While Miptv has been canceled and Cannes Film Festival hangs in the balance, Cannes Lions, the other event set in the French Riviera town, has unveiled a contingency planning for its upcoming edition in light of the coronavirus outbreak.
Cannes Lions, an annual celebration of commercials, marketing and creativity, has secured alternative dates of Oct. 26-30 in case it needs to postpone. For now, the event is still scheduled to take place June 22-26.
“We continue to monitor the situation closely and follow all guidance from health and government officials. We remain fully committed to ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of our customers, employees, sponsors and partners,” said the event organizers.
They said they were “working closely with the Mayoral office of Cannes and the French Authorities” and if they decide to postpone the event they will tell their clients by April 15. The event welcomes every year a bevy of big players, from Apple to Spotify, Coca-Cola and Google, while high profile guests have included producer Shonda Rhimes, director Alfonso Cuaron and actor Jeff Goldblum who attended the last edition.
“As we stand today, all of our plans are proceeding as scheduled and we are still working towards Cannes Lions 2020 taking place as planned on 22 June. However, as the global situation is evolving constantly, we want to be open about our contingency plans,” said Simon Cook, the managing director of Cannes Lions.
“We have consulted with our customers and partners and have prepared accordingly by putting measures in place to allow flexibility, should we need it. As always, the safety of all those involved is our utmost priority, and any decision we take will reflect this,” said Cook.
The organizers also said that “anyone who is submitting a Lions entry for 2020 should follow the existing process and timeline.”
Earlier this month, Miptv, the international TV showcase which was set to take place in Cannes at the end of March was canceled by Reed Midem due to coronavirus concerns and the fact that many high-profile clients were not able to attend due to travel restrictions.