✱ Cannes Lions 2026, June 22 – 26
✱ Cannes Lions 2026, June 22 – 26
Indie at Large.
Imagine. A week of small, honest, and independently spirited conversation across the Croisette and up in the Villas. No fancy badges (maybe a nightclub wrist band or two). No sanitized keynote monologues. No pontificating. No bad Ted Talks. Just senior brand leaders and agency founders jonesing for honest discussion on how independent agencies can move their business with smaller head counts, bigger ideas, and more nimble timelines. The indie agency leaders who not only have skin in the game, but blood, guts and extended lines of credit from the bank. The next wave of change to our industry is independence.
Join us to fan those flames.
What we’ll be talking about
01.
What Does Creativity Mean Today?
What does it actually take to solve hard business problems?
02.
The Risk of Not Taking Any
Why the agencies hungrier for your success — not the next award — might be your most strategic asset.
03.
What’s Your “Why Us“?
Why a niche isn't a limitation. It's a size 22 foot in the door.
The momentum is already building. 2026 has already seen a steady build of indie-to-indie rallying in response to a seismic realignment of holding company behemoths. The case is no longer defensive: independence is how brands can de-risk themselves from clunky conglomerates, move at the speed of culture, and partner with people who deliver creativity that drives business results because the clients’ future and the agencies’ future depends on it.
Til now, we’ve been having this conversation amongst ourselves. It’s time to invite clients in and have the frank conversation with them.
Where we’ll be
Monday June 22
9–10:30 am
LBB Beach
Indie [Welcome]
Cannes Lions Indie Agency Kickoff Breakfast
Hosted by our friends at Mark Allen & Co. Public Relations, join us for a welcome to the week for indies and brand leaders. Learn about the best talks, best new biz opps, and best parties to meet the indies. First come first served, limited capacity.
Monday June 22
4–5 pm
Indie Agency News’ Le Jardin Secret
Indie [Garden]
Killing the Kitchen Sink
Hosted by our friends at Indie Agency News, join us for a discussion on specialization. CMOs are hungry for fewer swiss army knives and more scalpels. Agencies claiming to handle everything are found to be more insincere than versatile. Let’s hear from agencies who have picked a lane and are winning because of it.
Speakers: Chuck McBride (Moderator), Founder & CCO at Cutwater / Bill Oberlander, Co-Founder and Creative Chairman, OBERLAND / Kelsey Cross, President & Founder, Tower28 / Chaucer Barnes, CMO, Translation + United Masters / Yadira Harrison, Co-Founder, VERB
RSVP to come
Tuesday June 23
8:30–9:15 am
Indie Agency News’ Le Jardin Secret
Indie [Garden]
Creative Integrity
Creative Integrity: When Brands + Agencies Refuse To Blink. Hosted by our friends at Indie Agency News, step inside an open-book creative audit featuring the masterminds behind two of the industry’s most distinct partnerships: Flower Shop’s culturally explosive work with Crocs, and OBERLAND’s purpose-driven brand building for Strong Roots. Discover how true brand-agency alliances establish internal measures of integrity, navigate conflicting viewpoints with deep mutual respect and hold each other accountable to the true ethos of the brand.
Speakers: Bill Oberlander, Co-Founder and Creative Chairman, OBERLAND / Samuel Dennigan, Founder, Strong Roots / TBC: our friends at Flower Shop + Crocs
RSVP to come
Wednesday June 24
2–4 pm
Location TBC
Indie [Pod]
Soul & Science
Indie at Large will record a podcast episode of Soul & Science, with our host Jason Harris of Mekanism. Agency + brand couples will join for relationship therapy - tell us what’s working well, what isn’t, and why working with an independent has made the work so great. Invite only - reach out if you have a concept.
Wednesday June 24
10–11:30 am
LBB Beach
Indie [Forum]
The Confident Brand Forum
Hosted by our friends at Mark Allen & Co. Public Relations are hosting the Confident Brand Forum at LBB Beach: a morning of breakfast, networking, and two sessions built around a simple but urgent idea: the brands winning right now walk with confidence.
Thursday June 25
11 am–12:30 pm
Ad Age’s Dedicated Lounge
Indie [Round Table]
Roundtable Discussion
Hosted by our friends at Ad Age, in their dedicated space, this is an invite-only roundtable discussion amongst independent agencies across creative, production, media and everything in between, as well as our friends at industry orgs and consultancies, on what the strength of the indie network can be and what shape it may take in the future. Reach out to request an invite.
Thursday June 25
5:45–6:20 pm
Collins House
Indie [Villa]
Why I Picked an Indie
Hosted by our friends at Collins, at the stunning Collins House - this is a CMO show, not an agency tell. The one session this week where the agencies sit down and the clients do the talking. We'll hear straight from the brand leaders who bet on an indie - what made the work land, why independence made the difference, and whether they'd do it again. Speakers and RSVP soon to be announced.
RSVP to come
Friday June 26
1–3 pm
LBB Beach
Indie [Beach]
Closing Time at LBB Beach
A short program and casual lunch to recap the week and refresh for what’s next. Clients and indies welcome! Reach out to join us.
We’ve been taught that bigger is better and safer. We’re here to embrace the role of a challenger. So let’s raise the awareness of indie agencies, help clients stop playing safe, and start playing smart.
If any of this sounds like a conversation you've been wanting to have, you're already in the right room.
Reach out to us for more information or to talk through which sessions might be the right fit:
CONTACT