Women Are the Quiet Center of Power at the Cannes Lions Empower Cafe

Cannes Lions 2024: A day in the life of the women-only space, where attendees network and protect one another

English soccer goalkeeper Mary Earps at a Cannes Lions Advertising Festival panel on Monday, June 17, 2024. (Photo: Liza Foreman for TheWrap)

CANNES – It’s a breezy Monday morning on the Croisette and Empower Cafe is abuzz with their second conference of the day on the subject of LGBTQAI+ and advertising.

AI is everywhere here.

The Empower Cafe is the first official women’s space at the Cannes Lions, the advertising industry’s biggest annual festival and networking week, which runs June 17-21 (through Friday). 

It is clearly the place to network and navigate the week ahead for women at the festival. By lunchtime, a reporter’s name had been added to a secret, 1,000-strong WhatsApp women’s group. She chatted to the England soccer team’s female goalie Mary Earps, the Emmy winner Nneka Onuorah — who mentioned a Megan Thee Stallion documentary — and was invited to a cocktail with players from the Chelsea Football Club.

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