Welcome to Cannes Lions Academy

Welcome.

Congratulations!

We’re delighted to have you joining us at The Cannes Lions School this Summer!

You’re one of only thirty people that’ve been selected to partake in your academy this year and will soon benefit from attending a bespoke and exclusive programme of talks from some of the biggest and best marketing minds attending The 2023 Cannes Lions Festival.

This year, three specialist marketing academies are running at the festival - The Brand Marketers Academy, The Creative Academy, and The Roger Hatchuel Student Academy; each of which will be made up of amazing young marketers who’ve been selected to attend from all around the world (in the same manner that you have).

By the end of your week with us, you’ll be one of a very small group of individuals that can claim to be a Young Lion - a marketer whose excellence, knowledge, and potential is recognised, acknowledged, and championed by Cannes Lions itself.

Your week in Cannes is going to be a truly transformative one. You’ll be attending an academy specifically designed to expose you to diverse and new ideas, show you best practice guidelines devised by leaders in our industry, and allow you to connect with the brightest.

So, let’s talk you through what to expect from your week with us (and share some pre-festival guidance and advice).

The Festival

Though the definition of creativity changes all the time: it undeniably drives progress for people, business and society. Cannes Lions celebrates, facilitates, and substantiates creativity in all its forms – helping to prove its effectiveness, shape its future, and connect the future leaders of the industry.

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has been championing creative excellence since 1954, and you are part of the next chapter of that story. Known as the creative industries most coveted award show, the Cannes Lions offer much more than just a shiny Lion to display on a mantle piece.

Set on the beautiful French Riviera, the festival boasts lectures and talks from some of the world’s greatest creative minds. We interrogate the methodologies, approaches and achievements of all types of companies: from tiny start-ups to huge multi-nationals.

Walk the floors of the Palais and be inspired by the best work the creative industries have to offer, whether its cutting edge technological application, film, campaign, and everything in between.

Adjacent to the Palais, you will find the Cannes Lions School Campus, where the next generation of creative leaders find themselves learning first hand what it takes to grow their potential from the world’s greatest creative minds.

There is no other place on the planet where creative thinking is so fiercely celebrated. We can’t wait to welcome you to Cannes Lions 2023!

Accommodation & Travel

The Cannes Lions School boasts a diverse cohort from across the globe. Every person's journey to Cannes will be different, some may be close by, others may be travelling far. Regardless of your journey, we have all the necessary information to help you reach your destination!

When should I arrive?

This year's festival will be held between Monday 19 to Friday 23 June 2023. The academies are required to attend a meet and greet at 15:00 on Sunday 18 June, and so, we recommend arriving prior to the 18th to settle yourself in and soak up the atmosphere of the French Riviera before an action-packed week at the academy. We also recommend leaving Cannes on Saturday 24 June - you don’t want to miss your graduation on Friday afternoon (as well as the end of festival celebrations that take place on Friday night).

Where do I fly in to?

If you are flying in, the nearest airport is Nice. From the airport you will have to catch a train to Cannes (this is a short, 30 mins train ride). Trains from Nice Airport to Cannes Station can be booked here. We recommend taking a direct train - Alternatively, you can also catch the Line 81(EX210) bus from directly in front of the airport terminal, this is the most cost effective and direct route and can be booked here.

Please note that Buses only accept credit cards, so please book your tickets in advance. Other modes of transport take Cash (Euro), and in some cases you will need to book your tickets in advance.

Where should I stay?

There are plenty of accommodation options available to you in Cannes. Most of the dwellings are apartments, and can be booked easily on sites like Airbnb and Stayz. As a Delegate, you also have Access to our partner accommodation at a discounted rate through B-Network. You will automatically receive a link once your registration is paid.

Whatever you decide, make sure to book your accommodation as early as possible. The festival has over 14,000 people visiting the city, so places to stay can become scarce quite quickly.

You will be expected to arrive in the lecture hall by 9am every morning, so make sure that your accommodation is no further than a 15 minute walk away from the Palais.

Where is the Academy?

Address: Palace of Festivals and Congresses of Cannes, Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, 1 Bd de la Croisette, 06400 Cannes, France

This is right on the beachfront, adjacent to the marina. We recommend finding accommodation that is no further than 15 minutes walk from the Palais.

The Academy Campus is attached to the rear of the Palais. This is outlined in the map below.

What if I'm landing in another city?

If you are coming from Paris, you can also catch a train south to Cannes - however, this is a long journey and will take the better half of a day if you choose to travel this way.

You can book Rail tickets using the Rail Europe website, or alternatively, Trainline.

Where should I eat?

A list of restaurants is available on the Festival’s website, as well as other miscellaneous booking information here.

Roger Hatchuel Student Academy

The Roger Hatchuel Student Academy is a 6-day global learning experience at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity designed for students approaching graduation. Since 2003, the Academy has been inspiring the next generation of creative leaders by giving them the tools, knowledge, and connections they need to explore different creative avenues and launch their careers in the advertising and creative communications industry.

Throughout the week students will unlock a greater understanding of each other, the world, and the nature of the industry.

Topics:

An introduction to the creative industry – client, agency, and beyond
The agile creative process
Working with purpose
Leadership, teamwork, and confidence
Value of diversity
Solving creative briefs

What a crazy week it has been, and I’ve made so many connections with some amazing professionals from all over the world!! I’ve gained so much, and having the opportunity to present our idea to Deloitte was just pure gold!!

