Cannes Lions 2023—everything to know about the advertising festival

Bonjour! It's that time of year again, when advertisers, marketers and creatives descend on Cannes, France for a week of business meetings and, of course, parties on sleek yachts and sun-drenched beaches to celebrate the best of advertising in the last year. But for those new to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity—and it appears there will be several first-time attendees this time around (more on that later)—the trip taking place from June 19-23 can be difficult to prepare for. Even those who have made their way to the French Riveria in the past may need a reminder of how to pack and schedule their week. Lucky for you, Ad Age has answers to your most pressing Cannes questions, from what to wear to which celebrities may be in attendance and many more. Cannes Lions coverage Follow our live blog here Sign up here for email updates See all of the Grand Prix winners here How do you pronounce Cannes? As with much of the French language, letters at the ends of words are not pronounced. So it’s simply “can,” like a “can” of beans. What is the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity? The Cannes Lions is the Oscars of the advertising world. The first Cannes Lions took place in 1954, known then as the International Advertising Film Festival. It was modeled after the Cannes Film Festival, which has been celebrating the film industry since 1946. The first Cannes Lions took place in Venice, Italy, and its name, logo and trophy design drew inspiration from the lion adorning Venice's Piazza San Marco. After a second year in Monte Carlo, the festival alternated between Cannes and Venice before establishing its permanent home in Cannes in 1984. The festival has always been an awards extravaganza to recognize the best in creative advertising. Over time, the festival has evolved to become a networking event for marketers and agency executives. It offers attendees a way to geek out at panels, where top execs discuss the state of the industry, successful campaigns from the past year and upcoming innovations. Have I mentioned the rosé? Lots and lots of rosé. Also read: How tech giants are navigating Cannes amid layoffs Who attends Cannes? Cannes has a little bit for everyone. It’s an opportunity for industry creatives to be honored for their work, for agencies to meet with current—and potential—clients and for ad tech vendors to pitch their latest wares. From leaders at small indie shops to bigwigs at major holding companies, marketers of all kinds flood the French beach town, ready to rub elbows on yachts and schmooze on the beaches. See all of the 2022 Cannes Lions Grand Prix winners The festival may have begun more than 60 years ago as a way for ad agencies and their clients to celebrate their creativity, but it has evolved as the media, ad tech leaders and influencers have gathered at the annual party. This year may be more subdued for a tech sector battered by mass layoffs, but influencers promise to make their presence known. Agencies are also reporting that client chief marketing officers pushed their companies to make the trip—many for the first time. And, of course, the press will be there as well. Read more: Influencer marketing to have a big presence at Cannes How much does it cost to attend Cannes? Passes to attend the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity range from nearly 4,000 euros (about $4,300) for the week to premium passes for just under 10,000 euros (about $10,700). This year, the festival also has a new Creative Brand Marketer pass for €6,495 (about $6,980) that offers networking opportunities and a personalized itinerary. Discounts are available for group passes, those under 31 years old and students. These prices don’t include the cost of airfare, which range from $1,300-$2,200 for roundtrip economy seats and go all the way up to $5,200 for first class. Hotels start at $115 a night at the Best Western and can be as much as $1,500 a night at the Hotel Barrière Le Majestic Cannes—if you can still find a room. Also read: Why Netflix is planning a bigger Cannes presence What is the dress code at Cannes? Perhaps the most complicated question surrounding the festival regards its dress code, which the festival lists only as “business casual.” At the time of writing, the weather for the festival is expected to be around 80 degrees Fahrenheit with a mix of scattered thunderstorms. Hopefully, there’s no repeat of last year, when it rained one afternoon, for the first time anyone could remember—making transit to back-to-back meetings along the lengthy Croisette a challenge. The much-maligned humidity can range from 60-70%, with festival veterans warning of sweat-inducing conditions and cautioning against heavy fabrics such as wool or denim. Instead, the lookbooks being passed around by savvy PR pros include coastal linens and resort wear, including the appropriate styling for a statement graphic tee. It is a festival of creativity after all. How many people will attend Cannes in 2023? Registrations sat around 12,000 pre-COVID, but the festival declined to say how many people attended last year's festival, the first in-person festival since the pandemic. This year’s festival will be the first without the constraints of COVID protocols. But with industry layoffs rife and purse strings tight, agency contingents may be smaller this year. However, Ad Age has heard that there may be quite a few client first-timers as CMOs have urged their companies to attend, even with a small group. How many awards categories are there for Cannes? There are 30 categories within nine tracks spanning craft, experience, engagement, strategy, health, purpose, entertainment and classic creative excellence, plus the Titanium Lions awarded to breakthrough innovation in advertising. This year, the festival introduced a new Entertainment Lion for Gaming category, as well as a focus on DE&I, Sustainability and Impact. Read more: Cannes Lions adds new criteria for awards Each category gives out multiple awards, first honoring those on the shortlist then through bronze, silver and gold rankings. From among the gold winners, juries for each category award prestigious Grand Prix trophies for the best overall piece. In rare cases, they may abstain from giving the top prize if no work merits it or may give multiple Grand Prix in a single category if they choose. Pro bono work that earns gold is not eligible for Grand Prix in the individual categories