Cannes Lions: A Week of Unrivalled Content

– The Forum Explores Talent, Art, Data & Music
– Workshops Deliver Practical Learnings
– Master Classes Present Personal Stories with Industry Greats

28 May 2014 – The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity offers a wide range of unequalled multi-platform learning opportunities to complement the extensive week-long seminar programme and themed Brazil and Innovation days.

A record 41 agencies will appear on The Forum stage, from big names such as JWT, Mother and Goodby, Silverstein & Partners to independent shops like 123W, The Monkeys and Forsman & Bodenfors. Running from Sunday 15 June to Friday 20 June, The Forum content programme will each day explore a different topic relevant to the creative industries. Presented and discussed by a mixture of well-known industry figures, new names on the creative scene, and the occasional surprise special guest, the carefully curated Forum programme will inform opinion, broaden horizons and encourage debate:

Creative Talent (Sunday 15 June): Where to find true talent? How to keep it? What are the structures that allow creativity to flourish? Moderated by talent organisation Sasha The Mensch, Cummins Ross, SheSays and HyperIsland are a few of the sessions that will answer these questions.

Creativity in a Multi-screen World (Monday 16 June): Essential for anyone attempting to tell stories or deliver creative work to an audience in the digital space, speakers from a broad range of creative, media and production disciplines such as Getty, Sony Mobile and Mother will be moderated by National Geographic.

Data, Insight, Strategy & Creativity (Tuesday 17 June): Presented by Nielsen, Exponential and StinkDigital amongst others, this forum moderated by Decoded examines the myths and realities of whether Data can really create an Idea.

Independent Agency Day (Wednesday 18 June): Featuring Lion-winning agencies and new shops that are attracting attention, this forum will be a global tour of independent spirit and creativity. Moderated by Mondelez, sessions include the likes of Forsman & Bodenfors, Jung von Matt and Party.

Art Meets Advertising Remixed (Thursday 19 June): Two powerful creative worlds come together in this day which explores the relationships between art and advertising. Talenthouse, Nova, SuperHeroes and exciting names from the artistic world such as Ben & Julia and Charlie Patterson are amongst those presenting, moderated by Central St Martins and Nova Awards (Central St Martins graduate awards backed by Lowe+Partners to foster creativity).

Music Day (Friday 20 June): Looking at the different processes at work in music discovery, artist success and commercial potential, there will be contributions from artists, managers and agencies. Moderated by W Communications, Grammy award-winning star Ne-Yo, The Martin Agency, Sony Music and Vision Artist Network will be amongst those taking to the stage.

The Cannes Lions Workshops deliver diverse one-hour practical and interactive learning sessions in a relaxed environment – an ideal way for delegates to broaden knowledge, experiment with new career paths or refresh existing skills. Delivered by leaders in their field, a broad spectrum of subject matters are available to choose from including hostage negotiators teaching the latest and most effective negotiating techniques – essential for a successful client-agency relationship; and Cirkus will showcase the production processes, man hours and budget required for the creation of a high-end, 3D-animated spot.

The Workshop programme runs from Sunday 15 June to Friday 20 June. A total of 16 hour-long sessions will each take place twice, allowing delegate more flexibility in planning their day.

Master Classes, primarily aimed at Young Lions and students, the Master Class programme is a chance to get up close and personal with some of the industry’s biggest who will share their advice and experiences on how to get ahead in brand communications, and discuss the latest trends shaping the industry. Amongst those presenting these one-hour very personal sessions will be Keith Reinhard, chairman emeritus of DDB Worldwide; Peggy Conlon, President and CEO of the Ad Council; Richard Edelman, president & CEO of Edelman; Mark Tutssel, Global Chief Creative Officer of Leo Burnett; Ben Silberman, CEO and co-founder of Pinterest; and Kathryn Parsons, Co-CEO of Decoded.

“The Cannes Lions Forum, Workshops and Master Classes provide a wide range of focused, personal and hands-on learning platforms that will not only inspire and reinvigorate but will also hone skills and provide practical advice to further careers. With art, music, production, technology, talent, data and strategy just some of the topics being addressed, delegates will have numerous opportunities to be immersed in creativity at all levels,” says Terry Savage, Chairman of Lions Festivals.

Additional streams of content at this year’s Cannes Lions festival include seminars, TechTalks, Brazil Day and Innovation Day. Over seven days there will be more than 500 speakers taking part in more than 250 sessions.

Cannes Lions takes place from 15-21 June in Cannes, France. Further details on the content programme, including the full interactive week planner, A-Z of speakers and information on how to register to attend, can be found online at www.canneslions.com. The free Cannes Lions app is now available to download on iOS and Android.

QUOTE BANK:
ART MEETS ADVERTISING – Maya Bogle, Co-founder, Managing Director, Talenthouse:
1. “I’m very much looking forward to our appearance at Cannes Lions this year, especially as there is a strong focus on art. We hope to illustrate the importance artists play in influencing consumers and how brands can best engage undiscovered creative talent in order to deliver brand messaging as effectively – if not more so – than traditional advertising did twenty years ago…”

2. “Cannes is a perfect playground for creatives and brands to meet, learn and find new ways to work together. Interesting times for both as technology has facilitated the free distribution of creativity and so challenged the monetisation of it. Are there new models and a way for this to work for everyone?”
3. “I’m hoping to provoke and inspire discussion around new models and ways for brands and artists to work together.”

