The creator economy has exploded in the two years since COVID-19 shut down the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity on the French Riviera. So this year, amid the ad agencies and tech giants that will litter the Croisette, there will also be a mix of influencer marketing firms and creators eager to hobnob with potential brand partners.

But influencers' presence in Cannes might be more muted than otherwise expected due to VidCon, an annual conference that brings together creators, platforms and fans. That festival, which is happening June 22-25 in Anaheim, California, is a bigger draw for some of the world’s best-known creators (Cannes runs June 20-24). VidCon speakers include TikTok stars Charli D’Amelio, Khaby Lame, and KallmeKris, as well as YouTuber MrBeast. Pinterest’s chief content officer Malik Ducard and Meta’s VP of entertainment Dane Glasgow will also attend.

“If you look at the Cannes’ marquee lineup, you don’t see much presence from the traditional influencer world,” said Eric Martucci, senior VP of influencer client services at BEN, an influencer marketing and product placement firm. “But we are having creator-led dinners and events at VidCon.” He points out that folks who aren’t in the advertising industry, such as younger creators, may not be aware of what Cannes Lions is about.

Influencer marketing agency Whalar, on the other hand, will have its own space at Cannes, Whalar House, with the theme of “Everything is Better With Creators.” The agency is bringing five creators: YouTuber and journalist Fernanda Catania, content creator Spartakus Santiago, director Pele Newell, content creator Bri Hall and Rod Thill, who is known for his humor about millennials. The five will attend events and plan to create content for Whalar and Cannes Lions’ social channels. They’ll also give talks on the behind-the-scenes work of being a creator to give executives a better understanding of what goes into the process.

“I am looking forward to learning more from all the different brands about what they think about the creator economy, versus strictly hearing it from creators,” Thill, who has 1.5 million TikTok followers, wrote in an email.

There are several other creator agencies attending. Influential will host speakers from TikTok, Meta, Twitter, NFL, Ad Council, Bustle, NTWRK, Vizio, Group Black, The Martin Agency and Mindshare on its yacht. Digital Brand Architects’ client Glamzilla, a makeup artist, will be attending with TikTok, though DBA will not be hosting its own events. LTK and Obviously will also send team members, but won’t have a formal presence. 

This will also be TikTok’s first official appearance at Cannes, a signal of how prominent the app has become in marketing strategies since the pandemic began. TikTok is bringing its marketing team to talk about creators, creativity and brand safety. Blake Chandlee, TikTok’s president of global business solutions; Sofia Hernandez, global head of business marketing for TikTok; and Adrienne Lahens, global head of operations for TikTok creator marketing solutions, will be at the platform's cabana near the Palais.