What Cannes Lions does

Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is the world's most prestigious annual awards and networking event for the global advertising, marketing and communications industry, held each June at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France (the 2026 edition runs June 22–26). Founded in 1954 and now operating under the LIONS platform alongside sister brands WARC, Effie, Contagious, Acuity Pricing, Content Marketing Institute and The Market Research Event, the organization is owned by Informa plc and registered in the UK as Informa Events (Europe) Limited. Its core product is the five-day festival encompassing the Lions Awards across categories such as Film, Creative Data, Direct, Innovation, and the new Creative Brand Lion, complemented by specialized community tracks including LIONS Sport (sports marketing), LIONS Creators (creator economy, with Adobe), and LIONS B2B (B2B marketing, with LinkedIn), plus learning programs (LIONS Academies, Young Lions Competitions, CMO Accelerator, LIONS Learning e-learning) and impact initiatives (LIONS Scholarship, See It Be It, ERA Programme, Jodi Harris Scholarship, LIONS Impact Hub).

The business operates an event-driven go-to-market motion: tiered festival passes (Classic Pass as the most popular, Streaming Pass for virtual attendees, and segment-specific passes for Marketers, Creatives, Leaders, Entrepreneurs, Indies, and Under 30) drive direct revenue, while an extensive partnership and sponsorship roster — including Bloomberg Media, Bain, Microsoft, Google, Meta, Adobe, LinkedIn, Disney, Amazon, AB InBev, Accenture Song, TikTok, Uber, Deloitte Digital, FCB, and Fortune as official media partner — underwrites the festival's commercial economics. Customers span creative professionals, senior marketers and CMOs, global brand advertisers, and advertising/media agencies across all major holding companies (Publicis, Omnicom, Dentsu, WPP) plus independents, with Cannes Lions positioned as the industry's definitive benchmark for creative excellence and the career-defining awards body for the global creative marketing economy.

Name

Cannes Lions

Legal name

Informa Events (Europe) Limited

Website

https://canneslions.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Cannes Lions operates the world's most prestigious annual advertising awards festival held each June in Cannes, France, serving creative professionals, CMOs, global brands, and agencies with tiered festival passes, the Lions Awards, learning programs, and impact initiatives, owned by Informa plc.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Advertising Industry Events & Awards

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

akta.pro primary industry

Film Festivals & Festival Organizers (MPADAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG)

Keywords

• Creative industry events
• Advertising awards
• Brand marketing
• Creative communications
• Festival passes

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Festival Passes: Revenue generated through sale of various festival passes including Classic Pass (most popular), Streaming Pass for virtual attendees, and specialized community passes (LIONS Sport, LIONS Creators, LIONS B2B). Tiered pricing for different audience segments including Marketers, Creatives, Leaders, Entrepreneurs, Indies, and Under 30 categories.
2. Partnerships and Sponsorships: Brand partnerships offering experiential activations, networking opportunities, advertising solutions (billboards, banners, out-of-home executions), event sponsorship, and brand visibility in front of the world's most influential marketers and creatives. Partners include Bloomberg Media, Bain, Microsoft, iHeartMedia, Dove, Yahoo, TikTok, Pinterest, Omnicom Group, Adobe, Amazon, LinkedIn, Stagwell, EY, Disney, Uber, AB InBev, Accenture Song, Canva, Deloitte Digital, FCB, GUT, Google, Meta, and Pantone.
3. Learning Programs: Revenue from LIONS Academies, Young Lions Competitions, CMO Accelerator Programme, and e-learning courses through LIONS Learning platform offering evidence-based creativity and effectiveness courses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Cannes Lions operates an annual international Festival of Creativity in Cannes, France, combining a global awards competition (the Lions Awards) honouring excellence in creative communications, with a week-long programme of live talks, workshops, networking events and brand activations. It also sells year-round membership, learning and content programmes for creative professionals, agencies and brands.

