Cannes Lions Parent Expands Globally, Rebranding Spikes Asia as LIONS Asia
LIONS is launching regional platforms across APAC, North America, and MENA—including rebranding Spikes Asia to LIONS Asia in 2027—to bring year-round intelligence, awards, and training to local markets.
Sandhya
LIONS, the organization behind Cannes Lions, Effie, WARC, and Contagious, is restructuring its operations around a new regional model across Asia-Pacific (APAC), North America, and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
While Cannes Lions will maintain its position as the ultimate global benchmark for creative excellence, these localized hubs are designed to give creative and marketing professionals year-round access to LIONS’ learning programs, industry benchmarks, and intelligence tools tailored to regional needs.
Spikes Asia Rebrands for APAC Expansion
As part of the regional rollout, Spikes Asia will transition into LIONS Asia in September 2027, continuing its ongoing partnership with Haymarket Asia. The restructured platform will feature the newly established Asia Lions Awards and combine regional insights with LIONS’ broader educational and community networks.
North American and MENA Launches
- North America: LIONS will launch Insight to Impact in Denver in October 2026, relocation to Nashville in 2027. The festival merges Informa’s TMRE: The Market Research Event and Content Marketing World with expertise from WARC, Contagious, and Effie. Starting in 2027, the platform will also integrate VidCon following its addition to the LIONS portfolio.
- MENA: LIONS Riyadh is scheduled to debut in December 2027 in partnership with Tahaluf and the Saudi Ministry of Media. LIONS also intends to form a strategic alliance with Athar (run by Motivate Media Group) alongside its ongoing Dubai Lynx partnership.
Localized Access to Global Intelligence
The strategy extends beyond event hosting to encompass year-round development programs, including the Brand Marketer Academy, localized CMO Accelerator City Editions, and global See It Be It Connect initiatives.
"It is not our intention to replicate Cannes Lions around the world. It’s about making LIONS more useful throughout the year and creating stronger connections between regional communities and the global stage," said Thea Skelton, SVP of LIONS Festivals.
Simon Cook, CEO of LIONS, emphasized that while Cannes Lions remains the core gathering for global creative leaders, the new structure ensures that local talent and market perspectives continuously feed back into the global ecosystem. Additional details on local programming and partnerships will be released ahead of each regional rollout, leading up to the 74th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June 2027.
