For many ad and creative executives, bags are packed for the week-long Cannes Lions Festival, the annual event that celebrates the world’s best creative visionaries and campaigns in the south of France, beginning on June 17th.
This year, a new event hosted by Kindred PR and produced in partnership with Advertising Week has entered the scene and promises to be one of the week’s most anticipated.
“It was our goal to host a highly curated space, with only top executives in their respective conversations,” says Tina Mulqueen, Kindred PR CEO and co-founder of Converge. “We wanted to create an environment where the quality of conversation and learning is invaluable for everyone in the room, and we all walk away with actionable insights that can move culture forward in positive directions.”
Hosted in Advertising Week’s venue on a rooftop overlooking the famed Croisette, the roster of speakers and attendees at Converge is a who’s who of creative, tech, communications, and media – executives from Microsoft, Meta, AWS, Burson, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Global Citizen are participating, among others. Digital Prophet David Shing, known as Shingy, will also make an appearance in the lineup.
As with most conversations this year, front and center is generative AI and its impact on the future of communications and art.
One such session features Tawana Murphy Burnett, Meta’s Head of Top Accounts and Agencies APAC, who will be joined by Chat Latz, Chief Innovation Officer at Burson, Grant Toups, Global Chief Digital and Intelligence Officer at Burson, and Ruth Yomtoubian, Head of VSP Global Innovation Center.
Their panel, entitled AI, Agencies, and the Future of Communications, will explore what’s on the horizon for brand-human touchpoints, including how intentional communications that leverage AI can improve outcomes in sectors like healthcare.
“There are more opportunities to communicate than ever before,” says Mulqueen. “On the other hand, the fight for attention and to fortify reputation has never been more complex. In an era of generative AI, when we can speak to each other in near real-time, how do we help both brands and audiences navigate this new world intentionally and in support of human flourishing? That’s what we hope to unpack.”
The event will also explore practical applications of AI in the bleeding edge of production and consumer insights. The track includes a session with Creative Strategies’ Chief Operating and Information Officer Vibhu Bhan, a 4x patent-holder in LLMs and a visionary in generative AI for consumer insights. He’ll be joined by 1stAveMachine’s Andrew Geller, who has used AI for brands like Coca-Cola, Carvana, and Honda to produce context-dependent audience experiences, and SpecialGuest’s Aaron Duffy, a creative force behind the Meta Ray-Ban campaign.
Executives from Adapex and Audigent will uncover how we can fortify our independent media ecosystem with host Sara Jerde, the managing editor of Digiday.
Other notable sessions include a half-hour on culture with Dr. Marcus Collins, an exploration of audience-centric creative featuring Microsoft and Lemonlight, and a session on holding attention in the attention economy with the CMO of the LA Rams and the GM of Entertainment and Media for AWS.
Prospective attendees are asked to request an invitation here.
