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When Influential CEO and CCO Ryan and Chris Detert first attended Cannes Lions in 2016, they shared an Airbnb and bounced around to parties to schedule meetings. This year, Influential will host its biggest event, the third iteration of Influential Beach.
From June 16-20, Influential will take over La Mandala’s beachfront property to bring together clients, creators, and celebrities to celebrate and build on the rapid growth of the creator economy.
This year of Influential Beach marks Influential’s first Cannes Lions since its acquisition by Publicis Groupe. Influential partnered with the Publicis events team on the activation; they declined to disclose its cost.
“The Beach has been a great boon for us for awareness,” said Ryan Detert. “Our revenue grew exponentially over the years we did these activations.”
Influential Beach will feature health and wellness programming in the morning by Barry’s, talks with CMOs during the day, and star-studded events at night.
Monday kicks off with a celebration of Forbes’ Top 50 Creators list, and the next night Jason Derulo will perform in partnership with TikTok. Wednesday is Influential Beach’s biggest night, with a DJ set by Anderson .Paak with Discord followed by a blowout party with Busta Rhymes and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, an organization close to the Deterts’ hearts. In addition, Influential Beach’s green room will double as a VIP speakeasy curated by h.Wood Group’s Delilah.
The evolution of Influential at Cannes Lions
In 2022, Cannes Lions’ first year back after the pandemic, Influential got a yacht, but Chris Detert found Yacht Row to be too out of the way. In 2023, the agency returned with its first Influential Beach in partnership with Brand Innovators at La Plage du Festival.
“The first year we didn’t even have musical talent, and we quickly learned that if you don’t provide some tangible entertainment, it won’t be a huge turnout,” said Chris Detert.
Learning from its first beach activation, Influential upped the ante by moving to a bigger venue—the same one it’s using this year—and hosting its first artist performance by Ludacris. To continue to innovate and outdo themselves, Influential leaned on partners to bring musical talent and entertainment to its nighttime programming.
“Giving a destination with a major artist performing fills the place out almost completely,” Chris Detert said. Influential is planning for full capacity every night, and Ryan Detert expects hundreds of creators to attend each day.
“We’re going from one to three Grammy-nominated performers, and we’re up to three major partners,” he said in comparison to last year’s Influential Beach. Additionally, the RSVP list for brands has more than doubled since last year, and more than 50 CMOs will be in attendance.
The final party of Influential Beach is supported by Big Brothers Big Sisters. Ryan Detert is a member of the board of directors and launched the Changemakers Challenge urging advertising, marketing, and media industry leaders to raise $5 million for the organization. Wednesday night’s event will be the tentpole moment for the challenge.