Product overview

Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is a single, unified festival platform offering annual awards (LIONS Awards including Lions, Creative Brand Lion), experiential community programs (LIONS Sport, LIONS Creators, LIONS B2B), and learning initiatives (LIONS Academies, Young Lions Competitions, CMO Accelerator Programme, LIONS Learning e-learning). The organization also operates impact initiatives including LIONS Scholarship, See It Be It, ERA Programme, and Jodi Harris Scholarship. Attendees can participate through various passes (Classic Pass, Streaming Pass) and a dedicated mobile app. The Festival takes place annually in Cannes, France at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LIONS Sport: A dedicated two-day programme dedicated to the business of competition and sports marketing, happening June 24-25 at Cannes Lions.
• LIONS Creators
• LIONS B2B
• LIONS Insights

Products and services

• Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity
• Lions Awards

Quantifiable outcome

• Global benchmark for creative excellence set annually
• +4 more outcomes

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

23 partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Advertising Association (UK)majorGTM or Marketing Partner · 15 June 2026Advertising Association unveiled international brand campaign 'UK Advertising. Where Creativity Works' at Outernet London promoting sector's £19.4 billion economic performance. New identity debuted at Cannes Lions with government-backed trade mission. Campaign developed by VCCP, Girl&Bear, and Bernadette.
• FortunecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 9 June 2026Fortune returns as official media partner to Cannes Lions 2026, delivering on-the-ground coverage and hosting editorial programming throughout the week. Flagship 'Fuel Up with Fortune' event on June 23 gathers CMOs and CEOs from Lenovo, Instacart, Uber, and Mars Pet Nutrition for peer-to-peer discussions on AI-driven marketing and brand trust. Fortune also produces a vodcast series sponsored by Salesforce.
• Project Management Institute (PMI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2026PMI announced partnership with Cannes Lions to launch LIONS Educators Forum, a global initiative connecting academia with creative industries. Forum consists of two virtual global roundtables annually, an in-person program during Cannes Lions 2026, and year-round global networking community. PMI is Founding Partner contributing project management expertise for AI-enabled workplaces.
• TransPerfectmajorOthers · 7 May 2026TransPerfect serves as official partner of the Cannes Film Festival (separate from Cannes Lions) for second consecutive year, with TransPerfect Media division leading expanded on-site presence through panels, events, and programming partnerships. MPC (TransPerfect studio) contributed VFX and post-production work to nominated films including Minotaur and Avedon. Partnership extends to Short Film Corner, Cannes Docs, FICAM, and CNC.
• ACT ResponsiblemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 April 2026LIONS has partnered with ACT Responsible for 25 years to champion sustainability at Cannes Lions. ACT aims to inspire, promote and unite the industry around advertising responsibility. LIONS evolved the Sustainability Hub into the Impact Hub for 2026, dedicated to driving measurable change and raising social and environmental awareness.
• StagwellcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 January 2026Stagwell partnered with Cannes Lions organization to create Lions Sport forum, expanding its presence at the annual Festival. The forum takes place June 24-25 at Cannes' Carlton Hotel, bringing together leaders from brands, agencies, rights holders, and media to explore innovation in the $417 billion global sports marketing landscape. Mark Penn (Stagwell) is featured as a speaker.
• Bloomberg MediacoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Bloomberg Media partners with Cannes Lions as a brand partner, showcasing creative innovation and connecting with decision-makers in the creative marketing industry through experiential activation and brand visibility at the Festival.
• BaincoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Bain & Company partners with Cannes Lions as a strategic consulting partner, providing thought leadership and connecting with senior marketers at the Festival through experiential activations.
• MicrosoftcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Microsoft partners with Cannes Lions providing technology and brand visibility through experiential activations, with Annie Pearl (Corporate VP of Copilot) speaking at LIONS B2B.
• AdobecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Adobe partners with Cannes Lions as the partner for LIONS Creators program, dedicated to the creator economy. David Wadhwani (President, Creativity & Productivity Business) and Hadrien Châtelet (Senior Design Evangelist) are featured speakers.
• LinkedIncoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026LinkedIn partners with Cannes Lions for LIONS B2B, a one-day summit dedicated to B2B marketing taking place June 23. Keith Browning (Director of Brand Marketing) is quoted on partnership value. Mimi Turner (Head of Marketplace Innovation) and Jann Martin Schwarz (Senior Director, Marketplace Innovation) are speakers.
• SPORT BEACHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026SPORT BEACH partners with Cannes Lions for LIONS Sport, a two-day program (June 24-25) at the Carlton Hotel dedicated to sports marketing business. Stagwell previously introduced Sport Beach event at Cannes Lions in 2023.
• AB InBevcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026AB InBev is a major partner of Cannes Lions, having won Creative Marketer of the Year three times (2022, 2023, 2026). Marcel Marcondes (Global CMO) is a speaker. AB InBev sponsored the Jodi Harris Scholarship in partnership with Cannes Lions.
• Accenture SongcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Accenture Song partners with Cannes Lions as a major agency network partner. Ndidi Oteh (CEO) and Nick Law (Creative Chairperson) are featured speakers. Dheeraj Sinha (McCann India) and Damon Stapleton (Droga5 ANZ) representing Accenture Song are also speakers.
• GooglecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Google partners with Cannes Lions with Demis Hassabis (Co-founder and CEO, Google DeepMind) as a keynote speaker. Felicia Okoye Otolorin (Head, Financial Services East & West Africa) and Menaka Shroff (VP, Marketing - Global Android Ecosystem) also featured.
• MetacoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Meta partners with Cannes Lions with Nicola Mendelsohn (Head of Global Business Group) as a speaker. Ajaa Long (Director, Global Clients) representing Meta is featured at LIONS Creators.
• TikTokcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026TikTok partners with Cannes Lions with Adrian Adaramoye (Group Lead, Global Accounts and Agencies) and Anny Havercroft (Global Head of Product MarComs and Industry Education) as speakers. Beatrice Mustocea (Creator & Public Figures Lead) featured at LIONS Creators.
• DisneycoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Disney partners with Cannes Lions as a major entertainment brand partner with experiential presence at the Festival.
• AmazoncoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Amazon partners with Cannes Lions as a technology and brand partner with experiential activations at the Festival.
• Deloitte DigitalmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2026Deloitte Digital partners with Cannes Lions as a consulting partner providing professional services expertise to the creative marketing community.
• UbercoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Uber partners with Cannes Lions with Lucinda Barlow (Head of International Marketing) as a speaker. Featured at Fortune's 'Fuel Up with Fortune' event.
• FCBmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026FCB (Foote, Cone & Belding) partners with Cannes Lions with Susan Credle (Global Creative Advisor, Interpublic) and Nancy Reyes (Global President & CEO, BBDO Worldwide) as speakers.
• GUTmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026GUT (creative agency) partners with Cannes Lions with Joaquín Cubría as a speaker representing GUT agency.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The One Show: The One Show is a direct peer — another premier global advertising awards program operated by The One Club for Creativity, competing for the same agency and brand submissions with overlapping category structures and prestige positioning.
• D&AD Awards: D&AD is a direct peer — a UK-based global creative awards program with a Pencil grading system that directly competes with Cannes Lions for top-tier creative recognition, particularly in design, advertising, and craft categories.
• Clio Awards: Clio Awards is a direct peer — an annual international awards program recognizing creative excellence in advertising, with similar category structure (Film, Print, Digital, etc.), agency and brand submission model, and prestige positioning in the global creative industry.
• Webby Awards: The Webby Awards is a direct peer — an annual awards program for excellence on the internet, with categories that overlap with Cannes Lions' Digital, Innovation, and Creative Data tracks, targeting similar agency and brand audiences.
• Advertising Week: Advertising Week is a direct peer — a major annual global conference and awards platform for the marketing and advertising industry, with similar pass-based monetization, sponsor ecosystem, and senior marketer attendance profile.

