4As at Cannes 2026

We’ll be at Cannes all week, in sessions, in conversations, at tables we were invited to and a few we’re hosting ourselves. We can’t bring everyone into every room, but we will bring the room back to you. If you’re on the Croisette, we hope we get to meet. And if you’re not, stay tuned. We’ll share what we’re hearing, what’s resonating and what it means for agencies.

Where We’re Showing Up 

Monday, June 22

12 PM
Panel: The Health Consumer Has Spoken. Is Pharma Listening (or Selling Like Yesterday)
Location: The Ogilvy Terrace 
Overview: Healthcare is rapidly shifting from an HCP-centric to a consumer-driven marketplace. This panel will explore how pharma can become ‘consumer-first’ by drawing lessons from iconic consumer brands. We’ll unpack non-traditional practices: ethical celebrity endorsements, vibrant online communities, and personalized experiences. Join the conversation on balancing innovation, ethics, and regulation as pharma embraces the beloved consumer brand mindset.

Panelists

• Deborah Donaldson , Lilly Direct
• Justin Thomas-Copeland, CEO, 4As
• Marcela Melero, Global Chief Growth Marketing Officer, Unilever/Dove
• Moderator: Mario Muredda, Global CEO, Ogilvy Health 

4:30 PM
Opening Party
Location: Google Beach
4As CEO Justin Thomas-Copeland will open the Google/YouTube Welcome Party at Google Beach.
Interested in attending? Let us know by June 9 here.

Tuesday, June 23

9 AM
4As.4sight CEO Breakfast
Location: Cheil Yacht – Thank you to Joe Maglio, CEO, Cheil Agency Network for hosting
Moderated by Brian Bonilla, Ad Age
Invite only

11:30 AM
VoxComm Exchange: Let’s talk about The New Agency Model – Join Us
Panel: Redesigning the Agency Value Model 
Location:LBB & Friends Beach
EACA’s CEO and VoxComm President, Charley Stoney will share key highlights from the new VoxComm guidance paper: “Recognising the Agency Value Model” Request your Guide

Panelists

• Floriane Tripolino, CEO of WPP OpenX
• Patricia Corsi, Chief Growth Officer at Kimberly-Clark
• Giorgos Vareloglou, Co-Founder & Managing Partner at REBORRN (Moderator)
• Justin Thomas-Copeland, CEO, 4As

Wednesday, June 24

8:30 – 11:00 AM
Hosted by 4As in partnership with Forrester and Microsoft
Location: Microsoft Gardens; Breakfast is served
Invite only

Forrester debuts the report The State of AI Inside Marketing Agencies, 2026 in a provocative fireside chat unpacking what’s changing across talent, creativity and growth. 

Panel 1: AI in Execution | The Rise of the AI-Native Superagency
Session One: The Cost of AI Productivity: Less Creativity
While 9 in 10 agencies now use generative AI, and half are deploying AI agents, the primary driver is acceleration, as brands push to reduce production and labor costs. This productivity focus has real consequences for talent, quality and growth. This session unpacks the 4As-Forrester report’s key findings — from generative and agentic AI use cases to barriers, technology partners and evolving commercial models — alongside the urgent need to reset expectations from efficiency to effectiveness.

Panelists

• Moderator – Michael Burgi, Digiday
• Jay Pattisall, VP, Principal Analyst, Forrester
• Mollie Rosen, President, Member Solutions, 4As

Panel 2: The Age of Execution
Creation, decisioning and execution are collapsing into one. Agencies are not running campaigns. They are building intelligence that learns and acts in real time. 4As, alongside senior agency executives, shows how AI, cloud and creativity are empowering marketers to drive real outcomes through data and premium media. 

Panelists

• Justin Thomas-Copeland, CEO, 4As (moderator)
• Amy Thorne, Chief Future Officer, Dentsu
• Jarrod Martin, Chief Transformation Officer, Omnicom
• Helen Lin, Chief Digital Officer, Publicis Groupe
• Slavi Samardzija, Global Chair, Media and Commerce; Chief Data and Platforms Officer, Stagwell
• Lauren Wetzel, Global President, Data and Technology Solutions, WPP

4:15 – 5:30 PM
Panel: I Never Asked for This: Advertising in the Age of Uninvited AI
Hosted by 4As/Infillion/Harris Poll
Location: Infillion Stage at the Mondrian Hotel
Session followed by cocktails
Space is limited, RSVP here

Recent Harris Poll research found that three-quarters of consumers view many AI initiatives as marketing-driven rather than consumer-driven and one in three have disengaged from a brand they perceived as overly focused on AI. Where is the line between AI that consumers find helpful and AI that feels intrusive, manipulative or simply uninvited? This session will explore how consumers really feel about AI’s role in advertising, what drives trust, where consumers draw boundaries, the role of transparency and how brands can create value without triggering resistance.

Panelists

• Justin Thomas-Copeland, CEO, 4As
• Jennifer Musil, Global President, Research, The Harris Poll

8 PM
4As.4sight CEO Dinner
Location: Da Bouttau
Moderated by Jameson Flemming, Campaign and MM+M
Invite only

Thursday, June 25

11:30 AM
One minute “soapbox” interview with The Current featuring Justin Thomas-Copeland, CEO, 4As
Stay tuned for the video!

10:00 AM
Stagwell Interview at Sport Beach featuring Justin Thomas-Copeland, CEO, 4As
The New Rules of Brand Relevance: How brands stay culturally relevant when culture moves faster than ever.
From AI and creators to fragmented media and shifting consumer expectations, the playbook for building relevance is changing. Justin and Gina will discuss what brands must do to stay visible, memorable and meaningful in a rapidly evolving marketplace.

The 4As team on the ground will also be participating in interviews, impromptu conversations and industry discussions throughout Cannes.