Cannes feels your pain, but is that enough?

The recession is over. Maybe. The ad world certainly hopes so, having shed an estimated 46,000 jobs during the Great Recession. The lucky few who remain are breathing a sigh of relief and looking forward to a new reality of tighter budgets and more scrutiny given to frivolous expenses. So, where does that leave Cannes, the industry's pre-eminent annual boondoggle? The festival and award show, which saw a steep drop in attendees last year, announced the opening of 2010 registration by trumpeting a price freeze: A full-week pass will cost $3,100—not chump change, but no higher than last year.