LIONS expands presence across global markets

Cannes Lions will remain the central gathering point for the global creative industry and the international benchmark for creative excellence.

LIONS, the organisation behind Cannes Lions, Effie, WARC and Contagious, is expanding its global model with regional platforms designed to give creative and marketing communities greater year-round access to its intelligence, learning, benchmarks and networks.

The programme will span North America, Asia-Pacific (APAC) and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), with each platform developed around the cultural and commercial conditions of its market.

LIONS expands its regional creative marketing platforms

Simon Cook, CEO, LIONS: “For more than 70 years, Cannes Lions has set the global benchmark for creative excellence, bringing together the world's creative marketing community in an unparalleled concentration of people, disciplines, cultures, and ideas.

“We know, however, that access to evidence, skills and networks that help businesses produce effective, creatively excellent work remains uneven. We're evolving our global model to make more of what LIONS knows is useful closer to where people work, while keeping Cannes Lions as the place where the world comes together.

“These platforms will be built with local communities, not simply for them. The exchange works both ways: global expertise becomes more relevant locally, while regional talent, work, and perspectives help shape what the industry encounters at Cannes Lions.”

In North America, Insight to Impact will debut in Denver in October 2026 before moving to Nashville in 2027. The platform will bring together Informa's TMRE: The Market Research Event and Content Marketing World with expertise from LIONS, including WARC, Contagious and Effie.

North America connects insight, effectiveness and creativity

The platform will focus on consumer understanding, marketing effectiveness and creativity in the North American market. VidCon, described by LIONS as the world's largest celebration of digital culture and its creators, will also join the LIONS family.

From 2027, VidCon x LIONS Creators will form part of the Insight to Impact Festival, reflecting the role of creators in connections between brands, audiences and culture.

LIONS Asia to build on Spikes Asia heritage

In Asia-Pacific, Spikes Asia will evolve into LIONS Asia in September 2027, continuing its partnership with Haymarket Asia. The platform will feature the Asia Lions Awards and combine the regional event's heritage with LIONS' intelligence, learning and community programmes.

Programming will be developed with communities across the region, with the aim of incorporating Asia-Pacific perspectives into the wider discussion around creative marketing excellence.

LIONS Riyadh planned for Middle East and North Africa

In MENA, LIONS Riyadh is scheduled to launch in December 2027 in partnership with Tahaluf, a joint venture between Informa PLC, SAFCSP and EIF, and the Ministry of Media.

The platform will provide access to global benchmarks, intelligence and learning for the local creative and marketing community, while creating opportunities for regional talent and work to connect with the international industry.

LIONS Riyadh is also intended to include a strategic alliance with Athar, operated by LIONS partner Motivate Media Group. The alliance will complement LIONS' established partnership with Dubai Lynx.

Regional programmes extend beyond festivals and awards

The regional platforms will follow the principles underpinning LIONS globally, including the independence and integrity of its Awards and the standards expected by the international community.

The programme will also build on LIONS' existing year-round learning and community initiatives. These include locally developed Brand Marketer Academy programmes in North America, CMO Accelerator City Editions in five global cities, and See It Be It Connect programmes around the world.

Thea Skelton, SVP LIONS Festivals: “Global expertise is most valuable when it connects meaningfully with local context. We will work with partners and creative communities in each market to determine what is most useful locally, while bringing this evidence, expertise, and international perspective that exists across LIONS. It is not our intention to replicate Cannes Lions around the world. It's about making LIONS more useful throughout the year and creating stronger connections between regional communities and the global stage.”

Further details on programming, participation and partnerships for each regional platform are expected to be announced with local partners in the coming days.

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity will return in June 2027 for its 74th edition.

www.canneslions.com

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