Emerging players

• The Drum Awards: The Drum Awards is an emerging player — a UK-based marketing and advertising awards program that has grown in prestige and competes for agency and brand attention, particularly in digital and B2B marketing categories where Cannes Lions also operates.

Regional players

• Spikes Asia: Spikes Asia is a regional player — an Asia-Pacific creative awards festival modeled on Cannes Lions that competes for the same agency submissions across the APAC region, with similar category structures and prestige positioning.
• Eurobest: Eurobest is a regional player — the European creative awards festival also operated by the LIONS/Cannes Lions parent ecosystem, providing a regional alternative to Cannes Lions for European agency and brand marketing professionals.

Broad incumbents

• SXSW Conference & Festivals: SXSW is a broad incumbent — a much larger multi-track festival covering technology, music, film, and culture that overlaps with Cannes Lions in attracting brand marketers, creative professionals, and major sponsors, but operates at significantly larger scale and broader scope.

Others

• MIPCOM / MIPTV (RX/Informa Markets): MIPCOM/MIPTV are sibling events within the broader Informa/RX portfolio, offering comparable trade-show and content-market monetization models for the entertainment industry. They are not direct competitors but illustrate the Informa events playbook and shared infrastructure relevant to Cannes Lions' operating model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cannes_lions
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CannesLions
• Facebookfacebook.com/CannesLions
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cannes-lions-international-advertising-festival
• Instagraminstagram.com/canneslions

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments7 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cannes Lions