Digiday+ Research: Cannes attendance slated to increase for third year, but cost is a big obstacle for marketers

The long and short of it is that attendance at Cannes looks like it will increase for the third year in a row, but cost is keeping many people (especially marketers) at home this year.

Digiday’s survey found that attendance at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity will be up this year over last year — marking the third year in a row our data has tracked an increase in attendance. In 2023, fewer than a quarter of industry members (22%) told Digiday they were going to Cannes. Last year that percentage jumped to 40%, and this year 45% of agency, brand, retailer, publisher and tech pros said they’ll be at the event next week.

Meeting with other industry members is the driving factor for many attendees this year. More than a third of industry members (34%) told Digiday that meetings are the reason they’ll be in Cannes. Interestingly, nearly a quarter (22%) said there’s no one reason to attend the Cannes Lions festival this year, which perhaps speaks to the weight simply being there can carry during what some consider to be the biggest industry event of the year.

This aligns with why the industry as a whole sees value in attending Cannes this year. Twenty-nine percent of agency, brand, retailer, publisher and tech pros said meetings are the most important reason to attend the event. Dealmaking followed closely behind, with 24% of industry members saying it’s the most important reason to be on the French Riviera next week. And 19% said “being seen” is the most important reason to attend.

For marketers specifically, the largest group of respondents told Digiday there is no one reason to attend Cannes this year. Twenty-nine percent of marketer pros said there is no outsized reason to attend the event. Meetings, dealmaking and “being seen” tied among marketer respondents, with 20% choosing each reason to head to France.

For those who felt like the responses provided in Digiday’s survey didn’t hit the nail on the head for why they see Cannes as an important event to attend, networking was a reason several respondents mentioned in the “other” category. Uninterrupted meeting time with existing and new partners in a relaxed environment was also listed as a reason to attend Cannes this year, as was “random run-ins that generate business.”

As one respondent said, “It’s where the entire global marketing industry is for one week.”

But during a year when economic uncertainty is driving a lot of conversations and a lot of decision making, it’s no surprise that cost is the biggest barrier for industry members who won’t be attending the Cannes Lions festival this year. Forty-two percent of agency, brand, retailer, publisher and tech pros told Digiday that cost is what’s keeping them at home next week.

For marketers specifically, cost is an even bigger obstacle than it is for the industry as a whole. Fifty-six percent of marketer respondents in Digiday’s survey said the cost of attending is why they won’t be in Cannes.

Twenty percent of industry members said the value of the event doesn’t justify their attendance this year. And more than a third of agency, brand, retailer, publisher and tech pros who responded to Digiday’s survey chose the “other” category for why they won’t be in Cannes next week, with one respondent saying the ROI for attending isn’t high enough and another saying while they’ll be in the area they’ll be attending side events instead of officially attending the Cannes Lions festival.