but can win a separate Grand Prix for Good. ‹ › × (Click image to enlarge) Cannes Lions award categories Credit: Cannes How are the Cannes Lions judged? A jury of industry professionals watches and judges their assigned categories. Each jury is split into separate “shortlist jurors” and “awarding jurors.” The “shortlist jurors” do the first round of judging to develop the shortlist for the category; the “awarding jurors” pick the winners from the shortlist. The shortlists are announced on Lovethework.com and in the Lions Daily print publication available at the festival. Three shortlists are announced in early June, well before the festival starts—Glass: The Lion for Change, Innovation and Titanium Lions. All shortlisted entrants make a live presentation to their jury on June 19 and June 20—these sessions are open to the public to watch. Also read: Cannes Lions predictions from top creatives The awarding jurors select which work will earn gold, silver or bronze in the category, and which will remain on the shortlist. The Grand Prix winners are chosen from among the gold winners. The Titanium category—renamed the Dan Wieden Titanium Lions, in honor of the late Wieden+Kennedy co-founder, whose idea it was to create the category in the first place—is largely considered the most prestigious of all, representing the most forward-thinking ideas of the year. The Grand Prix winner is the most coveted prize overall. What do the Cannes winners receive? Winners get a trophy shaped like a lion, with the design differing slightly for each category. Perhaps even more coveted is the industry-wide recognition of being a Cannes Lions winner and the ensuing calls from recruiters and potential clients. When and where do Cannes winners get their trophies? Each night during the week, attendees gather at the festival’s main venue, the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, for an award show honoring winners of each category. The biggest winners are announced on Friday, which include honorees in Film and Titanium, as well as winners in the Sustainable Development Goals and Glass: The Lion For Change categories. How do you enter to win at Cannes? Sorry, you missed your chance for this year. The deadline for entry was April 6. But generally, anyone can submit work with the cost of an entry fee. These fees vary by category from 790 euros (about $849) all the way to (about $2,343) for Titanium Lions, with fees increasing the later the work is submitted. I’m new to the industry and won’t be speaking on any panels. Is there programming for me? Every year the festival has programming to celebrate young creatives and holds competitions such as the Young Lions Competition. The Young Lions competition is open to all creatives under the age of 31 and features seven categories in design, digital, film, marketing, media, PR and print as well as the Future Lions competition. For each category, participants are given a brief to fulfill and execute, with broad guidelines to allow a spectrum of creative results. To allow more people to participate, the competition will be held virtually this year pre-festival, and participants have the opportunity to attend the festival at a discounted rate. The Future Lions, a program created with AKQA, is slightly different, specifying participants aged 18-25 or in a full-time educational program if older. Completed in teams, the four finalists will attend the festival in Cannes, where the winner will be crowned and have the opportunity to execute their idea in reality. This year’s competition is to create work for Volvo. The festival also hosts a series of academies, including the brand marketers academy, the creative academy and the Roger Hatchuel Student Academy. Each academy brings young creatives together for the week of the festival to learn from industry experts about creativity and marketing. What can I do outside of the palais at Cannes? While the Palais functions as a convention center with large auditoriums and stages for panels and awards, the city itself is the epicenter of networking, deal-making and generally letting loose. Agencies and brands rent out beaches, villas and yachts to host soirees. Some even host “Lion hunts,” where they send employees to see the Lions-nominated work, encouraging them to level up their work. Many feature panels of their own and enlist high-profile musical guests. We’ve heard rumors that Dolly Parton and rapper Q-tip will make appearances. The party hosted by MediaLink and iHeartMedia is said to feature Lizzo this year, and the Spotify beach concert series is always a hotly anticipated event, although the lineup is still under wraps. I heard the Carlton Terrace has reopened this year. Is that true? Yes! Historically, the terrace of the Carlton Hotel has been a hotbed of schmoozing until the early hours, but for the last two years, the terrace had been closed as the hotel underwent renovations. The hotel’s iconic Belle Epoque façade remains much the same, but its interiors were reimaged by designer Tristan Auer. The Carlton has 37 new branded residences, two new 65,000-square-foot wings at the rear of the property and an enclosed, landscaped garden with peristyle alcoves, sunbathing decks, cabanas and the largest hotel infinity pool in Cannes. How is Cannes taking sustainability into account for the festival? The festival calls its dedication to sustainability an “ongoing journey.” This year, that means it will offset all staff and jury flights and will try to reduce waste and energy consumption through solar charging stations, placing water fountains around the venue and reducing the use of single-use plastic. The festival also partnered with GreenBee Event Upcycling, a non-profit organization based in Cannes, with the aim of promoting the reduction of various waste materials linked to the events industry. Sustainability promised to be a hot topic of conversation during the festival. Several panels address the climate crisis, including “Let's Take Responsibility for Advertising's Role in a Net-zero Economy” and “Workshop: How Can you Respond to the Climate Emergency,” both hosted by industry trade group Ad Net Zero. Climate action group Clean Creatives is also holding a Next Level Climate Summit on June 20 at the Embassy of Dutch Creativity, where it is inviting agencies and brands to find solutions to fighting the climate crisis within advertising.

Cannes Lions 2023—everything to know about the advertising festival

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