The first day of Cannes in Cairns, Presented by Pinterest, had to be seen and heard to be believed.
The conference content was truly market-leading. The highlight, of course, was Lisa Wilkinson who delivered a bold analysis of Australia’s publishing landscape.
“Good journalism can save lives,” she told a packed Keynote room at the Cairns Convention Centre. You can read more about her inspiring and empowering speech here.
Just before, Wilkinson was legendary CMO Fernando Machado who told the crowd that despite the hype around new technologies and channels, they should focus on the basics. He also dispensed five top tips for marketers in the room. Read those here.
You can also get a detailed read on Quantcast’s illuminating VIP Lunch, hosted by B&T‘s own Arvind Hickman, here.
Here’s a quick look at everything that happened courtesy of our friends at Quick Clips.
Pinterest’s EPIC Welcome Party
Pinterest’s Welcome Party at the Timber Mill just outside Cairns had to be seen to be believed.
The Welcome Party saw Cannes in Cairns delegates dressed to the nines in head-turning festival-themed outfits. And, if attendees’ heads weren’t spinning from the outfits, they certainly were on the hilariously excellent selection of rides on show, including dodgems, a Ferris wheel and more.
The drinks were flowing, as one would expect, but there were plenty of delectable dinner options for guests including luxury hotdogs and delicious locally caught fish.
Alongside a packed main stage with a live band laying down the tracks, there was another DJ at the other end of the festival site. Then, there were dodgems, huge slides and a Miami-style carnival ride. All left guests crying out for more!
Now in its third year, the Pinterest Welcome Party has become a staple of Cannes in Cairns action. However, many were starting to wonder how Pinterest could top 2023 but after seeing the smiles on attendees’ faces this year, we’re certain the party more than exceeded expectations. Thank you once again for an unforgettable night.
Samsung Ads Haus Highlights
Located right on Cairns Wharf, Samsung Ads Haus has been holding drinks, networking and more. Here’s a word or two from Brigitte Slattery, Samsung Ads head of marketing APAC on its incredible first day.
Day one of the Cairns In Cairns conference done and dusted! The mood was high going into day one, where the biggest challenge attendees faced was choosing from a packed schedule of enticing sessions.
The first day of Cannes in Cairns also meant that Samsung Ads Haus was officially open for business, and became a popular spot throughout the day for those looking to take a break and recharge between sessions. It was great to see so many new (and familiar faces) throughout the day, who stopped by to refuel with a range of tasty food and drink options and to chat with the Samsung Ads team.
Come 4pm, Samsung Ads Haus was then transformed into the pre-party destination, for conference goe-ers to unwind from the day and get into the festive spirit for the official ‘Welcome Party’ sponsored by Pinterest later that evening. Guests indulged in delicious nibbles, drinks and live music while watching the sunset over the Cairns waterfront.
By 6pm, we entered into the next phase of the evening, with shuttle buses arriving to take guests to the final party destination – the official Welcome party. While this year’s theme and location for the party were shrouded in mystery, we were given some clues prior to the event on what to expect; plenty of glitter, glam and cowboy-core. Never one to shy away from a theme, members of the Samsung Ads team put their make-up skills to the test and kindly assisted willing Sunset Sip guests with getting ‘glitter’ ready, before heading off to the Pinterest party, complete with stickers, colour and plenty of sparkles. The shuttle buses then took all guests to the secret location of the welcome party, to keep the good times rolling.
Hivestack’s Stunning Morning Yoga
Delegates were in for a treat on Tuesday morning with Hivestack by Perion’s sunrise yoga.
Whilst hauling yourself out of bed for 6am at a conference is no easy feat, the impressive number of delegates who arrived were more than rewarded by a spectacular sunrise view of Cairn’s coast.
After having their chakras aligned, aching joints oiled and tight hamstrings stretched, each delegate was gifted a goodie bag containing a Hivestack by Perion yoga mat and wattle bottle. The session started with breath exercises, before attendees were guided through a gentle vinyasa flow sequence, followed by some kundalini activating breath and a sound bath.
In the theme of the conference, guests were asked to consider creativity and what their intentions for the week would be. After returning to their bodies they were able to enjoy a chilled smoothie followed by a delicious chia breakfast bowl. Now that is how you start a conference!
BS, Buzzwords & Brewing – GumGum’s triumphal Happy Hour
GumGum’s takeover of Hemingway’s Brewery on the first afternoon of Cannes in Cairns was nothing short of a triumph.
Following a lively Debate Club session, during which the jury decided that the Old Guard created more value for the industry than the Young Gun (by less than a hair’s breadth, mind you) delegates were primed and ready to kick back and relax with a cold one a digest a spectacular day of content.
However, GumGum, as the attention experts, ensured that the fun was not over entirely. The final session of the day, “Have you been paying attention?” saw a trio of panellists take the stage to discuss the themes of the day, with delegates primed and ready to call out their hyperbole, generalisms and meaningless polysyllabic Latinate words in a game of “Buzzword [read: bullshit] Bingo”
Buzzword Bingo proved a hit with GumGum’s head of media APAC, Sorrel Osborne, dishing out prizes to the lucky (or at least attentive) audience members. After a packed day of content – consisting of the inspiring Lisa Wilkinson, the provocative Luc Longley and the insightful Fernando Machado – we could scarcely think of a better way to close out the first day of Cannes in Cairns.
Cannes in Cairns Charity Partners
At Cannes in Cairns, Presented by Pinterest, we’re all about big names, big ideas and big spenders. But, it’s just as important that we pay it forward, too. Our official charity partners this year are Mission Australia and Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef.
This year, Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef are offering lucky attendees the chance to win a trip to the Great Barrier Reef with ecotour operator Reef Unlimited. To be in with a chance to win this once-in-a-lifetime experience, all you need to do is sign up here and get to analysing images of coral. Whoever analyses the most images, wins!
Meanwhile, homelessness charity Mission Australia is running a daily coffee van sponsored by Teads and LG Ads. So, if you’re feeling tired after a day of content and networking, you can grab a long black, flat white or a latte and help end homelessness in Australia at the same time.
While the coffee is free from the van, we would love it if delegates considered donating what they can when getting their morning caffeine fix from Mission Australia.
