There’s a first time for everything! Even for attending a major event in Cannes. But once you make the decision to go, the pressure and costs immediately start to build up. If you’re attending Midem, Mipcom or the Cannes Film Festival, chances are a lot of things are riding on your trip. A “good” Midem or festival really can catapult your business to a new level. So what should you know on your first trip to Cannes?
Before you leave for Cannes
The first thing you must do is make up your mind about whether you are going – and why. It might seem obvious, but if you miss the early bird rate you could end up paying double for the walk-in rate! At the time of writing this, Midem’s early bird rate is €575 (plus VAT), whereas the walk-in is €1,125. That extra €500 could easily cover your hotel costs.
Next, you have to prepare. These days, a huge amount of this takes place online. Midem, Mipcom, Mipim and the Film Festival all have online databases that you can access to find potential partners.
Let’s say that you want to licence an album or film in a number of territories. My first reaction would be to single out the major territories and investigate them thoroughly. In this case, I’d check the major labels and distributors which you can sort by genre. You will then spend hours checking websites to see what these companies actually do. The online databases are handy, but I’ve noticed some people have a tendency to tick all the boxes such as: “producer, DJ, distributor, label, rock, pop, classical, jazz, CD pressing, etc”. What do they actually earn money from? So don’t trust the databases blindly, always check the websites. You will be matching these names against the market knowledge you have from reading the trade magazines.
You are then ready to start contacting these people. But bear this rule of thumb in mind: if you’re sending out exactly the same message to everyone, you are not doing your job right. People and companies can respond in different ways. But they have to feel you have something interesting and are not spamming the system.
So you’ve picked up a few meetings, what next? Again, prioritising. You’re going to have meetings that clash. Don’t hesitate to move an appointment if you get a chance to sit with a major player. Most people won’t take it personally. But be quick to change plans.
Where to say
We’re getting closer to the date. Where to stay? There are some 3,000 beds in the area. There’s no mystery: you can go either for location or price. Inside the “banana” carved by the viaduct that stretches from Le Suquet to Plam Beach is the easiest place to stay as you can walk to the Palais in between 10 and 25 minutes, depending on the location. Are you travelling alone or with a group? In the first case palm lines, you could easily save money and stay further afield in places such as Juan-les-Pins or Cannes La Bocca. If you want to use your accommodation as a mini-office (during the Film Festival or MIPCOM, for example), you are pretty much condemned to staying as close to the Croisette as possible).
As the figures for all the trade fairs are down slightly over the past year, you can find accommodation for around €100 a night sharing. The apartment-hotels in La Bocca can sleep about three or four at incredible rates.
When in Cannes
So what about getting to Cannes? There are really only two practical ways: by plane and by train. The nearest international airport is at Nice. Cannes is about 45 minutes by car from there. If you don’t rent a car, you will either take a taxi (count €90 to Cannes centre), take the high-speed coach (about €14 minutes – great value) or take a bus (currently €1, but it takes about 80 minutes).
People acclimatise to Cannes almost instantly. It’s likely that you will meet people in the flight already, and possibly in the coach. My advice is to try and find someone that knows their way around. Hook up quickly. The other piece of advice is never to eat alone. Always find someone – no matter who – to share a sandwich or meal. They will introduce you to people (note: you’re supposed to return the courtesy). You can build up an interesting network quite easily this way.
In meeting s and conversations, always remember that English is most people’s second or third language. The Japanese, for example, are very cautious in what they say. Always have a business card handy. Remember to note the subject of the conversation on the back. Ten days from now, you’ll have a hard time remembering and might miss interesting leads. I’ve no particular tips for restaurants, as I only use one rule: go where people go.
When leaving Cannes, check the last time for the coach, which is currently at 7pm! If people turn up too late, offer to share a taxi (and swap cards).
Lastly, follow up diligently when you get back. Otherwise, lots of those contacts will have been for nothing.