“This one deal more than paid for Cannes attendance for the next ten years.”
Is going to Cannes worth it? The industry’s annual pilgrimage to the South of France is almost upon us. At this time of year, you can’t move on LinkedIn for the posts, backed with images of sun-drenched beaches, with the clarion call ‘Let’s meet in Cannes’ ringing out everywhere.
Which made me think, does this call for Cannes catchups actually work? Does it result in meetings? Does it lead to real business ROI. Talking to people across the industry, the answer is a resounding yes.
I’ve said many times before that a myth surrounds Cannes. A myth that it’s all about rose and parties bedecked with celebrities like Paris Hilton and Kylie. Yes, of course that’s the background but there is no doubt today that Cannes delivers results.
That opening quote was from Mathieu Roche, Co-Founder & CEO, ID5.
“Cannes is hard work but really worth it. That deal with The Trade Desk was done in Cannes and was transformational for our company,” he said. “It’s an intense week and the party image isn’t reality, I even went completely dry one year as I needed to be always on top of everything.”
Marco Bertozzi, Co-Founder TheZoo.London is a true Cannes veteran also believes those ‘Let’s meet in Cannes’ posts serve a purpose at an event where the entire industry descends on Cannes, all desperate to gain the most true value from an intense week of back-to-back meetings and non-stop networking.
“The ‘I am going to Cannes’ posts do sometimes feel pointless, and from a ‘work’ perspective they are, everyone is booked, busy. However on a personal level, Cannes is the biggest gathering of people from across the world and it is amazing to know one of your old colleagues is there,” he said. “A couple of years back, I met for a 1am drink with my old boss from 2010, I could do that as I saw him post.
Those posts are not about work in its purest sense, it’s about sending a bat symbol into the sky to say, I am here, help!”
Another long-time Cannes attendee, Media & Marketing Consultant Liam Brennan, has attended as an agency employee, a client, and as a consultant and found the experience valuable each time, with meeting often sparked by those ‘I’m in Cannes’ messages, As he pointed out, “ If you get one new customer out of your trip to Cannes, then the trip has more than paid for itself.”
But is the cost really worth it? The potential cost of drinks at places like The Carlton may be a cliche but is rooted in fact. Cannes can be an expensive experience.
However, as Roche pointed out, Cannes on a budget is possible. “At a previous company, I stayed with an uncle in a distant part of France and got the train in every day, spending 300 Euros for the entire thing.”
The party and rose myth of Cannes, as I’ve said many times before, is nowadays just a myth.
However, one thing remains a solid fact As Brennan says, “nothing good happens in the Gutter Bar after 2AM.”
