The Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, also known as the Oscars of advertising, is a 5-day event held every June in the South of France, and it is one of our favourite events of the year.

Working on the sun blessed beaches of the French Riviera and copious amounts of Rosé are obviously major pluses. More importantly, over the last 10 years we have had the opportunity to build such creative, weird and wonderful installations, fitting out countless beachside cabana’s, overhauling penthouse suites, furnishing yachts and decking out the speakers lounge.

What have we learnt over those years, well here are 10 things to keep in mind when building for Cannes Lions:

1. Quality is King

The biggest brands exhibit at Cannes Lions, and despite some of the installations being in tents or Cabana’s on the beach, we have found that quality is always king. The standard of fit outs keeps getting higher and more creative every year. We love this because not only does it keep things interesting, but we prefer to build things that last, and quite often clients have ended up reusing items we have made at other events or installing them back in their offices.

2. Know Your Site

Unlike other events and trade shows that are held in one large exhibition centre, Cannes Lions takes over the whole city so it’s important to know where you are working.

The main event, talks, submission boards and awards take place in the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès which is the main convention centre. The event then spills out onto the sea front with Beach Town and Cabana Town, rows of large tents individually styled by exhibitors. Other major brands take over and build up entire beaches and piers all along the sea front (Boulevard de la Croisette).

That’s not all, companies will also take over mega yachts moored in the Vieux Port de Cannes (Marina) just next to the Palais, as well as penthouses and suites in many of the prestigious beach front hotels. Finally, villa’s in the hills host meetings and parties throughout the event.

3. La Croisette Is LONG

Should you find that you have projects in and around the Palais as well as some hotel suites further along La Croisette, just note that the beach front looks compact, but it is LONG and it is just not practical to be driving between sites multiple times a day. So, should you need to travel between sites during installation, build up or breakdown, we recommend hiring a bike, otherwise revel in mammoth daily step counts.

4. Approvals, Approval, Approvals

Getting approvals in advance is key. Thankfully we haven’t had any approval issues to date, but that’s because we always get our health and safety, and materials specifications back to the design agency and project manager as far in advance as possible.

The Cannes Lions Exhibitors and Decorators Technical Manual is clear in terms of what is allowed or not in the Cabanas and Palais, so adhering to this is your best bet to avoiding any trouble. Regulations for other sites like yachts, villas and hotel suites may differ, so be sure to get your hands on these to avoid any approval issues.

5. Bricorama Is A Lifesaver

Despite planning for as many eventualities as possible, the unexpected can always happen. Maybe a client needs something additional, or something you have made did not transport well. In times like these Bricorama, the B&Q of France has been our lifesaver.

6. Hydration is Key

You can never have enough water.

With temperatures sometimes going north of 30 degrees, working outside or in a Cabana means you can drink litres and litres of water and still not go to the toilet for the whole day. It just evaporates out of you. So be sure to always have plenty of water with you.

7. Book Accommodation Early

Accommodation is hard to come by in Cannes, so book as early as possible. It is reasonably priced until the Saturday before the show, so we tend to stay in town until then, and move further out of town for the show days.

8. Get Trucks in Early

Getting trucks into and out of the city can be a nightmare. If you need to drop off at Cabana Town or the Palais, then just make sure your truck driver is parked up in La Bocca and first in line to get a pass. In the meantime, make sure you have secured a space for them to park in, and get one of the red shirted logistics folks to call your truck in.

9. Brilliant Bagels

Shout out to Key West, our favourite bagel joint that has served us many a lunch over the years.

10. Battle of the Irish Bars

And finally, after a long day working out in the heat, it would only make sense to head straight to an Irish bar for a post work pint (or 5).

Many go to Morrisons, but you will usually find us at Ma Nolan’s. So if you’re in town, come and say hello.