The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has announced the launch of LIONS Creators, a pioneering event set to take place from June 18 to 20, coinciding with the renowned Cannes Lions week. This innovative festival is dedicated to influencers and those involved in the broader creator economy, offering an array of exclusive learning and networking opportunities tailored specifically for content creators.
The influencer festival of Cannes will feature a curated mix of events designed to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing among creators, platforms, brands, and agencies. With the creator economy valued at approximately $250 billion in 2023 and projected to soar to $480 billion by 2027, the timing for this festival couldn’t be more pertinent. Simon Cook, CEO of LIONS, emphasized the importance of this gathering, stating, “With potential growth of this scale, it’s crucial that the Festival plays a role in bringing together the platforms, the brands, the creators and the agencies, and a wider cross-section of the industry to have the most pressing conversations around how we co-create, collaborate and unlock greater value and progress for the wider industry in this space.”
The significance of creators in the marketing landscape has been steadily increasing, and their presence at the Cannes Lions Festival has grown correspondingly. Thea Skelton, VP of Events at LIONS, highlighted the collaborative nature of LIONS Creators, noting that it has been established with input from creators worldwide who recognize the value of such a convergence. “Creators are an increasingly important part of the marketing mix, and their presence at Cannes Lions has been steadily growing for many years,” Skelton remarked.
For its inaugural year, the LIONS Creators festival has partnered with Viral Nation, a leader in social-first transformation. This collaboration promises to leverage Viral Nation’s expertise in AI-driven social marketing to enhance the festival’s offerings. Joe Gagliese, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Viral Nation, expressed his enthusiasm: “Creators are at the heart of everything we do at Viral Nation. By collaborating with Cannes Lions, we are not only amplifying the voices of creators but also solidifying influencer marketing’s position as a cornerstone of social-first transformation globally.”
The festival will feature the LIONS xChange Roundtables, a series of exclusive discussions filmed in front of a live audience, bringing together key players in the creator economy to tackle the industry’s most pressing challenges. This dynamic lineup of events will culminate in the Social & Influencer Lions Awards Show on Wednesday, celebrating the best in influencer marketing.
As the Cannes Film Festival 2024 approaches, the addition of the LIONS Creators festival underscores Cannes’ commitment to embracing the evolving landscape of content creation and influencer marketing. For those interested in participating in this groundbreaking event, further information is available on the official Cannes Lions website.
