Seven Days Out

Whether you’re a newbie or a Lions veteran, it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed by the seemingly endless meeting requests, event invites and competing agendas from sessions in the Palais to the Martinez rooftop and everywhere in between. If you’re like me, your schedule is already feeling jammed and every time you open your email it seems like there’s another session to catch or party to sign up for. How to make sense of it all?

While I shared the Festival’s official tracks in an earlier post, not surprisingly a few things are already starting to pop. While AI, the Creator Economy and humor seem to be on everyone’s agenda, it is sport that has dominated this year’s festival! From the return of Stagwell 's Sport Beach, to dozens of panels about sports, there are likely enough A-list athletes in attendance to field a professional football team!

While equity in sport is a hot topic (I’m actually moderating two panels?on this topic – please join me if you can), women have a starring role along the Croisette that extends well beyond sports. Make sure to carve out time to visit the Equality Lounge and the WORLD WOMAN FOUNDATION for provocative conversations with visionary leaders.

Part of what makes Cannes Lions so special is the mix of quality content, networking opportunities and celebration of the work we all do – equal parts inspiration and innovation with a splash (ok,?more than a splash!) of rosé for good measure. With so much to choose from, here’s a few of my top picks to add to your list:

• Runner’s World x Saucony Monday Run Club – shake off your jet lag and demo one of Saucony ’s newest kicks!
• Real Lessons from Real Beauty – first of a few sessions from this year’s Creative Marketer of the Year. And Dove just gets it right!
• Entertain or Die: Day Trading Attention for the 21st Century – catch the king of disruption, Liquid Death CEO Mike Cessario , in action
• Chief Empowerment Officers: How the C-Suite is Fostering Equity and Redesigning the Marketing Organization of the Future – two sessions about redefining and restructuring for future success
• Going for Gold ( 安海斯 - 布希英博 ) and Finding Creativity in the Everyday ( 宝洁 ) – Marcel Marcondes and Marc S. Pritchard always inspire!
• Finding Community in Fandom ?- everything’s better with your peeps ??
• Exploring New Heights – catch the Kelce brothers record their uber popular podcast live from Sport Beach
• Be a part of history and cheer as the Olympic Torch Relay hits the Croisette on Tuesday, June 18th!

A few other tips to make the most of your time at the Lions:

Leave time to explore the award-winning work – a coveted Lion signifies the best of the best. Catch live judging of the Titanium and Glass Lions, tour the work in the Palais basement or check out an awards show (there’s one every night at 7pm).

Stay hydrated and pace yourself. The Lions truly get going after dark. If you can’t score a ticket to see Shaboozey at Spotify Beach or the Chainsmokers at 雅虎 Beach, you can still enjoy the music from along the Croisette. However, you will need an invite for what promises to be one of the hottest tickets in town – Group Black ’s Club Quarantine at Bisous Bisous.

Full disclosure – I’m packed and ready to go!

Stay fierce,

Lisa