Cannes. Day 1. Base Camp.

Matt Batten, Creative Director of Wunderman Sydney, reports from Cannes.


Bienvenue á Cannes magnifique.

It is my pleasure to attend two great events: the 57th Cannes International Advertising Festival, and the annual Wunderman Creative Directors’ Summit held in an exclusive marquis on the rooftop of the Palais de Festival.

For the first, approximately 12,000 people from every advertising nook and cranny will attend to hear internationally renowned speakers and find out who has earned the coveted Lions trophies. For the second, 35 Creative Directors from 27 Wunderman offices in 18 countries have been gathered to share their experience, knowledge and ideas to keep the network strong and innovative.

Those attending the Cannes Lions have come to hear from such luminaries as Patrick Collister, Editor of Directory magazine, Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman of Ogilvy Group (UK), Bob Jeffrey, Worldwide Chairman and CEO of JWT, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO and founder of Facebook, and Sir Martin Sorrell, CEO of WPP Worldwide (and my ultimate boss).

Having touched down in Nice aboard a plane-load of accents from around the world, it hasn’t been hard to spot some of the adlanders in their designer jeans, branded T-shirts and black dinner jackets. We all make the pilgrimage to Cannes and I’ve already bumped into some fellow Aussies, including Eardrum’s Ralph Van Dyke (to whom I already owe 25 Euro), DDB’s Adam Rose, and BMF’s Jeremy Nicholas.

My primary goal today was to slowly advance in the long queue of delegates to obtain my festival pass, then locate my hotel to wash off the 28-hour journey.

As angry French clouds roll in from the North, thundering over the distant hilltops, I prepare to attend Wunderman’s Opening Cocktail party and meet my internatinal colleagues, then hopefully find that infamous Aussie haunt – the ‘Gutter Bar’ – despite the threatening rain.