The Ultimate guide to hiring a Video Production company at Cannes Lions Festival

Today we’ll be diving into why it’s important to hire a video production company for your Ad Tech company, brand or agency at Cannes Lions Festival and how we have helped clients get the most out of their spend at the event. First up:

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, or Cannes Lions for short, is generally considered the largest gathering of advertising and creative communications industry executives. It’s the place where marketers, advertisers and brands go to network, learn and discover what’s new in the industry and celebrate creative excellence. And if you win one of their awards, that can get you some serious kudos!

It’s been the home of the advertising industry for years but you already knew that. If you’re reading this, then the chances are that you’re considering bringing along a video production company to Cannes Lions. And here’s a spoiler for what lies ahead, we will tell you how to make the most out of your content at the festival. Let’s dive in.

If you have an activation, you’re holding an event at the beach, or in one of the many sumptuous hotel rooms taken over by the festival, then you might be interested in hiring a video production team and/or photographers to capture content of your event.

What are the main reasons that Ad Tech clients, brands and agencies hire a video production team to film content of their event, or activation at Cannes Lions?

Roughly 5000+ corporate events happen every day around the globe and most of them don’t have video footage recorded, so why do companies want to record video? The main reason is that video content of any event is an invaluable sales tool that is increasingly being harnessed by companies in a wide range of industries. For Cannes Lions specifically, we know that companies invest a significant amount for a space, an activation, some of our customers invest in a yacht and flights for team members to meet new and existing customers.

Okay so why video?

Well, we have all been there, after the parties have ended and the rosè-induced hangovers have started to wear off, your customer is back at their job with their memories of Cannes and the valuable conversations they had there fading away rapidly minute by minute. Reminding them with a video of the event afterwards is a great way of reminding them of the valuable conversations you had with them at the time.

If that’s something that you would like to do. Then I imagine you will want to send emails to your prospects. But how do you get past the 121 emails the average employee gets a day?

We have found that there are some irresistible email headings that get good email open rates, typically when personalised. Here are a couple of ideas.

– Did you see yourself in our Cannes video this year? (personal encourages people to look out for themselves)

– Great to talk to you at Cannes, here’s a video just for you. (Personal approach)

– (First Name), was this you?

These are ways to get through someone’s noisy email inbox ensuring your video is watched and you keep the conversation flowing.

If you have the talks, podcasts or vox pops recorded by a video production team and you keep track of who attended what talk, then you can send them a personalised email with the talks, events, etc., that you hosted and that they attended. This kind of personalisation of video content significantly boosts email open rates by making the person on the other end of that email feel special.

“Hello (name), I hope you enjoyed the talk about how [insert talk name here]. Here is that talk just for you.”

Or as an example:

“Hello John, I hope you enjoyed the talk from Rory Suderland (for example) on AI on programmatic advertising. Here is that talk just for you”

Why would someone want to watch a talk again? It’s like your favourite movie, you watch it the second time, and you notice things you didn’t pick up the first time. Repetition is a very powerful tool to enhance memory and learning. How often do you find yourself listening to your favourite song?

If they have taken time out of their busy week to visit your talk, go to your booth, or go to your after party, then they wanted to be there. And you sending them something valuable builds your brand as the trusted expert and builds trust and also, makes them feel special.

So why do ad tech agencies hire video production companies for Cannes Lions?

One of the reasons is to give back to the speakers, celebrate the hosts speaking on stage. By recording the talks and giving them to the individual or company, the person doing the talk gets a first-hand professional experience of their talk. They get to improve it for next year, get great feedback and even have the chance to post snippets of that talk on their own social channels, tagging you and opening up your brand to their audience, further enhancing the reach of your content.

Booking up your next event.

A lot of our clients create content of their events as a sales tool to get delegates to attend the next event. Showing people content highlights, talks etc in a snappy advert helps get people to book in. The human brain is a fascinating thing and science shows that decision fatigue comes down to several factors, but one of the main factors is not understanding what they are getting themselves into when booking an event. Showing the value of what they can get from talks, activations, networking and testimonials from guests helps build massive value and trust. Create Fomo and social proof that your event is valuable.

