Chairman, Cannes Lions and president of Ascential Marketing Division, Philip Thomas.

The organisers have released a statement to the media that states that they have been advised to proceed and continue planning for the Festival in June. The French authorities have advised them that the current ban on gatherings of 1000+ people will be lifted on 15 April.

They also state that they have worked with the city of Cannes and all their stakeholders to secure alternate dates for the Festival should they need to postpone. These dates are 26-30 October 2020. All passes, sponsorship arrangements and bookings would, of course, roll over and remain valid.

On their decision-making timeframe, they will commit to making a call on this by 15 April at the latest. They have stated that if they can make the decision before then, they will.

The rest of the statement reads:

The Lions are obviously a huge part of what we do and provide an annual benchmark for the industry. It’s a responsibility we take very seriously. Regardless of when the Festival takes place, there will be Lions in 2020. Work will be judged, and Lions will be awarded using the same rigour we’ve come to be known for. Our primary focus continues to be creating a safe space where our community can come together to do business, learn, and continue to recognise world-class creativity. We look forward to seeing you in June – or in October if we believe that to be safer. We’ll continue to provide you with very regular updates.

Update on Cannes Lions Contingency Planning – Covid-19 from Cannes Lions on Vimeo.