Yep, it’s definitely not the busiest time of year in the media world. Awards season deadlines have come and gone, upfronts and screenings have been held and the ensuing negotiations that come from them are still nascent. We’re only just now starting to see even summer schedules released, and the bigger theatrical gambits might be briskly selling tickets, but even those premieres are weeks off.
All the more reason to pack the valises and international charging adapters and head out of town. And it’s definitely peak season for conferences that provide learning experiences, networking opportunities and some truly gorgeous settings. Judging by the barrage of posts I’m seeing on my LinkedIn, a whole bunch of folks I know (or at least used to) are taking full advantage of these chances to pad their mileage point totals.
Last week, per a liberally distributed GLOBE NEWSWIRE press releases, a sizable throng descended upon the Rocky Mountains:
Questex’s StreamTV Show return(ed) to Denver next week…with a show-stopping lineup of speakers, talent, and top-tier networking. Taking place at the Gaylord Rockies Resort, this year’s event is already setting records, with attendance up 50% over 2024, over 110 sponsors and exhibitors, and over 200 speakers, with a surge of energy driving the future of streaming.
And per THE DESK’s Matthew Keys, a number of attendees saw their investment reimbursed via accolade:
LG Electronics, Philo and Spectrum Reach were among the companies honored with awards at the 2025 StreamTV Show in Denver this week. This year’s competition was more exciting than ever,” Kevin Gray, the Vice President of Questex and the founder of the StreamTV Show, said in a statement. “Winners stood out for their bold innovation, unmatched audience engagement, sharp strategic thinking, revenue growth, and game-changing partnerships. Congratulations to the leaders and companies who are shaping the future of the streaming industry.” The winners were named during a ceremony on the opening day of the program(.)
It’s a tried and true strategy that conferences regularly use to boost both the quality and quantity of attendees. Come accept an award, enjoy a nice dinner and/or a rocking party on us, and rather than rush back to that ever-dangerous airport stick around for a bit and kick some tires of our sponsoring vendors. I’ve been part of numerous organizing committees for these kinds of events, so I know from whenst I muse. Not all that long ago, I might note.
And this week that strategy will be even more in vogue as the global advertising community takes over the Croissette for an event newsworthy enough for even the NEW YORK POST’s
The rosé and champagne-infused week-long event, known as the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, is roaring back this week for its 72nd year – and boasting over 12,000 attendees from over 97 countries, including a heavy-hitting list of top execs, celebs and athletes.
“These are the biggest numbers they’ve ever had,” said 3CV founder Michael Kassan, who has not only been going to Cannes Lions for over 25 years, but is also instrumental in shaping it into what the event has become. “You have the agencies, you have the brands, you have the creatives, you have the media side and the platforms,” he said. That’s why you get the buzz and that’s why Cannes is a must-attend event. I’m not saying it’s immune to economic pressures and the like but the numbers for Cannes Lions are through the roof [this year].”
The self-proclaimed grand poobah of the illustrious event rattled off a slew of top names in media who will be at this week’s event, including Amazon CEO Andrew Jassy, newly named Instacart CEO Chris Rogers and Disney Entertainment co-chair Dana Walden, who is in the running for the top job when Mouse House CEO Bob Iger is slated to step down in late 2026.
And that’s why a vast majority of my LinkedIn family are singing Kassan’s praises and already posting candids from opening night parties. The best way to get your boss to sign off on your attendance is for you to be part of their rooting section while they get yet another trophy for the display case in the lobby–or, in this era, their home entryway.
Please don’t assume I’m actually against this sort of practice. Indeed, those that actually clicked on the link five paragraphs above will be reminded I’m a champion of coming together in person, and the fact that it seems to be roaring back with a vengeance is actually quite heartwarming.
But I do need to ask at a time when hundreds of people–especially in revenue-negative areas like marketing–are being laid off and where the gap between the haves and have-nots is growing how much buyer’s remorse will be happening once folks are finally back at HQ.
When I’d sufficiently lobby my superiors to have myself and my team attend these kinds of conferences, even when they weren’t in line for a trophy, my rationale was always to bring home valuable insights–usually in the form of extensive studies that we didn’t have to pay for– occasional gossip and something to give us a leg up on our rivals. And I’d inevitably be given the floor at our staff meetings to download my fellow executives–sometimes even the company at large–to make sure that intel was shared extensively.
I’d like to ask those who are still fortunate enough to be going to these conferences if that’s still the case. Do enough invested folks who look beyond the short-term bottom line still hold positions of influence where they actually want to know what is being said on these panels or, as was the order of the day in Denver, structured debates between teams of otherwise clashing independents banding together to formulate compelling arguments on which way the winds of change are–or should be–blowing.
Or are more and more of those increasingly larger attendance lists being comprised of recently furloughed executives in transition who are in a position to foot the bill from their severance checks, hoping to use it as a way to find their next gig? And are these shows–unlike the one that somehow got sufficient complaints from some prickly vendors to request folks like moi who were doing just that stay home–any more receptive to this new world order?
There will apparently be ample opportunity to rub shoulders with the truly elite this week, as Steigrad eagerly pointed out:
This year, execs will be focused on four top issues that can drive revenue; artificial intelligence, commerce, creators and sports media…Professional athletes will take center stage at events held by Axios, Medialink, Deep Blue Sports and Stagwell with its impressive Sports Beach complex, addressing a variety of topics from the creator economy, AI, mental health, style and how to support female athletes…Cannes will welcome NBA all-star Carmelo Anthony, WNBA champion Sue Bird, former NFL star Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, former Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez and soccer stars Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe, among others.
And as Travis Clark of THE CURRENT took note, many of those big names are actually going with the intent to learn something as well:
The creator economy is taking on greater significance at Cannes, so much so that the Social and Influencer Lions awards are getting a new name: Social and Creator Lions. Creators are expected to earn $15 billion in the U.S. this year just from social media, according to eMarketer. They’re also expanding into new channels like podcasts, for instance, where creator revenue is projected to grow more than 23% this year.
Celebrity status aside, they’re all individuals with little or no overhead and significant staff, looking to find folks with complimentary skill sets to help make their shingle a more prominent one. Just like moi and the ones vendors seem to abhor.
Maybe it’s finally changing, especially as the prospect of a lot more corporate gigs being 86d looms on the summer horizon. And as for those corporate behemoths being lured by vanity to these settings–maybe they’re realizing that they may have actually cut bone as opposed to fat, and might need a consultant or two to at least do the work they realized was a necessity? Heck, the government’s already had that breakthrough. Why shouldn’t they?
In which case, I sure hope to see my LinkedIn brethren and sistren at the next one of these. Sooner than later–like it or not.
Until next time…