Cannes Lions events are all about creative storytelling. Which means that brands showcasing their work at this five-day festival have to bring their A-game if they want to effectively promote themselves – especially when using event video! We rounded up some of the best event promotion ideas from these innovative companies to help you prep a sizzle reel or other promotional content for your next event or conference, and share what we’ve learned about the present (and future) of branded communication.

1. Recap live events

Core, one of Ireland’s largest marketing communications company, chose to recap Mastercard’s live event which featured a live orchestra and had a lot to teach the modern marketer about how audio and voice technology is shaping the world. Their short video was concise yet informative, used real examples from other brands to drive the point home, and featured their primary campaign hashtag, which is #CoreAtCannes.

Main Takeaway: A quick summary of actionable takeaways from an event help position your brand as an authority in your field while also providing highly shareable content to your audience.

This afternoon @MichaelFClancy and @fionafield attended talks about #SonicBranding and the growing importance of audio 🔉 and voice 💬 in today’s marketing. #CoreAtCannes #CannesLions pic.twitter.com/w0rT7TyJtt

— Core (@core_irl) June 18, 2019

2. Feature industry celebs

In this example, the Dentsu Aegis Network asked a prominent figure in the marketing world to discuss the first day of the Cannes Lions festival. They go over what implications the event has for the industry as a whole over the next year as well as what areas will be most affected. Filmed at their stunning waterfront location (#BeachHouse2019), this interview is a great example of how you can take advantage of industry celebs besides just attending their lectures.

Main Takeaway: When you attend an event you’ll be surrounded by other important people giving lectures or presentations. Take advantage of their presence by asking them to collaborate on videos like this one.

We asked Sean Healy, Chief Strategy Officer @CaratGlobal , about the most impactful work he saw at the Palais on day 1 of Cannes Lions 2019. Want to learn more? Get the Digital Society Index: https://t.co/Fw1IMlriJf #CannesLions #BeachHouse2019 #DANdownload pic.twitter.com/0WC8oK1BXr

— Dentsu Aegis Network (@dentsuaegis) June 18, 2019

3. Hold run and gun interviews

The Female Quotient is all about finding new opportunities for women in any profession, but especially in marketing. Which is why they chose to share clips of their great interviews with powerhouse female figures from their very own Cannes Lions lounge area. You won’t find any extra production or editing in this video – in fact, it’s taken vertically, implying it was captured on a smartphone. This forces the viewer to be laser focused on the women speaking, which elegantly achieves the overall values and mission of The Female Quotient.

Main Takeaway: Let the content (or presenter) speak for themselves. If the video you’ve captured showcases the most important parts of their conversation, you’ll always have something valuable to share with audiences online.

. @tarawlevy is always an inspiration! #FQLounge #CannesLions pic.twitter.com/CTYU4qZAsa

— The Female Quotient (@femalequotient) June 18, 2019

4. Make your presence known

The interactive production company Makemepulse made their presence known at Cannes Lions by using video to invite attendees to grab a drink with them. The 18 second clip shows off some of the Cannes Lions branded flags on the waterfront as well as their many colorful outdoor meeting spaces. Bright pinks, blues, and yellows (all found naturally and required no set up by the Makemepulse team) made the event video feel welcoming and fun, which was clearly an image the brand wanted to portray.

Main Takeaway: No matter what event you’re attending, there will always be elements, spaces, or images that align best with your own branding. Find them, capture it on video, and put it all together for your fans.

We are currently at @Cannes_Lions, connect with us to meet and grab a drink #CannesLions 🍻 pic.twitter.com/PTcxn8NEj9

— makemepulse (@makemepulse) June 18, 2019

5. Repurpose content from the past

The Cannes Lions account shared a video of the first ever marketing in sports awards winner at their ceremony. Starting with the category introduction, the video followed the live event proceedings from the winning commercial screening to the team’s trophy acceptance and winning smiles as reporters snapped their photo over and over again. In one video, Cannes Lions was able to share that it is both paving the way for the marketing industry as a whole while also being a very exciting experience for all participants.

Main Takeaway: If any part of the event is televised or filmed, repurpose that content into smaller, bite size chunks for social media audiences.

Winning a Gold AND Grand Prix in Entertainment Lions for Sport, it’s @wiedenkennedy Portland’s #DreamCrazy campaign for @nike!!

Congratulations! This is the first EVER Grand Prix for Entertainment Lions for Sport at #CannesLions! pic.twitter.com/iFOubeAh3g

— Cannes Lions (@Cannes_Lions) June 18, 2019

6. Call it a day

After the first day of Cannes Lions, our very own marketing team created an event promotion video that shared our favorite moments from the first day of Cannes. Filled with entertaining shots of speakers and stand out quotes from the best lectures, the video makes it easy to join in the fun. You’ll see that we also made sure to includes a strong call to action in the text and the video itself, making this one of the many event promotion ideas on this list that you can directly apply to your next creation.

Main Takeaway: Share your favorite moments from the event while also promoting your presence through a strong CTA.

How was your first day at #CannesLions?
DM us to meet in #IRL, we want to talk with you about the future of video!

Try Wibbitz >> https://t.co/NbP8Ay4UyD pic.twitter.com/8ialElcUfp

— Wibbitz (@Wibbitz) June 17, 2019