Choose A Path Less Trodden This Cannes In Cairns

Don’t be basic. Think creatively and you shall reap the benefits of Cannes in Cairns.

“We want brands!” “We want the CMOs!” We heard you and we acted. The content slate at this year’s Cannes in Cairns, presented by Pinterest, is packed to the rafters with some epic brands and top marketing talent.

But that’s not all that the event has to offer, and if you take the time to earmark a little bit of the weird and wonderful, you’ll come away feeling more inspired and far more creatively juiced up than ever before.

Find out more: 16 Cannes In Cairns Sessions With Kick-Arse Brands

There’s a lot to see and do during this homegrown event success story, and it can seem overwhelming … which is exactly why you need to plan what sessions to attend.

This isn’t a metro-based event that you simply drop in and out of but is an immersive opportunity to soak up session after session.

It’s the time to pause the daily rat race and mark no to the calendar invites as there’s no better time to build upon your knowledge and set an example to others that you are investing in yourself, the business, and your network.

No CEO knows it all, in fact, if you ask most leaders what training they’ve had you’ll be shocked at how many have had nothing but on-the-job training and experiences. As the industry norms are ripped from under our feet time and time again, it’s events like this that are so crucial to help inspire, inform and build people and businesses.

By smartly curating your time at Cannes in Cairns, a lot can be gained, and if you’re not going yourself but your team is, ask them to start planning now and show what sessions they have earmarked.

While the benefits of the event are clear in the amazing lineup and top keynotes (with two new epic keynotes dropping next week!), with three days, you can also afford to take the path less trodden.

So avoid only taking the obvious route and look for sessions that may not seem so apparent in how they align to you and your business, but instead are perhaps out of your comfort zone.

Whether it’s hearing from Gabriel Gasparinatos who one moment was making 30-second ads to the next being catapulted to Netflix fame for his ONEFOUR: Against All Odds documentary which traces the meteoric rise of Australia’s first drill rap stars, to hearing from marketer and standup comedian Katherine-Therese Williams who says pitching to clients is just like performing a tight-five on the 10pm time slot at the New York Comedy Club, grab a coffee and go through the agenda now!

Check out the Cannes in Cairns agenda now!

In addition to the glaringly obvious cracking keynotes and top brand-skewed sessions, here are Cannes In Cairns’ very own Content Director, Pippa Chambers, top Session Picks for next month!

Once Upon a Time

Privileged to be brought up in the culture of his Maori ancestors, director and Cinematographer Ray Edwards is a firm believer that cultural stories hold the wisdom of generations.

Flying in from New Zealand, join Edwards as he explores the intersection of creative storytelling in personal and professional life.

• Ray Edwards Director and Cinematographer

It’s Not My Job To Be Interested In You – It’s Your Job To Be Interesting

TV producer-turned-author, CEO whisperer, and keynote speaker, Maz Farrelly argues that if you can’t create impact, influence and grab and hold audience attention, you’re dead in the water.

Go home, bake sourdough, learn golf. Prepare to leave this session with the tools to take on any pitch, float any idea or take any product to market, in a captivating way.

• Maz Farrelly Ex TV Producer Now Keynote Speaker

The Spirit of Creativity

Award-winning creative, design, and performing arts duo from Bangarra Dance Theatre will look to the past, present, and future of First Nations storytelling. The duo will embark upon a candid discussion that will shift your consciousness as they share their thoughts on the spirit of creativity.

• Jacob Nash Director Hunt Quietly & Former Head Designer Bangarra Dance Theatre
• Stephen Page AO Former Artistic Director Bangarra Dance Theatre Director of Hunt Quietly & Former Head Designer Bangarra Dance Theatre

Five Lessons Being A Stand-up Comedian In New York Taught Me About Winning Pitches

This comedian and digital marketer uses standup comedy to illustrate the importance of combining communication with humour. Is pitching to clients just like performing a tight-five on the 10pm time slot at the New York Comedy Club? This witty session will see Williams give a whistle-stop tour of her adventures as a stand-up comic and is not to be missed!

