We’re fresh off a fabulous week at Cannes Lions, where the media, marketing and advertising industry descended on the Croisette for another packed and energising few days. The rosé flowed, the content was next level, and AI dominated conversations across the festival.
But while AI was undoubtedly one of the biggest themes of the week, what really stood out to us was something much more human: the continued need for genuine connection.
At IAB Europe, Cannes was a timely reminder that in an era of rapid technological change, the real value still comes from people coming together. Connection, collaboration and community remain at the heart of how we move the industry forward, and they were central to every conversation we hosted and joined throughout the week.
Below is a short summary of some of our key moments from Cannes. Keep your eyes peeled for more detailed overviews coming very soon.
We started the week with our AI & Commerce Media Breakfast, hosted in partnership with Particular Audience.
It was a fantastic way to open Cannes, bringing together industry leaders to explore the impact of AI and commerce media on consumers, advertisers and retailers, and what this means for the future of digital advertising.
A few key takeaways from the discussion included:
A huge thank you to our brilliant speakers:
On day two, we hosted a brilliant CTV Leaders Breakfast, in partnership with Nielsen.
We opened with a panel discussion featuring Alex Kozloff (IAB UK), Michael Murrins (Nielsen) and Marie-Clare Puffett (IAB Europe), who explored the challenges and opportunities influencing CTV across Europe.
One clear takeaway was that Europe remains a patchwork of markets at different levels of maturity. While this creates complexity, it also allows local markets to learn from one another and helps businesses scale.
The discussion was not about standardising anyone’s “secret sauce”, but about creating a more comparable understanding of standards, definitions and measurement.
We also shared progress on IAB Europe’s CTV Measurement Framework and transparency principles. The next step is adoption: making the framework meaningful in the market and ensuring it drives real action.
A big thank you to Nielsen, our speakers and everyone who joined the discussion and contributed to the roundtables.
Our Chief Economist, Daniel Knapp, joined VIA Netherlands aboard its stunning Clipper to present Who Controls Growth? Platform Power, AI and Europe’s Advertising Economy.
Daniel provided an independent macro-economic view on how platform dominance, AI and regulation are reshaping the market, setting out the structural challenges influencing Europe’s digital advertising economy.
Our Data & Innovation Strategist, Dimitris Beis, also headed to Campaign House to discuss AI and its implications for the future of advertising, innovation, and industry development.
Alongside the panels and breakfast sessions, we were also delighted to co-host a wonderful lunch with our new member AUDIENCES.
Hosted by AUDIENCES Founder & CEO Rob McLaughlin, The Cloud Conversation sparked candid discussion and new connections around the systems powering modern media and marketing.
It was another reminder that some of the most valuable moments at Cannes happen when people have the space to speak openly, exchange ideas and build relationships.
We rounded off a fabulous week in Cannes aboard the Criteo HQ Yacht for a breakfast discussion on the new rules of Retail Media.
A huge thank you to Criteo for hosting us, and to our brilliant speakers:
The conversation explored how Retail Media is maturing, what brands and retailers need next, and how the channel can continue to prove its value as investment grows.
A few key takeaways included:
It was a perfect way to close out a busy, inspiring and energising week.
Amongst all of the great content, we also thoroughly enjoyed running into so many familiar faces and meeting plenty of new ones, too.
For all the conversation around AI, automation and transformation, Cannes reminded us that this industry is still powered by people. It is powered by the conversations that happen over breakfast, the ideas shared in roundtables, the candid exchanges between sessions and the partnerships built along the way.
That is what keeps us excited and motivated to be part of such a wonderful industry, and it is exactly what we will continue to champion at IAB Europe.
Thank you to everyone who joined us, hosted us, spoke with us and helped make Cannes Lions 2026 such a memorable week.