– Michelle Deng

This was a once-in-a-lifetime, whirlwind week full of learning about others' experiences as well as realizing how YOU want to impact the industry. All the speakers who came to our classroom were so proud and excited about how our generation will affect the future of creativity. You deserve to be here and there is no reason to be intimidated. It can be overwhelming at times but I have nothing but amazing memories from this experience and would recommend it to any student.

– Miranda Diaz

Creative Academy – In Partnership with Canva

As one of 30 Young Lions from across the globe - you will be taking part in a truly transformative experience - The Cannes Creative Academy is 5 days shared with world-renowned CEOs, CCOs, artists, actors, directors, journalists and creative superstars.

Learning from stalwarts of the creative industries, dissecting the world's most game changing, innovative work - you will be challenged as much as you will be expected to challenge creative convention.

We can’t wait to have you with us on the French Riviera, learning from the greats and building a world class network that will be the launchpad for your journey into the next stage of your career - the next generation of global creative leaders.

It was truly a life-changing experience, with so many talented and creative people all over the world, we even created our own Creative Academy family over there

– Breno Chiavelli

I won at Cannes Lions!! … No, I didn’t win an actual lion. I won something better.After spending a week on the Cannes Lions Creative Academy, absorbing knowledge from some of the world’s most talented creative leaders, I won some friends for life

– Jo Bird

Brand Marketers Academy

So, you now know that you’re going to spend a week, this summer, in the South of France mingling with some of the world’s greatest brand marketing minds - but what’s actually going to happen when you get to Cannes in June?

Well, now that you've been selected as one of our 30 brand marketing academy attendees (selected from applications received from around the world) you’re going to participate in this year’s Brand Marketers Academy (an exclusive, intensive, 5-day programme) run as part of the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity in France.

These 5 days are an opportunity for you to learn first-hand from some of the world’s greatest brands and leaders; including CMOs, Chief Strategy Officers, Creative Directors, Design Directors, Communication Executives and Media Executives.

The talks and sessions that you’ll attend (and participate in) during this week are designed to inspire you by engaging with award-winning creative campaigns and encouraging you to discuss marketing best practices with world-renowned brand marketing experts.

N.B - Attending this Academy at the Cannes Lions School, is more than simply coming to France and learning from the world’s greatest marketing minds. It’s your access point to a worldwide network of academy attendees who meet virtually, on a regular basis throughout the year. This international network of future CMOs and global brand leaders are super excited to welcome you into the Academy graduate fold (and group chat) this June. So, if you approach this summer in the right way, it’s not crazy to think that this week with us could be the launchpad for the next stage of your professional marketing career.

We simply can’t wait to have you join us on the French Riviera, you’d better start getting ready for your trip now!

Key Dates

JUNE

Suggested arrival at accommodation

JUNE

Start of course for all academies

Welcome meeting TBC

JUNE

Final day of academies including graduation and closing party

JUNE

Suggested departure from accommodation

Note that when you’re planning for the week, that the course will be running from 9am -5pm each day Mon-Fri.

Essential Items To Bring

Euros

Computer/tablet

Notepad

Layered Clothing

Comfy shoes

Enough space on your phone/camera

Snacks and plenty of liquid

Little portable fan

Summer essentials

Tips from Alumni

Stay an extra day

If you can, book an extra day to stay in Cannes after the Festival ends. Some of us were able to spend the day with classmates, sightsee, shop, swim, and eat nice meals together. The main week of the festival/academy is very busy so booking an extra day to relax in beautiful Cannes is a great shout (there won’t be a great deal of time for exploring Mon-Fri of the week).

Kindness matters

Connect with the speakers on LinkedIn after their talks. Reach out to them mentioning who you are and what you learned/appreciated about their presentation.Be kind to those around you, a lot of the festival staff are local people, so please be considerate when interacting with everyone and maybe learn a little french/simple phrases.

Do your research

Study a bit about the brands/speakers who will be coming to speak to you, soak up information so you can ask questions and better understand what they will be talking about.

Enjoy!

Enjoy yourself and believe that you are wonderfully creative and that you have the opportunity to rub shoulders with the best you will ever see... and you are part of it all!

Good impressions count

Treat this week as a reward, but also as the start of your new, elevated career journey. Go with the full intention of enjoying yourself but bare in mind that this is a pseudo professional environment - you want to make good impressions of the people that you meet during the week both inside and outside of the course.

Keep cool

Cannes is very hot in June, with temperatures exceeding 35C at times - Apartment living can be very uncomfortable in this heat, so make sure that your accommodation has some sort of fan, cooling or air conditioning to make your stay comfortable.

Confidence is key

Make sure that you make the effort to go out and party in the evenings - hang out with friends, forge lasting friendships, and network non-stop! There is no time to be shy in Cannes!

Note down and speak up

Write down everything the speakers say and reflect on it. ALWAYS ask for their contact details and discuss any questions or suggestions you may have.

Canva is a passionate supporter of creative minds, and is honored to partner with the Cannes Lions Creative Academy this year. Through providing the 2023 cohorts with the same tools that empower creative teams across the globe to craft & scale best in class brands, Canva hopes to unlock unlimited possibilities for creation and collaboration amongst the Academy members during the Cannes Lions festival and beyond.