Article | Organise your event at the Cannes Lions: Top venues and tips

The Cannes Lions Festival, one of the most prestigious events in the world of creative communications, is much more than just an awards ceremony. It's a true celebration of creativity, a place where the most innovative minds meet and where the most promising collaborations are born.

Hosting an event alongside this iconic festival can offer unrivalled exposure and exceptional networking opportunities. At Native Spaces, we understand the importance of choosing the perfect venue to maximise the impact of your event.

Whether you're looking for a venue in the city centre or a little further afield, we've selected the best venues and tips for making your presence at Cannes Lions a real success.

Cannes Lions: An Unmissable Celebration of Global Creativity

Created in 1954, the Cannes Lions bring together members of the creative communication industry every year. This world-class event had its first edition in Venice, where the Lion of San Marco Square inspired the famous Lions trophy. Alternating between Venice and Cannes for several years, Cannes has become the iconic location of this congress since 1984.

Celebrating creativity in the brand communication sector, the Cannes Lions Festival brings together participants from all sectors of the industry for a series of live conferences and debates with directors, artists, writers, athletes, and world-renowned speakers. The Lions also organize a series of award ceremonies honoring key industry players for their creative work each year.

Since 2018, the Lions have been structured around 9 main axes to organize the festival and facilitate the search for inspiring content while allowing better navigation among awards, panels, and discussions during the five days of the event. The Cannes Lions also include an interactive digital platform allowing participants to access the impressive archive of the festival's conferences and campaigns throughout the year.

From start-ups to established creative agencies, the Cannes Lions bring together 15,000 participants from over 100 different countries every year for five days in the sunny south of France.

Organize your visit alongside the congress

A multidisciplinary event, the Cannes Lions offer unparalleled networking opportunities. It’s a true effervescence of professional and social events that take place alongside the main stage. From informal discussions on the beaches along the Croisette to late-night cocktails on the rooftop of the Palais des Festivals, there is always a reason to gather during Cannes Lions week.

The Lions are above all an opportunity to build relationships while networking, and what better way to network than over a drink or two. The 5-day festival is punctuated with private parties and social events throughout the city.

Why is the choice of venue crucial to the success of your event in Cannes?

During this event, the choice of location is the decision that will have the most significant impact on your event. Choosing a location close to the Palais des Festivals will ensure that guests can easily attend your event, but there are also other advantages to choosing a location away from the crowd on the Croisette. Whether you want instant access to events happening downtown or prefer to relax in a villa in the hills around Cannes, we are here to help you find your ideal place for the Cannes Lions.

Our selection of exceptional venues for a unique event

1.Cannes and its private beaches

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To be at the heart of the city's effervescence while enjoying the superb setting that Cannes offers, what could be better than a beach club to organize an evening cocktail to gather your team and network? The Croisette, emblematic of the city and close to the Palais des Festivals, is the ideal place to develop your relationships and benefit from high visibility.

Some examples:

2.Comfortable apartments, lofts

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For a serene and hassle-free stay, we suggest renting an apartment, loft, or penthouse near the Palais des Festivals. It’s the ideal solution to organize your meetings, cocktails, or even private dinners as you wish. You can also transform and adapt the accommodation as you see fit according to your program.

Moreover, you also have the possibility to privatize entire buildings to gather your whole team in a central location where you can work together. Some properties even have outdoor spaces such as private terraces, patios, or rooftops.

Some examples:

3.An original restaurant

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When it comes to planning a business lunch or private dinner, restaurants are an excellent option. Cannes is full of all kinds of restaurants to welcome your clients, partners, or teams in a more relaxed environment with a different atmosphere each time. You can also choose to make it more exclusive by privatizing part of it to freely discuss your professional matters. In some restaurants, you can also add your branding to make the place even more immersive.

Some examples:

4.A dream villa

enter image description here Want to enjoy a privileged setting away from the city's hustle and bustle? We offer you superb villas on the heights of Cannes to taste the tranquility of life in the south of France. These properties offer you a more intimate atmosphere but also allow you to invite a large number of people thanks to their large capacity. Planning a meeting in an idyllic setting or organizing a cocktail by the pool to close your stay and celebrate your participation in your latest congress has never been easier!

Some examples:

5. Boats and yachts

enter image description here Cannes, with its Croisette and port, is also about luxury yachts, exceptional catamarans, and impressive barges. These properties are perfect for hosting exclusive events such as cocktails at sunset in the middle of the Mediterranean, VIP dinners with new members of your network, or meetings in this pleasant setting during the day. It’s the perfect choice to surprise and impress your guests during their stay in Cannes!

Some examples:

6.A unique rooftop

enter image description here Organizing an afterwork on a rooftop with a breathtaking view is particularly trendy and appreciated. After spending the day at the Palais des Festivals, meet your colleagues and collaborators for a moment of relaxation in a pleasant and exclusive setting!

Some examples:

Client Stories: ADWEEK - LIONS 2024

On this subject, we want to share a success story that marked this edition of the Festival.

This year, the Lions were full of challenges for Native Spaces!

Indeed, the AdWeek team contacted us to find a place near the Palais des Festivals that could be arranged to host all the different events they had in mind and also offer visibility from the Croisette. They wanted to organize various activities such as meetings, interviews, and happy hours.

Regarding the location, they chose a rooftop in the middle of the Croisette, with a superb view and different areas that could be separated and transformed to host the various activities they had planned. They also called on our network of providers to ensure that the space was decorated according to their own branding and that they had a photographer to cover the event. The rooftop selected for AdWeek was a real success, meeting all their needs and offering a magnificent setting for their event.

One of the highlights raised by AdWeek about Native Spaces is that they appreciated having a trusted contact near Cannes, with a local team available and responsive.

The event was a real success both for AdWeek and for us! So, if you also want to join us to organize your next visit to Cannes, don't hesitate any longer!

Organize your own events

Once you have found the ideal place for your visit to Cannes, we also help you set up your events with our network of trusted providers. Whether you are looking for a cook, photographer, or a company specializing in venue decoration, at Native Spaces, we ensure that your event is unique and memorable!

To learn more and discover all our complementary services, you can consult the following article: NATIVE SPACES AND ITS TRUSTED PROVIDERS