Access Gets You In. Intention Gets You Further.

What I learned at my first Cannes as a marketing strategist

Since getting back from my first Cannes Lions, I’ve seen a lot of takes: panels were meh, you don’t need a pass, the creator economy has officially taken over.

Some of those perspectives are valid. But I think I experienced Cannes differently because I went in with a different set of objectives.

Cannes has been on my vision board for a long time. Since pivoting into the design and marketing industry, it was always one of those creative events I wanted to get to. And when I finally did, I wasn’t there trying to grow my following or land a deal. I was there to learn, to connect, and to see where my industry is heading with my own eyes.

I’m a creator too. I’m online, sharing, and building. But my lens for the week was my corporate marketing one. I spend my days thinking about web strategy, digital experiences, AI, and how businesses connect with their audiences. That’s the filter I brought to Cannes. And that’s the perspective I haven’t seen much of in the post-Cannes conversation.

Your ROI starts before you arrive.

One of the biggest post-Cannes debates has been whether attending was worth it. For me, that question was already answered before I landed.

My linesister Tershone and I treated Cannes the same way I’d approach any strategy offsite or executive retreat. Before we arrived, we each identified our goals, wrote down the questions we wanted answered, vetted sessions and speakers, and built our schedules around those objectives. Every evening we debriefed: what landed, what challenged our thinking, what we wanted to explore the next day.

We left plenty of room for the parties, spontaneous meetups, and last-minute invitations. That’s part of the magic. But the preparation shaped almost everything. I didn’t choose sessions at random because I’d already done the work to understand who was speaking, what they were building, and how each conversation connected back to what I came to learn.

That’s not a conference hack, btw. That’s an approach I use on a regular Tuesday in corporate that I brought with me to Cannes.

The quality of my experience wasn’t determined by Cannes alone. It was shaped by what I brought into it.

Tershone and I!

Yes, the creator economy is evolving.

One of my biggest observations happened after the sessions ended.

I saw executives get together for a quick LinkedIn photo, writing their posts while ideas were still fresh, and documenting conversations they didn’t want to forget.

For years, many of us equated “creator” with people who built audiences through lifestyle, entertainment, or visually compelling content.

After spending a week at Cannes, I think another category is becoming just as important: thought leadership creators.

These are the executives, founders, engineers, marketers, strategists, and professionals who create by sharing what they’ve learned through experience, not documenting every moment.

My own approach also shifted. I didn’t introduce myself by leading with the company I work for. Instead, I used my work as a starting point for conversations about web strategy, AI, B2B marketing, digital experiences, and where our industry is headed.

I don’t think we’re moving away from creators, but I think we’re expanding the definition of who gets to be one.

And if that’s true, then some of the most important creators over the next decade may not be influencers at all. They’ll be the professionals who consistently turn what they’ve learned into ideas that move their industries forward.

So...do you actually need a Cannes pass?

There’s no universal answer. The better question is: what are you trying to accomplish?

For me, the pass mattered. It gave me access to official workshops and executive sessions I wouldn’t have found otherwise, including a B2B marketing summit with senior marketing leaders. Some of my most valuable conversations happened in those rooms.

But I also met people without passes who had an incredible week, and none of them just showed up hoping things would work out. They had meetings booked before they arrived, brand partnerships established, invitations to private events, and calendars built out weeks in advance. They had already created their own access.

A pass is one way in. Preparation and relationships are another. Neither replaces intentionality.

Experience depth is an advantage.

After nearly a decade working across startups and big tech, I recognized familiar faces, reconnected with people from earlier chapters of my career, and walked into conversations with real context to contribute.

It reminded me that the best opportunities aren’t just about getting into the room. They’re about knowing why you’re there, preparing before you arrive, contributing while you’re in it, and leaving with ideas that make you better than when you walked in.

That’s the version of Cannes I’ll remember.