Cannes Lions has launched digital education platform ‘Lions Live,’ weeks after organizers called off this year’s event.
The platform will run throughout June under the theme ‘Creativity Matters,’ and activity will coincide with the original dates of the Lions, June 22-26. The initiative will be free to use for all.
The Lions postponed to October in mid-March, only to be canceled outright on April 3. At the time, organizers said their about-face came out of a “desire to remove any uncertainty about the running of the awards and event for our partners and customers.”
Lions Live will include masterclasses and “hangouts” with creative industry legends, as well as lectures from speakers previously confirmed for the festival, and professional classes and learning modules. The platform will also feature Future Gazers — a collection of industry experts who will assess how COVID-19 has transformed the industry.
It will also showcase top responses to the crisis from the creative community, which are currently being shared on the newly launched “Creativity Moves us Forward” platform.
In addition, The Work, a subscription-only archive of more than 200,000 Lions campaigns and 1,600 Festival talks, will also be free throughout the original festival week.
In June, organizers are also offering a curated course of lessons taken from the Cannes Lions masterclass series on 42courses.com.
Simon Cook, managing director of Cannes Lions, said: “In order to drive progress through creativity, and support our community at this difficult time, we want to provide the global industry with the opportunity to learn and network throughout June and beyond.
“For the first time in nearly 70 years, we are unable to bring the industry together in one physical place in June. Lions Live: Creativity Matters will provide a virtual platform for the industry to collaborate, learn and problem-solve, because now more than ever, creativity really does matter.”