This year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity was a week of big stages, big ideas and one very big Empower sign.
Back for its second year, the Empower Café, created in partnership between WACL (Women in Advertising & Communications Leadership) and Propeller Group, returned as a calm but powerful presence just off the Croisette. Over five days, it became a place for people across the industry to gather, reflect, and speak openly whether about structural change or personal experience.
What we achieved together
In numbers, Empower Café looked like this:
- 24 panel sessions featuring over 100 speakers
- 6 suitcases of branded swag
- 500+ attendees checking in across the week
- 8 hours to transform a neutral venue into a home for the Empower community
- 1 enormous sign that lit up hundreds of social posts
But the real story was what happened inside the space.
We heard conversations on everything from women’s health and sports fandoms to inclusive hiring and ethical leadership. We welcomed new voices and familiar faces. And most importantly, we created room for uncomfortable, necessary discussions with mutual respect and a sense of momentum.
As one visitor put it, it was “literally our base. Where I knew all the best, warmest and most brilliant people would be!”.
People make the place
We’re proud of the team behind Empower, including Louise Watson, Emma Cheshire, and Naz Al Sayad, who put in early mornings, late nights and a lot of heart to make it all happen. It was a genuine team effort, supported by so many from the wider Propeller team and WACL community.
Thanks also to our brilliant speakers and contributors, including: Lori Meakin, Chloe Davies, Lianre Robinson, Adele Lewis Bridgeman, Katie Street, Kieran Kent, Jody Osman, Rose Bentley, Michaela Washmon, Izzy Whitley, Mercedes Pérez Pérez, Rich McHardy, Supriya Dev-Purkaystha, and many more.
And finally, none of this would be possible without our partners and sponsors, whose support gave us the platform to build this space. A huge thank you to:
Adform, Dstillery, Monks, Ozone, Happydemics, BBC Studios, Digital Cinema Media, It Takes A Village Collective, Responsible Marketing Advisory, Wonderhatch, DoubleVerify, PwC France, UK Advertising, Cvent, and our community partners including Bloom UK, TimeTo, The Women in Programmatic Network, Media For All (MEFA), and Join Our Table. And our media partner Performance Marketing World.
Looking ahead
Empower Café reminded us why spaces like this matter. It offered a break from the noise of the Croisette, a place for honest conversations, thoughtful reflection, and genuine connection. Throughout the week, we saw how much people value having somewhere to go that prioritises inclusion, challenges the status quo, and welcomes everyone as they are.
There’s still work to do, but with communities like this growing year by year, the momentum is real and we’re already thinking about what’s next.