Boost bookings by 20%.

According to eventbrite, landing pages or booking forms for events with simply a short and snappy 20-30 second video on event booking page can boost bookings of up to 20%. What would you do with 20% more bookings or 20% more qualified leads at your event?

First up is the most popular option the infamous wrap video. This is typically 30-90 seconds long and it’s main purpose is to highlight the event. Give people a taste of what to expect if they turn up or what they missed.

A great wrap video hights the best parts of the event:

• The energy of the crowd
• Compelling visuals to capture the event in a cinematic way
• Snippets from talks or performances
• Shots of the venue
• People connecting, learning and networking

These videos are highly shareable on social media and via email helping to push the event’s reach beyond those who attended.

Some of our clients have these wrap videos to repeatedly sell out their events, sometimes reaching overcapacity. The result, a new challenge finding larger venues.

Why do wrap videos work??

Social proof & FOMO (Fear of missing out). Here’s how

Imagine you’re considering attending an industry event. You probably have one in your head right now. You get an email “3 weeks to go”. It includes a link to a highlight wrap video from last year. You click.

First you see the venue, it looks professional.

Next, a shot of an industry expert appears, someone you know your boss respects and has been following on Linkedin.

Then a client of yours appears on screen, giving a glowing testimonial.

Suddenly, your competitor pops up in the background, talking with that dream customer you have been chasing.

Now you’re no longer debating whether to attend or not, you’re calling your boss to request a budget to send your entire sales team. This isn’t a networking opportunity anymore, it’s a strategic move and you have to be there.

And if that same competitor is in your head, talking about how much value they gained. You’re working, what insights or opportunities am I missing out on?

That’s the power of a great wrap video.

Often when were filming wrap video, especially at high-profile events with the right people in the room such as at Cannes, there’s valuable opportunity to capture high-quality still photography as well. These photos are pefect for advertising, LinkedIn posts and event promotion.

Our clients consistently see strong engagement on social media when they share professional images of speakers, panelists, networking and key moments at the event.

One top tip for sharing photos?

Sharing a photo of a speaker alongside a quote, whether it’s a testimonial, insight they shared at a talk, ora  quick takeaway about the even’ts value.

Here are some effective examples

Speaker photo _ Quote about the future of the industry

Attendee photo + testimonial about what they learned

Venue or crowd shot + stat about the event turnout.

Third is filming stage talks.

This is an incredibly value asset for post-event marketing across coail media, web platforms and being front of mind.

Our approach? Think TED talk-level of production, high-end visuals with a polished cinematic feel.

Unlike a single-camera setup, we use multiple camera anges to elevate production quality without dramatically increasing cost. When’s the last time you watched a video shot on an iPhone at the back of the room? 

A typical stage talks video will have the following cameras for best effect, but some clients do get very good results with less.

1 – Wide shot from the back capruting the stage with some of the audience in it

2 – Mid-shot focused on the stage and speaker

3 – Close up for detail and emotional impact. 

1. Your content looks premium and captured in a clear format
2. Elevation of the customers perspective of your brand and your event
3. You can cut down elements of the talk and post them online

So what else can you do to get the most from your video content at this year’s Cannes Lions?

More Personalised Video Options – Think GlamBot at the Oscars!

Having a Slow Mo video booth at Cannes Lions is, firstly, a great way to break the ice at your event and get people talking to each other. After that, it’s also a great way to get your customers’ contact details, and then you have the opportunity of another valuable interaction with them when you send them their personalised Slow Mo video. 

Shots of content we filmed before playing here on Vimeo:

Running events are a major investment, not just in budget but in time, effort and brand energy. So when it’s over, the opportunity doesn’t stop. It’s just the beginning.

Whether it’s a high impact wrap video, interesting stage talk footage, professional photography or fun personalized video content, the right visuals can significantly help your event to be memorable and stand out. 

Use your content wisely, post it on your website, portals, share it across social media and use it to build hype for your next event because great content doesn’t just document your event, it amplifies your brand, creates emotional connection and drives action.

I hope you found this article interesting and it sparked a few ideas on how to get the most out of your next event.

Thanks,

Tom