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Cannes Lions 60th festival opens for delegate registration
MUMBAI: The 60th edition of Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has opened for delegate registrations.
Delegates can choose from a range of packages, including 7-day, 4-day and 3-day registrations, all providing access to content and stimulating exhibitions showcasing the best of global creativity in communications.
For the younger Lions, special discounted packages are available for young creatives, young account executives, young marketers and students, helping to provide the next generation with invaluable learning opportunities.
All Festival attendees are eligible for preferential rates on accommodation. The online accommodation guide offers possibilities for all budgets and preferences and can be viewed on Cannes‘ official website.
Launching this year, the Cannes Lions Premier Package is the Festival‘s new VIP package.
Lions Festivals CEO Philip Thomas said, “What Cannes Lions offers is a unique environment in which delegates can truly immerse themselves in creativity. Delegates can find inspiration, learning and networking opportunities throughout the week, and it is they who make the Festival the special event that it is. The 60th Festival is set to be an exceptional seven days and a true celebration of the industry‘s achievements. We look forward to bringing the global creative communities together in June.”
The 2013 Festival will run from 16- 22 June and will see a packed week of over 50 seminars delivered by world renowned speakers, more than 20 hands-on learning workshops, the return of The Forum with themed sessions offering insights, dedicated technology content with TechTalk, exhibitions of the global work, four awards ceremonies and two galas.
Alongside this, multiple academies and Young Lions competitions will run throughout the seven days helping to nurture and drive fresh talent.
The Berlin School of Creative Leadership will team up with Cannes Lions for the Cannes Creative Leaders Programme, a two week training initiative that takes place in Berlin and Cannes giving participants the tools, insights and actionable ideas to help them lead with more creative excellence in their organisations.
Founded in 1954, Cannes Lions International Festival takes place every June in Cannes, France.
The festival gives awards in categories like Film, Print, Outdoor, Interactive, Radio, Design, Promo and Activation, Film Craft, Mobile, Branded Content and Entertainment and Integrated advertising, as well as the best Media, Direct, PR, Titanium and Creative Effectiveness ideas.
MUMBAI: Mar-tech network Wondrlab Network is in talks to acquire advertising major Madison World, according to media reports, in a move that could reshape India’s agency landscape.
In a statement shared with Social Samosa, Wondrlab Network founder and CEO Saurabh Varma, confirmed that the group is actively evaluating acquisition opportunities but declined to confirm any specific transaction.
“We have consistently stated that Wondrlab is building for scale, and acquisitions remain an important part of that strategy. We are in discussions with multiple companies across capabilities that strengthen our platform-first, full-funnel marketing and technology offering. Any development will be communicated at the appropriate time,” Varma said.
Wondrlab has pursued acquisitions as part of an ambitious plan to buy 26 agencies across three phases. In 2025, it completed its seventh acquisition, underscoring its appetite for inorganic growth.
According to reports, Madison founder Sam Balsara is seeking around Rs 1,000 crore for the agency. If the Wondrlab deal goes through, it would rank as the largest acquisition of an Indian agency by another Indian agency.
Wondrlab was launched in November 2020 by Saurabh Varma, Vandana Varma, and Rakesh Hinduja. Its first acquisition followed swiftly with the December 2020 purchase of Amit Akali’s creative shop, What’s Your Problem.
Since then, the group has steadily expanded its footprint. It acquired influencer marketing firm Opportune and performance marketing agency Neon in 2022. In 2023, it bought Salesforce consultancy and data analytics firm Cymetrix, alongside Poland-based WebTalk, marking its entry into Europe. It later added influencer marketing agency OPA and, last year, took a majority stake in BigStep Technologies, a generative AI and cloud-native software firm.
Madison, meanwhile, has long been a target for global advertising groups. Over the years, it has drawn interest from WPP, Publicis Groupe and Dentsu. In May 2025, Havas was reported to be the frontrunner, with an offer of about Rs 700 crore for a majority stake.
Earlier talks with WPP in 2015, when Madison was valued at roughly Rs 500 crore, collapsed over valuation and equity differences. Discussions with Publicis and Dentsu also failed to yield a deal.
