DDB returns as global agency partner of Portfolio Night.

For the second consecutive year Alma DDB in collaboration with DDB Worldwide is partnering with ihaveanidea, advertising’s intellectual archive, to stage Portfolio Night, the ad industry’s only global portfolio review and recruitment event. The agreement with ihaveanidea makes DDB’s agency network a gold sponsor of Portfolio Night and the event’s only global agency partner.

Bringing Portfolio Night to students and young people aspiring to launch careers in creative advertising, 10 DDB offices in seven countries will be organizing and hosting simultaneous Portfolio Night events on Thursday, May 8, 2008. In Miami Alma DDB will be hosting Portfolio Night that day.

“Portfolio Night is an investment on our future! We’re proud to be a part of a program that helps create the next generation of professionals that will take our industry to the next level.” says Luis Miguel Messianu, President and CCO Alma DDB.

Portfolio Night is an annual industry event run by ihaveanidea, a unique organization serving the international advertising industry’s creative community. This year, according to Ignacio Oreamuno, president of ihaveanidea, Portfolio Night will be held in about 20 cities around the world.

Oreamuno adds: “Alma DDB commitment to Portfolio Night shows foresight and represents an investment in tomorrow’s talent. Our continuing relationship with DDB, one of the world’s most historic and creative agencies, has allowed Portfolio Night to continually expand around the world, and is helping even more young people begin careers in advertising.”

Styled on “speed dating,” the event gives students and young people the opportunity to meet with award-winning creative directors from DDB and other leading advertising agencies. Participants have their portfolios of work critiqued, and gain the opportunity to get career advice and possibly even an invitation for a job interview. Additional information about Portfolio Night, as well as registration details for the events around the world, can be found at www.portfolionight.com.

Getting any entry-level job in our industry is difficult and extremely competitive; it can be a hard and disheartening process. Portfolio Night is the perfect vehicle for the advertising community to help make the experience more constructive and to attract the best new talent into the profession.

The 10 DDB offices organizing and hosting Portfolio Night events are Toronto, New York, Chicago, Miami, Sao Paulo, Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Additionally, creative directors from DDB’s other operations will be taking part in Portfolio Night events held in their respective cities. Ihaveanidea will be releasing a composite list of cities hosting Portfolio Night events shortly detailing all DDB sponsored events, as well as those to be hosted by other ad agencies.

“By championing Portfolio Night, DDB is able to assist young people and the industry, while at the same time finding and recruiting the best new creative talent,” says Bob Scarpelli, chairman and chief creative officer of DDB Worldwide. “DDB’s extensive involvement with Portfolio Night again this year reflects our belief that creativity is the most powerful force in business. The advertising community needs to foster the next generation of creative talent, and DDB is helping lead the way by taking events like Portfolio Night around the world.”

DDB Worldwide first became involved with ihaveanidea and Portfolio Night in 2006. At that time, Frank Palmer, chairman and CEO of DDB Canada, saw potential and value in Portfolio Night, which had until then been localized in Canadian cities. Palmer backed the event and negotiated the initial partnership arrangement that made DDB the first-ever agency to become a Gold Sponsor of Portfolio Night.