MATI Insight returns with focus on creativity, AI and brand building.
The Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) will host the fourth edition of MATI Insight on Wednesday, 12 August 2026, at Barceló Nasandhura Malé, bringing together international creative practitioners for a day of workshops on creative thinking, business communication and marketing.
This year’s edition will feature two sessions led by Kevin Chesters and Vince Cook, with the programme designed to examine how creativity can be applied across organisations and how emerging artificial intelligence tools are reshaping advertising and brand development.
The first session, led by Chesters, is titled “Creativity: A Life Skill, Not a Luxury – How to Get Anyone or Any Organisation to Think Differently.” Based on his book The Creative Nudge, the session will look at the role of creativity in the workplace and daily life, as well as the social and scientific barriers that limit its wider use. It will also introduce practical methods that individuals and organisations can use to approach challenges differently.
The second session, titled “Paradise Breeds Complacency: How the Maldives Wins the Battle for Attention — a live look at AI-powered brand building with Ad Legends,” will be conducted by Cook. The hands-on workshop will focus on AdLegends.ai, described in the release as the first fully functional AI-powered advertising agency.
According to MATI, the session will include an introduction to the platform and a live demonstration of how it generates advertising concepts by combining artificial intelligence with creative approaches drawn from leading advertising directors. The platform is trained on creative thinking behind major campaigns, including Mastercard’s “Priceless”.
MATI Insight 2026 will run from 9:30am to 4:00pm. The participation fee is USD 150, or MVR 2,313, per person for MATI members, and USD 300, or MVR 4,626, per person for non-members. The registration deadline is 2:00pm on Sunday, 9 August 2026.
Participants are required to attend in smart casual attire. Registration is open through MATI, with speaker profiles and the full programme also made available by the association.
