Cannes 2024 - Know Before You Go

Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity brings together the biggest names in global advertising, media, and marketing to celebrate the world’s best creative communications and honor the people, brands, and companies behind them. If you are planning to attend, this guide is designed to highlight a curated experience for Amazon Brands and Partners.

The Basics

Cannes Lions takes place annually on the French Riviera. This year, the event will run from June 17th to June 21st. The venue will be Palais des Festivals et des Congrès—basically, the whole beach!

Amazon Port

#AmazonPort draws inspiration from the iconic fashion houses of France. Amazon is bringing our brands to the forefront at Cannes to show how you can connect with customers wherever they spend their time. It will be open Monday - Friday except for a few private events.

You do not need a Cannes Lions delegate badge to visit Amazon Port, but you do need to register here.

New This Year

While visiting Amazon Port, be sure to check out Le Musée. This interactive experience will take you through 9 physical activations, allowing you to experience Amazon properties such as Amazon Creators, Amazon Live, Amazon Music, Amazon Web Services (AWS), IMDb.com , Live Sports, Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios, Twitch, and Wondery.

Olympic Torch

The #OlympicFlame will pass through the heart of Cannes on Tuesday, June 18th, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Crossing the road will be prohibited, so be prepared to choose between the beach and Palais or the hotel side.

Evening Activities

Monday Night

4:00 - 6:00 — Twitch happy hour

6:00 - 8:00 — Sunset Soiree - An Amazon Ads Partners Happy Hour - (This event is for Amazon Ads Partners and Brands; if you would like to attend, please DM me for a link)

Tuesday Night

3:00 - 4:00 — How I Built This with Guy Raz live podcast (Surprise Guest)

4:00 - 6:00 — Twitch happy hour

Wednesday Night

5:00 PM — Port closes to prepare for the concert

9:30 - 12:30 — Amazon Ads presents: The National (invite only), with a special guest DJ will kick off the event. Doors open at 9:30, We recommend you arrive early. Entrance to the concert requires a ticket. Admission is first come, first served. Please arrive early to ensure you can enter. You will not get in with your Port wristband.

Thursday Night

4:00 - 6:00 — Twitch happy hour

While these are the highlights of Amazon’s evening activities, many other parties will occur across the city. Please let me know if anyone can help me get tickets to the Spotify concerts!

Presentations

Here are a few highlights you won’t want to miss. You can check out the full agenda here:

Monday:

11:00 - 11:30 — Advertising that sparks emotions with Heather Kehrberg, Rankin Carroll, and Tariq H.

12:20 - 1:00 — Now Trending: #Authenticity with Alix Earle, Carly Zipp Garbis and Marianna Hewitt

2:00 - 2:30 — Cracking the code to generative AI in Ads with Anastasia Leng, Jason (Jay) Richman, Matthew Kemp and Samira Panah Bakhtiar.

3:00 - 4:00 — IMDB Trivia hosted by makho ndlovu and Nikki Santoro.

Tuesday:

11:00 - 11:30 — The building blocks of the creator economy with Alyson Griffin, Captain Puffy, Megan Pagliuca Sarah Iooss, and Wayne Purboo

2:00 - 2:30 — Encore! Embracing the new entertainment era with @Lauren Anderson, Tanner Elton, and a Surprise Guest!

3:00 - 4:00 — ‘How I Built This with Guy Raz’ live podcast with Guy Raz and Surprise Guest

Wednesday

11:00 - 11:30 — Finding community in fandom with Jen Sargent, Latasha Gillespie, and John Allen aka “MrBallen”

2:00 - 2:30 — You had to be there: A CMO's guide to cultural moments with @Andrew Whitworth, Jared Stacy, and Kirdis Postelle

3:30 - 4:00 — ‘Judge Beauty': e.l.f. Cosmetics' 360 campaign for the Big Game with Ekta Chopra, Mark Power and Jeffrey Cohen

Meet Amazon Ads Partners @ Port

Amazon Ads Partners are encouraged to come to Port, hang out, meet, network, and so much more. We love seeing you take advantage of this space. This year, we will have more casual meeting areas, shade, and plenty of Rose throughout the day. If you are attending Port and would like to set up a meeting, please get in touch with your PDM or let me know.

Please join us on Monday from 6-8 for an exclusive partner, “apéritif” (French for happy hour), on the Riviera to mingle with peers, connect with Amazon Ads executives, and enjoy sunset beats. A complimentary selection of fine Mediterranean-inspired beverages and canapes will be served. We look forward to seeing you there! This event is invite-only; please message me so I can send you a link.

Come join Amazon LIVE

Amazon Live will be streaming live from the Port next week in Cannes from Monday-Wednesday featuring Brooklyn Beckham and a host of other influencers! You are invited to come watch the livestreams in action at our studio set and meet our hosts afterwards. All Livestreams will take place at #AmazonPort

Livesteams:

• Monday 17th 1.15pm-1.45pm, 3pm-3.30pm
• Tuesday 18th 1.30-2pm, 2.30-3pm
• Wednesday 19th 1.30-2pm, 3.30pm-4pm
• RSVP HERE

Pro Tips

I have only been to Cannes once, so here are my tips from last year

• Dress appropriately - you are outside all day, so wear sunscreen, bring sunglasses, and dress in comfortable clothes. Resort business casual is the vibe both day and night.
• Check everything out. Cannes has hidden gems, such as “Gutter Bar,” which is only open for the event and goes all night. Walk the yachts, see all the activations, and spend some time at Amazon Port.
• Don’t overschedule—The best meetings are the random conversations you have. If you are booked all day long, you don’t have time to stop and randomly talk to a new friend or someone you bump into on the street.
• Power through the time zones - You must arrive and push yourself on the first day. Stay up as late as possible and then get a good night's sleep. If you do it right, you will be on local time when you wake up.
• Stay hydrated—While the rose is served all day, remember it's hot, and you're outside. Drink plenty of water!