A week when Cannes fills with executives from around the world: where to stay, how to get around, and where the conversations actually happen.
In June, Cannes changes population. The film festival is a month behind, and the city fills with another world: creativity, advertising, media and tech, arriving from everywhere for a week. In 2027, Cannes Lions runs from 21 to 25 June.
Cannes Lions resembles no other event I handle. It’s neither a party nor a trade show in the classic sense: it’s a week where everyone works while appearing not to, on beaches, terraces and boats.
Understanding the rhythm of the week
The official programme runs at the Palais and in the conference halls. But the essential part (what people genuinely travel for) happens elsewhere: on the beaches taken over by the big brands, on rooftops, aboard the boats moored in the harbour, and at dinners you don’t get into by registering.
In practice, a typical day for my clients looks like this: a few sessions in the morning, back-to-back meetings on the beaches in the afternoon, dinner, then two or three parties. It’s exhausting, and it’s prepared like an operation.
Where to stay
This is the tightest point of the week, and the one people invariably call me about too late.
- The Croisette palaces, the best position. You’re walking distance from the Palais and the beaches, which matters more than anything when you have eight meetings in a day. They go very early and impose minimum stays.
- A villa in the hills, the right answer as soon as you’re coming as a team or intend to host. You gain a place of your own for a dinner or a working breakfast, which is worth a great deal that week.
- A boat in the harbour, the option for those who want to receive continuously. It’s as much a meeting place as accommodation, and an address your guests remember.
- Antibes, the Cap or Mougins: quieter, often more available, provided you accept the journey. With a driver it’s entirely workable.
Getting around
As during the film festival, your own car is a bad idea. The Croisette is saturated from morning to night, the approaches to the Palais are filtered, and you’ll spend more time hunting for a space than in meetings.
A driver on call during Cannes Lions is less a luxury than a productivity tool, and I mean that literally. The clients who take one keep to their schedule. The others run late all week and eventually tell me so.
Hosting during Cannes Lions
This is the fastest-growing request I get for this week. If you want to host (a dinner for twenty, a lunch on a beach, drinks on board) know two things.
First, venues are locked months ahead: the beaches and rooftops are taken by the big brands from winter onwards. Second, everything costs more than at any other time of year, including staff, flowers and valets. That’s not a reason to give up, it’s a reason to start early, and a private villa in the hills is often the most elegant and least expensive solution for the same quality.
The advice I give everyone
Keep half a day for the sea. A boat trip out to the Lérins islands, lunch at anchor, two hours away from badges and conversation.
It’s the only thing that makes the week bearable. And it’s also, invariably, when my clients have their best conversations, which ought to tell you something about the rest of the programme.
