Soooo, your girl is going to Cannes Lions 2026.
Typing that still feels a little surreal. Three years ago, I was rebranding my agency from "Hey Aishwarya" to Saffron Creative and figuring out how to get my next project while I picked up all sorts of marketing jobs. Now, I'm packing for the South of France to spend a week with the people shaping where the entire creator economy is headed. Make it make sense!
But I've made one decision: I'm not spending the week quietly intimidated in a corner. I'm going in with a plan. So if you're headed to Cannes too (or you just want to know what it actually is), here's how I'm prepping and what I'm genuinely excited for.
First, what even IS Cannes Lions?
Quick myth-bust: it's not the film festival. Cannes Lions is the giant advertising and creativity festival, basically the Met Gala for marketers. Brands, agencies, platforms, and (increasingly) creators all descend on one tiny French town for a week of panels, beach takeovers, and a frankly unhinged amount of rosé.
The part I care about: the creator economy has fully crashed the party. There's a whole LIONS Creators program now, creators are on the main stages, and the line between "marketer" and "creator" is basically gone. Which is exactly the space I'm building Saffron in. So this isn't a vacation. Okay, not only a vacation. It's research.
How I'm prepping:
- I picked a goal that isn't "sell my services." Nobody flies to Cannes to be pitched, and I refuse to be the person doing it in a hallway. My goal is relationships and understanding how brands are actually working with creators right now. Lower pressure, way higher payoff.
- I found my way into the group chats. A huge amount of Cannes happens on WhatsApp. I'm in a handful of groups with people who've done this five, six, ten times over, and they're the ones who actually know which parties are worth your evening, how to get the RSVP codes and guest-list spots, and which "exclusive" events are a polite waste of an afternoon. The official program tells you what's on. The group chats tell you what's actually worth it. Get into them before you go.
- I built a spreadsheet (obviously). Every party, panel, and breakfast worth hitting, sorted by which rooms my people are actually in. The creator and indie-agency corners, not the 400-person keynotes.
- I'm leading with LinkedIn, not a link. At a conference, the real win is the two-way connection, so I'm connecting with people in the moment instead of handing out a link and hoping. (I did build a proper link-in-bio for the follow-up, though. Couldn't help myself.)
- I'm documenting the whole thing. Messy middle and all. If I'm going to learn the creator economy by living in it for a week, I might as well bring you with me.
- I'm packing light and wearing flat shoes. The Croisette is cobblestones and chaos. Arguably, the most important tip in this post.
What I'm actually excited for:
- Experiencing the creator economy in real life instead of through my phone. LIONS Creators, the creator-brand conversations, all of it.
- Learning how the big players are working with creators now. The platforms, the agencies, the new models. I have a couple of ideas I'm chewing on, and I want to pressure-test them with people who do this at scale.
- Meeting the humans behind the brands and tools I admire. A few of my favourite conversations are already on the calendar.
- Being in the room as a creator, not a spectator. I’m going to participate in conversations and get out of my comfort zone.
- And yes, the rosé. And the content. And a few days in France afterward for a separate project I'll tell you about soon.
Come with me!
I'll be sharing the whole week as it happens. The good, the awkward, the "how do I clone myself to attend everything dilemma”. Follow along on Instagram @wearesaffron.ca for on-the-ground moments, and if you want the longer behind-the-scenes info, I just started a newsletter for exactly that. See you on the Croisette, or at least online 😄
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