CREATIVE TALENT DAY – Kat Gordon, Founder, Materal Instinct, The 3% Conference:
“I’m excited to share the incredible traction and momentum that The 3% Conference is having in the U.S. with attendees at Cannes. Plus I’m curious and welcoming to hear how agencies elsewhere in the world are embracing diversity. I can tell already it will be a week of fruitful conversations, meetings and inspiration.”

CREATIVE TALENT – Charles Day, Founder, The Lookinglass:
“When you speak at Cannes you know you’re talking to a global audience. You can’t be formulaic. You can’t be hackneyed. And you’d better have something relevant to say. As a speaker, that demands you push yourself. And that’s when the really good stuff happens.”

DATA INSIGHT STRATEGY CREATIVITY – Ben Essen, Head of Planning, iris:
“Clients now more than ever feel forced to choose between big creative ideas and big data. Top-down reach versus bottom-up behaviour change. But for those Participation Brands striving to play a meaningful role in consumers’ lifestyles, the two are more aligned now than ever. As part of the Forum’s Decoding Creativity day, we’re looking forward to exploring what happens when these two historically awkward bedfellows come together.”

DATA INSIGHT STRATEGY & CREATIVITY – Richard Peters, Co-CEO, Decoded:
“Creativity can be accelerated like never before through the use of data. To show this, our aim is to predict the winners of Cannes Lions using a process of analysis, machine learning and visualisation. We’re excited & thrilled to share our findings and insights!”

INDEPENDENT AGENCY DAY – Dana Anderson, Senior Vice President, Marketing Strategy & Communications, Mondelez International:
“A whole new wave of independent agencies around the world are reinvigorating the industry. It is so exciting to be working with the festival to curate a day that elevates and celebrates the vital role they and their more established brethren play in stretching the boundaries of creativity.”

MUSIC DAY – Joe Alexander, Chief Creative Officer, The Martin Agency: 
“Should be a lively discussion, eve with a hangover, we hope you take away the changing role of music in a brand’s story.”

MUSIC DAY – David Muhlenfeld, Creative Director, The Martin Agency:
“As a kid, I watched Simon Le Bon sing “Rio” on a yacht and swore I would grow up to be just like him. Talking about “Oreo” at Cannes feels close enough. I plan to push up the sleeves of my sports jacket, and possibly wear a wristband.”

MASTER CLASS QUOTE – Jonathan Klein, Co-founder & CEO, Getty Images
“I am looking forward to Cannes Lions’ always-inspiring programme and to presenting Getty Images’ creative expertise and powerful language of imagery to the world’s best creative minds. We have partnered with Cannes Lions for 17 great years and the festival never fails to deliver fresh thinking, provocative ideas and fun!”

MASTER CLASS QUOTE – Richard Edelman, President & CEO, Edelman
“I am looking forward to hosting a Master Class session during my visit to the Cannes Lions Festival.
I always enjoy an opportunity to engage with and learn from some of the most creative minds in the industry.”

WORKSHOP QUOTE – Ted Persson, Chief Creative Director, Great Works /The North Alliance
“Creativity is the driving force in both advertising and tech. Still, the worlds are far apart culturally. With one foot in each world, we hope to bring the two worlds a little bit closer through this workshop.”

61st Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, 15-21 June 2014, Palais des Festivals, Cannes, France
The International Festival of Creativity, also known as Cannes Lions, is the world’s leading celebration of creativity in communications. Founded in 1954, the Festival takes place every June in Cannes, France.

As the most prestigious international annual advertising and communications awards, over 35,500 entries from all over the world are showcased and judged at the Festival. Winning companies receive the highly coveted Lion trophy, a global benchmark of creative excellence, for Film, Print, Outdoor, Interactive, Radio, Design, Product Design, Promo & Activation, Film Craft, Mobile, Branded Entertainment and Integrated advertising, as well as the best Media, Direct, PR, Titanium, Creative Effectiveness and Innovation ideas. The Festival is also the only truly global meeting place for advertisers, advertising and communication professionals. More than 12,000 delegates from 95 countries attend a week-long programme of exhibitions, screenings and talks by worldwide thought leaders. As the networking and learning opportunity of the year, Cannes Lions is the must-attend event for anyone involved in brand communications.

About Lions Festivals
Lions Festivals is the organiser of Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and Eurobest as well as co-organisers, with its joint venture partners, of Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity, Spikes Asia Festival of Creativity, Festival of Asian Marketing Effectiveness, and the Digital Asia Festival. www.lionsfestivals.com
Lions Festivals is powered by Top Right Group.

Key Dates:
Delegate registration: Open
61st Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity: 15-21 June 2014, Palais des Festivals, Cannes, France