Cannes Lions Festival Shifts Focus Toward Ad Technology
This year's Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, will see more of a focus on ad technology than ever before, with digital advertising, social media and anlaytics underpinning many of the panels and speeches. This emphasises how much the industry is changing, with a separate Cannes Innovation festival being held at the end of the week, which will focus on data and technology. 
CANNES, France — Fetes on yachts. Magnums of rosé. Kim Kardashian.

This week, the media and marketing industry will descend on the French Riviera for the annual advertising conference known as the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

The event, held in Cannes, began more than 60 years ago to showcase and award the best in advertising. But recently, the gathering has become what some in the industry describe as an overcrowded boondoggle. There are so many company cabanas and tents on the beach here that participants say it is nearly impossible to see the sand.

“This is one of those gatherings where everyone shows up,” said Brian Terkelsen, the chief executive of MediaVest USA. “It is ridiculous, and you rinse and repeat five days in a row.”

But it is a week heavy with deal-making and networking, with everyone seeking some way to take part in the roughly $600 billion global ad market. In the last five years, ad technology companies have flocked to the festival, reflecting a wider shift in the industry. Venture capitalists, keen to gain exposure for their start-ups, have also started making the trip, as have media companies like HBO. The world’s biggest consumer brands, like Procter & Gamble and Unilever, all come to Cannes Lions, adding to the frenzy.