

“The week opened me up to 41 other brilliant minds (now close friends) from 14 different countries, 10 cutting-edge strategic tools that have transformed the way we approach client briefs, and a host of inspirational speakers and activities that made the overall experience nothing short of brilliant.”

Account manager Mbongeni Mthabela remarked that this experience “reignited or rather reminded me of why I fell in love with advertising in the first place and why I keep on doing what I do”.

“During this time, I was challenged to push myself to limits I didn’t even know I could reach and worked on a dynamic brief with an even more dynamic team.”

For more information on Lowe South Africa, visit www.loweandpartnerssa.com.