What to Expect at Cannes 2018

The must-sees from a seasoned pro

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Cannes Lions (June 18 to June 22) is one of my favorite events of the year. Set on the Riviera, it has an unbeatable scenic backdrop. It is also an event that is evolving with today’s challenges. I attended 10 years ago as head of global sales for Nokia Interactive, who was also a sponsor of the festival. At the time, Nokia was the global leader in smartphones and Symbian was the leading operating system. Today, Apple and Samsung are the leaders and Nokia is no longer a player. Change happens quickly and not in a straight line.

This year, over a thousand speakers will share their opinions and experiences on the state of creativity and the pace of change in today’s marketplace. Cannes Lions has also expanded to include seminars, workshops and interactive sessions. Navigating such a large and impressive event with so many choices in different locations is a challenge.

If it’s your first time attending Cannes, here are some ways to organize your agenda to learn, be inspired and make the most of the opportunities this festival has to offer.

Insider tips

My number one suggestion is to be friendly to the people you are on line with or sitting next to at one of the sessions. You will learn so much from other attendees. My second is to go to the cocktail parties and post-event activities scheduled by Cannes Lions.

My favorite session of the event is the Economist CMO session held daily on the beach at 10 a.m. Cannes is all about networking, world-class content and thought leaders. Taking the time to learn about subjects important to you and attending sessions with speakers you don’t agree with are ways to broaden your business and world views. Do not over schedule yourself at Cannes because the random meetings are sometimes the best. Lastly, try to save three hours to walk the basement of the Palais to see all of the creative on display.

Plan your day based on speakers

If you organize your day based on the speakers you most want to see on stage, you’ll be sure not to miss much. Choosing may be difficult, however. A small sampling of your choices are: Angela Ahrendts, senior vp of Apple Retail; Avery Baker, chief brand officer, Tommy Hilfiger; Dan Burdett, head of the marketing lab at eBay; and Rebecca Minkoff, founder, Rebecca Minkoff from the retail sector. Speaking on subjects from creativity to accountability will be marketing leaders from PepsiCo, KFC, Lego, Diageo, American Express, L’Oréal, Royal Philips, Mars, Pfizer, GSK, Nissan, Volvo, Visa, Burger King, Samsung, HP, P&G, The Coca-Cola Company and more. Also featured are leaders in creativity, acting, production, charities, think tanks and music, while representatives from platforms such as Facebook, Uber, and Google will provide their perspective on GDPR, privacy and marketing today.

Select the topics that matter to you

Promising “unbeatable inspiration and networking,” the festival this year is organized around nine subjects, or “tracks,” that explore the creative process. The nine tracks are communication, craft, entertainment, experience, good, health, impact, reach and innovation.

Organizers intend this new program to make it easy for attendees to find the content that will be most useful and inspiring to them. You may want to organize your schedule by topic, but my opinion is that you could miss some of the most impressive speakers that way.

Attend the awards shows

Creativity across all mediums is celebrated at Cannes, with hundreds of awards given during the week. Each evening, you should plan to attend the awards show where you will see the best creative minds on display.

Dress for conferences and beyond

The glamorous beach town of Cannes is no place for a suit. According to Cannes veterans, there’s a balance between business and beach casual. Women should grab their best flowery blouses, jumpers and summer dresses, and, men, don’t forget those lightweight pants, sneakers and loafers.

Outside the festival

If you have a few days after Cannes, I encourage you to explore the beautiful south of France from a different perspective. On my favorites list are ferry excursions to the Lérins Islands. In nearby Antibes, check out the Picasso Museum, the daily market and fine dining at Le Michelangelo.

Times are changing, and it’s good to see Cannes adapting to these changes. See you there!