• Katherine-Therese Williams Standup Comedian and Former Media Agency Exec

Swear in Your F***ing Ads: The Power of Profanity

We can’t use profanity in advertising. Or can we? A Lecturer and top ECD tell all in this insightful and engaging seminar drawing upon decades of global research looking at the history of swearing, the multitude of benefits of profanity and the brands that have successfully used it in their advertising. You’ll learn how swearing makes you physically stronger, more enduring, more intelligent, more trustworthy, more relatable and even helps close the gender gap.”

• Dr Jacki Montgomery Lecturer | Communication, Creative Industries and Screen Media
• Matt Batten Executive Creative Director, Five by Five Australia

Handing Over Creative Control: Inside Alone Australia

Hear from the extraordinary Gina Chick, 2023’s Alone Australia winner, along with representatives from SBS and ITV about what went into making the show in one of Australia’s most unforgiving natural environments and the lessons for brands in being willing to relinquish an element of creative control.

• Gina Chick Adventurer, Writer and Rewilding Facilitator
• Beth Hart Chief Content Officer, ITV Studios
• Joseph Maxwell Head of Unscripted, SBS
• Sofia Geraghty Senior Reporter, B&T

From Fad to Fortune

Unlikely business leader Ant Morell has built a $100m global business out of Unleashing Free Spirits. BOUNCEinc is a brand loved by kids, respected by parents, and used as a training ground by some of the words elite freestyle athletes.

So how does a potentially dorky warehouse full of trampolines come to be a category-defining leader that dominates a growing global market? It’s a story of adrenaline, passion, and failure-fuelled success. An unmissable story of reading and misreading market trends, excessive cocktail bills, expensive mistakes, and the power of the human connection to unite people and build something special.

• Ant Morell Co-Founder, Head of Brand, BOUNCEinc

Behind The Lens; Risk and Resilience

Join filmmaker and director of Netflix’s smash documentary ONEFOUR: Against All Odds Gabriel Gasparinatos (Revolver), and Kiwi film director Zoë McIntosh (Sweetshop NZ), the director behind feature-length documentary, Stylebender, as they unpick some of the traits and skills needed to succeed in the cut-throat world of filmmaking.

• Gabriel Gasparinatos Filmmaker
• Poppy Reid Editor In Chief, Rolling Stone ANZ, Variety ANZ & The Brag Media
• Zoë McIntosh Film Director, Sweetshop NZ

THE WORK: Wieden + Kennedy & CJ CheilJedang (bibigo)

CJ CheilJedang’s Head of Global Brand Group, Executive Vice President jets in from South Korea to join Wieden + Kennedy’s Tokyo/Seoul President Yosuke Suzuki to unpack The Work around its bibigo brand.

• Shawn Park Head of Global Brand Group, Executive Vice President, CJ CheilJedang Headquarters
• Yosuke Suzuki President Tokyo/Seoul, Wieden+Kennedy

Aussie NBA Legend Talks Triumphs, Turbulence & Resilience

Iconic Australian basketball champion Luc Longley AM will take to the stage in a candid fireside chat with award-winning journalist, author and sports writer Samantha Lane. The former Chicago Bulls pro will discuss what it takes to be a trailblazer, and what role gut instinct, self belief and mentors have within this. Longley, who is now an Australian professional basketball coach, will also talk about searching for strength in times of adversity, and how you adapt to challenges that can’t be overcome.

• Luc Longley AM Ex-National Basketball Association (NBA) star and Australian professional basketball coach
• Sam Lane Award-winning Broadcast Journalist

Ethics And Advertising. Can They Coexist?

Gruen Star and Campaign Edge ECD, Dee Madigan, digs into the notion that advertising is to blame for everything from fake news to childhood obesity and gambling. Are we in a truly evil profession? Is there anything redemptive in what we do or are we all going to burn in hell?

• Dee Madigan Executive Creative Director, Campaign Edge