Cannes Lions launches 2019 festival

1 November 2018 – The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has officially launched the 2019 Festival, opening for delegate registration and announcing details around next year’s event.

Two new Lions will be added to the awards line-up in 2019. The Creative Strategy Lion will sit within the Reach Track and will celebrate the idea behind the idea, how strategic planning can redefine a brand, reinvent its business, and influence consumers or wider culture.

Elsewhere, complementing the Entertainment Track, the Entertainment Lion for Sport will celebrate creativity that leverages the galvanising power of sports and eSports for brands.

Commenting on the launch of these two Lions, Simon Cook, VP Creative Excellence, said, “Both of these Lions represent a shifting industry landscape and now is the right time to recognise these disciplines through our awards. With an increasingly broader creative communications ecosystem, the Creative Strategy Lion will elevate and define the importance of strategy in creative vision, while the Entertainment Lion for Sport will give credence to the breadth of content and communications surrounding this unique global market.”

Also announced is the decision to retire the Product Design Lions. Categories from this Lion will be absorbed into the Design Lions and Innovation Lions.

For the first time, Cannes Lions will appoint Track Ambassadors ahead of the 2019 Festival. “The nine tracks – Craft, Communication, Experience, Reach, Impact, Good, Innovation, Health and Entertainment – are an organising structure that reflect and represent the core disciplines that underpin and define the global branded communications industry. We are appointing track ambassadors to champion, offer advisory, and elevate their specific discipline,” said Philip Thomas, Chairman, Cannes Lions. The track ambassadors will be chosen from the 2019 jury presidents.

Details of the content programme have also been announced, with sessions operating within the framework of the nine tracks. The agenda is set to be more immersive and interactive than before, including more case studies, Q&A and debate. Some of the topics set to be covered include ‘The Impact of Creativity’, ‘Equality, Diversity and Inclusion’, ‘Industry Transformation’, ‘Digital Transformation’, ‘Creative Strategy’, ‘Multi-touchpoint Storytelling, Craft and Brand Experience’, and ‘Trust, Ethics and Transparency’. The Call for Stage Content is open until 14 December 2018 and welcomes ideas and submissions from anyone and anywhere. There is no charge to speak on stage and successful submissions are chosen based on the strength of the idea and how original, unique and unexpected it is.

Cannes Lions will take place from 17-21 June, 2019. Delegate registration is now openand accommodation is available to book. Further information can be found at www.canneslions.com.