In June of 2023 Stagwell introduced its Sport Beach event at the Cannes Lions creative festival. The event explores sport, culture, the power of fandom and where marketers fit in the mix. Stagwell has sponsored the forum each year since. 

Now, in addition to Sport Beach, Stagwell is also partnering with the Lions organization to create Lions Sport, which is similar in nature to Stagwell’s Sport Beach, except that the Lions is selling passes to gain entry to the new venue taking place during the main Festival June 24-25. Those passes include access to Sport Beach as well, which last year had five days of events and activities.  

Details are sketchy at this point, but the organization says it will bring together leaders from brands, agencies, rights holders and media to explore how innovation and creativity in marketing is redefining the $417 billion global sports landscape. 

The forum will take place at Cannes’ Carlton Hotel, featuring keynote conversations, exclusive case studies, business leader networking forums and experiential showcases from brands and athletes.  

In its press release announcing the new forum, the organization included a quote from Nicole Graham, CMO, Nike, which has won the most Grands Prix of any brand at Cannes Lions in the last 25 years. “In a world that’s constantly shifting, sport remains a powerful force for connection, inspiration, and culturalinfluence,” Graham stated. “At Nike, we see every day how sport doesn’t just reflect culture—it drives it, shaping the way we tell stories andinspire people around the world.” 

The are no new awards being added with the launch of Lions Sport. The Festival added the Entertainment Lions For Sport category (to the broader Entertainment Lions umbrella) in 2019.