Cannes Lions networking tips, from the man behind the viral fringe events list

Propeller Group’s ‘Cannes Lions fringe events and parties list’ is now in its 10th year. It’s amazing to see something that started out as a personal list evolve into a real industry resource that takes a team of people many hours to pull together. This year, we’ve seen nearly a thousand people download and access the document before the festival has even started.

The right kind of networking for you

If lockdown had one solitary silver lining, it’s that it reminded people of the power of connections and face-to-face human interaction. Working from home has deepened our desire to connect with new people to help us navigate our careers.

Wanting to feel part of something bigger than ourselves is human nature; the same can be said for fear that something exciting (or life-changing) is happening around the corner. Lives and careers can hinge on sliding doors moments, coming down to whether you walk into a room or not. The feeling can be overwhelming.

I’m an extrovert. I love talking to new people but realize not everyone is wired that way. This brings me to a word that sometimes has negative connotations: networking.

I’m still always shocked when people say I’m good at it, and even that I’ve been asked to write this piece about it. In my mind, it’s all about speaking with new people, trying to work out if you can help them on a personal level beyond any immediately obvious and self-serving commercial motivation, doing people ‘micro kindnesses’, and staying in touch so you can delight in their successes. When networking is mentally reframed in that way, it feels a lot less arduous.

You don’t have to be a great networker to survive in the industry per se, but almost every person I know that is thriving has mastered their own personal version of this that’s authentic to them.

Where to spend your time in Cannes

If networking is the game we all must play, Cannes Lions is the Super Bowl. It’s the world’s biggest festival of creativity, seeing agencies, media owners, platforms and tech vendors congregate en masse on the French Riviera.

There’s a vast array of free fringe events, panels, presentations, roundtable discussions and parties taking place throughout the week, alongside all the incredible main talks taking place in the Palais. Some events are open-invitation, others are more exclusive and invitation-only. Lean into your connections to get on those guest lists – or be charming enough on the day to make your way into events and parties. If you put in the hard yards day-in, day-out, helping people all year round (or even when you’re traveling to Cannes), you’ll be amazed at the doors that people will open for you (literally and metaphorically).

Is this luck? Well, just as a top striker isn’t lucky because they’re always in the right place to bang the ball in the net, being great at meeting new people isn’t just luck. There’s bravery in talking to strangers, especially when you’re exhausted. There’s an art to following up nicely with a non-self-serving message that feels genuine and provides the person with value. Repeating this cycle over the course of a week is tiring, but worth it.

Put the time and effort into growing your network. The luck is balanced out by what I call ‘premeditated serendipity’. It’s the easiest thing in the world to not say hi to someone as you sit down for an event or to look at your phone so you ostensibly seem busy. But the network effect starts benefiting your business and career when you put in the effort.

Networking for inclusivity

The list is also my best effort at trying to make the industry more meritocratic and inclusive.

A 1997 Fran Lebowitz article recently went viral with its observation, decades before the phrase ‘Nepo baby’ was coined, that children of famous Hollywood actors say that though their connections got them in the door, they themselves make it happen. Her point is that knowing where the door is in the first place is pretty much the entire game. That’s why I want to give everyone, from every background, the keys to unlocking new opportunities. People can only attempt to make their way through doors they are aware of in the first place.

I’ve been so touched by the many messages I’ve received from people saying that the list has helped people plan who to get in contact with; underrepresented groups feel it's of particular value. Inclusion matters.

I consider myself ‘self-made’ in this industry. I faced many disappointments in the early stages of my career as I tried (and failed) to make the jump into a national media job without knowing anyone. I almost feel that once I did get my foot in the door, I was on a revenge mission to get to know people because I feared being left out in the cold by an industry I knew I was born for.

I found many times in my 20s that I was ‘trying to get a clutch of what I could not touch’ and didn’t want that feeling again. Everything changed when (to again quote The Wu-Tang Clan), I ‘figured out I went the wrong route. So I got with a sick-ass clique and went all out’.

I repudiate the phrase ‘it’s not what you know, it’s who you know’. No; it’s what you know and who knows you. If I could choose my epitaph it would be that I spent my life meeting interesting people, talking with them, and introducing them.

If you’re going to Cannes, have a great time. The heat is a great leveler and everyone there is on the make in some way, so don’t be shy of talking to new people and trying to offer them reciprocal value and even friendship. My name is Ben and I hope I’ll see you there for a coffee (or glass of rosé).