Tailored B2B Spaces for Execs at Cannes Lions 2025

At Cannes Lions 2025, tailored B2B spaces are redefining how executives connect, collaborate, and conduct business. These curated environments offer premium settings designed to support high-level networking, strategic meetings, and impactful brand interactions. Built to meet the specific needs of decision-makers and industry leaders, these spaces provide a quieter, more focused alternative to the festival’s bustling atmosphere. From private lounges to exclusive meeting zones, they enhance productivity and create opportunities for meaningful engagement and long-term partnerships.

Carrie Szeremeta of 2LK describes Cannes Lions as the perfect blend of leisure and leadership. She shares insights into how MediaLink created a standout B2B destination during this year’s festival.

Cannes Lions is increasingly gaining recognition as a pivotal date in the B2B event landscape, offering brands a rare chance to connect meaningfully in an engaging and distinctive environment.

For brands building a presence there, staying flexible and responsive is essential. MediaLink, with over ten years of festival participation, first introduced MediaLink Beach in 2019 and has since reimagined it four more times post-COVID, refining it year after year. Today, their seaside cabana is more than just a pleasant meeting place, it's a symbol of their brand’s evolution and an answer to rising expectations from their audience.

Marcella Farman-Dietz, Executive Director and Head of Events at MediaLink, discussed how today's B2B brand activations must deliver true value.

With attention spans shrinking and executive time on-site becoming more limited, standing out at Cannes requires elevated experiences. Regarding this year’s MediaLink Beach, Farman-Dietz highlights enhancements across every detail, from high-end suites and lounge zones to elite programming, exclusive discussions, wellness services, and a comfortably air-conditioned setup for the entire week.

Design alone isn’t enough, it’s also about using space effectively. For 2025, MediaLink introduced a newly positioned location strategically placed between the Palais and the lively Croisette, unveiling their first-ever two-story structure for greater impact. The upgraded venue became the ideal platform to present the combined force of UTA, MediaLink, and KLUTCH Sports Group.

Strategic spatial planning was a key focus, ensuring different needs were met within one cohesive experience. Farman-Dietz outlines the diverse spaces provided: a thought leadership salon, elegant lounge areas for in-depth conversations, flexible meeting rooms (both open and private), a social bar for networking, and a beachside terrace that offered the perfect setting for afternoon drinks with a Riviera view.

B2B activations at Cannes offer a unique mix: a place where high-level deals meet sun-soaked spontaneity. With influential figures from tech, media, and marketing all gathering in a casual environment, expectations are high. Executives want experiences that feel fresh, valuable, and genuinely engaging not just flashy branding, but real proof of purpose in action.

Whether it’s a beachfront cabana or a custom-built suite, the space must serve multiple functions, comfort, practicality, and alignment with brand goals. Farman-Dietz notes that MediaLink delivers by offering relevant, high-quality content both public-facing through MediaLink Live and behind closed doors via its Links by MediaLink sessions designed to foster impactful networking while matching the quality of their community. The company partners with like-minded brands that add strategic value.

At an event like Cannes, creativity is non-negotiable. As a celebration of innovation across the creative industries, a brand’s presence must reflect this. According to Farman-Dietz, audiences are seeking fresh perspectives and want to experience ideas brought vividly to life, making creativity integral across content, design, and storytelling.

Looking forward, Farman-Dietz sees the future of B2B brand engagement at Cannes moving toward smaller, more intentional formats such as exclusive networking events tailored for select groups.

She also foresees more value-driven programming and partnerships with purpose-led narratives to spark deeper discussions within the industry. Wellness offerings will also gain prominence, with elements like morning yoga becoming crucial for helping attendees decompress amidst the festival’s fast pace as MediaLink demonstrated this year in collaboration with Peloton.

At its core, Cannes is about meaningful connection. Farman-Dietz concludes that MediaLink’s mission is to make those connections not only possible but powerful, for clients, collaborators, and the industry as a whole.

For questions or comments write to contactus@bostonbrandmedia.com

Source: thedrum‍