Spikes Asia evolves into LIONS Asia, with new festival and Asia Lions Awards launching in 2027
After nearly four decades championing Asia-Pacific creativity, Spikes Asia is evolving into LIONS Asia, including the Asia Lions Awards. The evolution will bring APAC closer than ever to the global LIONS community and create a new home for the creative marketing industry across the region.
The launch reflects a broader transformation taking place across industries, as organisations increasingly recognise creativity not simply as a communications discipline, but as a driver of business performance, customer growth, innovation and competitive advantage. As the boundaries between marketing, technology, entertainment and commerce continue to converge, LIONS Asia has been created to provide a platform where diverse disciplines can come together to learn, connect, collaborate and drive growth.
Following direct feedback from marketers, agencies and industry leaders across the region, the new LIONS Asia Festival will take place in its original month of September rather than the previous March timing, giving Asia-Pacific’s creative marketing community a clearer focal point in the calendar and creating a more relevant moment for the industry to come together.
At its heart will be two cornerstone experiences:
The LIONS Asia Festival of Creativity: An evolved and dynamic gathering designed for the leaders driving growth across Asia-Pacific, convening marketers, creatives, agencies, technology innovators, platforms, entertainment companies, consultancies and business leaders. Bringing together the LIONS brands – WARC, Effie and Contagious – with world-class content, executive forums, peer-to-peer learning experiences and networking opportunities, the Festival will explore how creativity can be applied to unlock growth, transformation and innovation in a rapidly changing world.
The Asia Lions Awards: Recognising the ideas, brands and talent shaping the future of marketing and communications across Asia-Pacific, the Asia Lions Awards will recognise local creative innovation and excellence that transcends borders and connects into culture.
The move marks a major milestone for the continued partnership between LIONS and Haymarket Asia.
Simon Cook, CEO, LIONS, said: “Asia-Pacific is one of the most innovative, dynamic and influential regions in the world, and its importance to the global creative marketing agenda continues to grow. LIONS Asia represents a renewed vision for the future of creativity and marketing effectiveness in the region – one that connects local talent and ideas at the forefront of creativity to the world, while giving regional communities access to the evidence, inspiration and networks needed to accelerate growth and impact.”
Atifa Silk, Managing Director, Haymarket Asia, added: “For nearly 40 years, Spikes Asia has shone a spotlight on the incredible talent, creativity and innovation that define this region. LIONS Asia builds on everything that has made Spikes Asia special while creating even greater opportunities for the community to learn, connect and be recognised – a platform that reflects the ambition, energy and growing global influence of Asia-Pacific.”
This evolution reflects a broader commitment from LIONS to bring its expertise closer to creative and marketing communities around the world. As the home of Cannes Lions, Effie, Contagious and WARC, LIONS is making its platform for creative marketing effectiveness more accessible to communities worldwide through year-round regional touchpoints. LIONS Asia will provide APAC’s creative and marketing professionals with greater year-round access to LIONS’ intelligence, learning, benchmarks, and global community – shaped around the cultural and commercial realities of the region’s market.
Melanie Speet, Director, LIONS Asia, added: “Throughout our conversations with the industry, it became clear that people are looking for more than inspiration. They want practical insights, meaningful connections and evidence of what drives growth. LIONS Asia has been designed to deliver that, bringing together world-class learning, global expertise and the region’s most influential leaders to help organisations navigate an increasingly complex business landscape.”
The first LIONS Asia Festival of Creativity and Asia Lions Awards will take place in Singapore, September 2027, creating a dedicated moment for Asia-Pacific to come together, celebrate the very best creative work and help shape the future of marketing, communications and business across the region.
Further information is available at www.lions.co.