If you’ve ever been to Cannes, you know it’s all about the experience.
As one of the biggest creative festivals in the world (16,000+ attendees, 4,700+ brands), Cannes Lions is on a completely different level. It brings the creme de la creme of the technology, advertising, entertainment, and design industries — and we’re talking not only about the quality of people who show up, but also about the quality of every activation, event, and experience down to the very last glass of rosé.
At Splash, we know a great experience doesn’t always come down to the idea — it’s the flawless, seamless execution from before your event even starts to way after the yacht’s been docked.
We’re here to help. While there's much more strategy involved in throwing an event (1:1 pre-sales meetings and happy hours, wristbands as currency, post-event nurtures), we've provided all the expert tactical tips for bringing your A game to Cannes, so you can create more buzz, maximize your presence, and be the talk of the French Riviera (ooh la la!).
1. Feature all of your events in one place. Throwing multiple events in Cannes? Put it on a single page or event calendar (See how to use a Hub on Splash or see an example of how we used a Hub at Dreamforce) to drive more attendees, streamline RSVPs, and build buzz.
2. Add CAPTCHA your RSVP forms. No one loves bots! Maintain guest list accuracy by using CAPTCHA human verification to weed out any bots from mass registering people for your event.
3. Add an opt-in consent checkbox to your RSVP form. Reminder: Cannes Lions is in the EU, so you’ll need to make sure you’re properly obtaining consent to take any personal data or for any future outreach.
4. Ensure your guests understand the time zone difference. The rule is that whatever timezone the event is taking place in is what you should set on the event page. But make it clear that they know their current calendar attachment shows the guest's timezone now, but will eventually adjust when they touch ground in Cannes.
5. Make your page extra exclusive. There are a ton of ways you can make your event private and exclusive: set your event to "guest list only," passcode protect it, or use email verification to screen out anyone not on the guest list. You can also choose to have your page not show up in search engine results.
6. Restrict people from automatically RSVPing and have them "apply to attend" or “request access.” Not only will this create a ton of buzz for the exclusivity of the event, it’ll also help you curate the guest list and confirm or decline each registrant (hey, it’s Cannes. If you want to target your audience, you Cannes!).
7. Use the waitlist functionality. Your event’s filling up fast (yay!) but you want to start restricting people. Instead of closing the guest list, you can automate an event’s change over from Accepting RSVPs to Waitlist, or manually “flip the switch” whenever you’d like. Pro tip: before the event, let your waitlist attendees know of any updates on their statuses.
8. Give the best VIP experience. At Cannes, it’s all about the VIP experience. With our Guest List, you can star all your VIPs on the list, which will help you provide more specialized messaging before, during, or after the event. You can also include personalization tags to make the messaging more relevant and intimate.
9. Set up a Slack channel to receive event notifications. With our Slack integration, your sales team can receive event notifications right when their client or prospect RSVPs or checks in at the event. Which means, less time texting and waiting around, and more face time and closing deals.
10. Monitor your event analytics. You should be looking at your event page performance up until your event so you can appropriately shift your strategy. For example, if your RSVPs are down, you can schedule an extra reminder or add more promotion. Or are you not getting enough prospects? Get your sales team on the phones.
11. Monitor your email analytics. Always check your email stats. If you’re looking at engagement, you can target anyone who has opened but did not click on a certain email in the sequence.
12. Make sure you're prepared for any wifi outages. There are a lot of reasons that things could go terribly wrong at Cannes: not only are there a ton of parties in areas with weak/non-existent wifi (see: yachts), you're also throwing an event in a different country (unless you throw events in France, please give us tips!). Make sure to have an emergency comms plan in place. I.e. are you using our Slack integration or Whatsapp to communicate with people at the door? Are you using a burner phone or walkie talkies? Pro tip: you can also check people in on our Host App without wifi and sync the data later.
13. Check people “out” of an event when they leave. If you’re worried about capacities or have a security guard aggressively checking numbers, keep count of whoever’s coming in or out. Do it easily using the checkout mode in our Host App. Bonus: it also allows you to know how long the guest was in the room!
14. Use Kiosk mode to save manpower. Kiosk mode on our Host App enables your guests to check in or register on their own using unattended iPads or iPhones, and gives more time for your staff inside for mingling.
15. Open or close your guest list on the spot. Is your event getting too full? You can use Splash’s Host App to open or close your guest list wherever you are.
16. Embed a live stream. Do you have a speaker or musical act at your event? Get people engaged with your event with a live stream even if they’re not there!
17. Use iPads to collect on-site survey information from guests. You should always get post-event feedback. But what about at the actual event? You can set up brand ambassadors with iPads or use Kiosk Mode to collect on-site data and engage your guests. (If you use Kiosk mode, you can make that registration form beautifully branded. Just ask your CSM how!)
18. Send last minute updates to your attendees. Any venue changes or new rose sampling? Email your guests (you can do it from our Host App), ensuring all of your guests are informed on any updates to the event.
19. Say thank you! Take the time to send a thank you to all the guests who came. Pro tip: even use it as part of a post-event nurture strategy with your sales team.
20. Ask for post-event feedback. Use a survey to find out what your guests loved and didn’t like about your event, so you can make your next event even better.
21. Create a kickass post-event page. Let your guests relive the whole thing with a sizzle reel, photo booth gallery, music playlist, and any other content from the event.
It's 2018, and it's no secret the current landscape of events has changed. With GDPR hot on the mind, you need to think about both privacy and security, but also how to make your door exclusive and accessible at the same time.
Feeling overwhelmed? Have questions? No worries — we provide everything you need to bring your events to life quickly, including: accelerated onboarding, creative design services, 24/7 support, and even on-site support (only if you need it!).
You've planned the perfect event — now how do you drive ROI? See why Opportunity in the Room is our favorite metric at Splash, and how you can leverage it for all your events at Cannes.
Ben Hindman is co-founder and CEO of Splash, the country's fastest-growing event marketing platform that helps businesses and brands more effectively market through their events. An event planner turned tech entrepreneur, events are in Ben’s DNA. Prior to starting Splash, Ben was the Director of Events at Thrillist, where he produced large-scale events from concerts to mystery fly-aways.
