BlogOpinionPotpourri

The dust is settling on Cannes 2024. Yes, the 40th Anniversary was a success – business was brisk and networking and the coming together of industry colleagues is always most welcome. The fireworks and the drones were a big hit. Above all, perhaps, a big ‘thank you’ is due to TFWA’s long-serving and retiring President, Eric Juul-Mortensen for his excellent contribution to the industry – it simply cannot be overstated.

But – and you are probably expecting this – after all the hype, there are still some big opportunities for change as well as some wonderful anecdotes from the week that you will not have read in the glowing aftermath of the event.

The Conference Conundrum

There are always mixed feelings about whether the conference is a good thing or not. Here’s a summary of the key points for and against.

For: 

  1. TFWA takes the high ground and believe that their high level of invited speakers provide a different and valuable addition to the event.
  2. It provides a platform for the President to deliver a state-of-the-nation address to those attending.
  3. It also gives extra time to exhibitors to ensure that their stands are finished in time on Monday.

Against: 

  1. Seats are relatively limited given the total numbers.
  2. What did it cost to ferry Hillary Clinton and her entourage over? She is a woman of our times, most certainly, and she offered interesting insights, yes. But surely all monies spent on this annual conference could be better spent on alternatives for the good and the growth of the industry, e.g our other trade associations/lobby groups? At least, if this conference is to continue, I suggest TFWA bring in speakers that can talk directly to business change and, frankly, be more relevant.
  3. I spoke to a number of buyers during the week and it was commonly expressed that they would prefer the exhibition to start at 0900 and get a full 3 days of meetings that would allow them a little more flexibility to see some of the new brands.

Potpourri:

Let’s dig a bit deeper. Thursday remains an odd day – some stands were still holding meetings up to 1700, others derigged before lunchtime. My view is that we should reconsider returning to ending the conference on Friday at 1400 and this would make Thursday a full-on working day. That gives the buyers more time and may decompress the pressure on the prior days. It will certainly give the new exhibitors a better overall chance of getting a return on their investment.

Of course this will doubtless boost the ever-fattening pockets of the hotels and restaurants in Cannes. Some delegates may even want to spend the weekend there. But did anyone else notice the very steep increase in prices of both food and wine?

I will make no comment as to the general security gaining access to the Palais – that remains a problem. Or why the dramatic jump up to 300 euros for the daily visitors. And can anyone let me know what the TFWA personnel were doing walking around the exhibition space with clipboards, writing notes vigorously when passing stands that were unmanned? Who, I wonder, is going to get called into the headmaster’s office?

And the quality of the air conditioning in the main building? Well this continues to be poor, particularly on the lower level. Who didn’t suffer from ‘Cannes flu’ this week?

Party Crush

The opening party is always a tradition, and a good one. This year, happily, the queue to get in was better managed. But there were over 2500 attending and it was one helluva crush. Let’s face it, this number was just too many to make the case for the continued use of the Carlton Beach as the venue – however grand the location.

The queues for the food available were definitely too long and, sadly, the food on offer was nowhere as good as last year. What happened?

Flying Plates

The restaurants are always full and there are pressure points for staff and kitchen alike during Cannes week. But one incident occurred that is worth telling. Apparently this happened at Le Cosi restaurant. A lot of noise came out from the kitchen at dinner and the next thing that happened was that a flying plate whizzed over the seated customers.

 

More anger from the kitchen and the chef then stormed out of the restaurant, not to return. Normally you might expect the management there to immediately smooth things over. But no, there was to be no further food and,wait for it, the customers were then asked to pay for the food they ordered but were never going to get or eat! Only in Cannes….

A Chaplinesque Moment in Time

It was a hectic week. 37 meetings and 7 major filmed interviews for me. But one moment stood out. I was interviewing Emmanuel Goulin, President L’Oréal Travel Retail. There were 6 of us in the room when, as the interview flowed, a waiter stepped into the room. Nothing was said, we continued the interview. But then –  and this felt like experiencing life in slow motion – the waiter painstakingly placed one glass in the centre of the table, crossing the eyeline of Emmanuel and me as he bent across to place the glass. Then, and in spite of Bige Mercan’s subtle hand gestures for him to stop, he – ever-so-slowly – continued regardless and placed another 7 glasses in a perfectly aligned placement setting before silently exiting the room.

It was a delicious Charlie Chaplin moment in time. Of course, Emmanuel is the consummate professional and continued with the interview throughout this extraordinary scene unfolding. Everyone else in the room was quietly creasing up with laughter. Unforgettable. And so is the interview, which will be published in the coming weeks on TRunblocked.com.

So, it was some Cannes! This year was indeed a special occasion, yes, but ‘Imagine The Future of Travel Retail’? – not quite. There are a number of things that still need to be reviewed and definitely changed for the good of all.

But, whilst waiting for change, let’s enjoy a few more seconds of the fireworks display from the opening night.

Peter Marshall

Founder: trunblocked.com/Marshall Arts
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