The Cannes Lions and 20/20 franchise plans are taking shape after Informa acquired its acquisition for $1.6 billion in October. Now they belong to the new Informa Festivals division, along with “experience-led” activities in five other industry sectors: marketing, fintech, cybersecurity, gaming and technology, accounting for 10% of the company’s revenue.
Informa’s 2024 annual report shows that non-physical assets obtained from Ascential are attributed solely to US$584.3 million (£439.6 million) for the Cannes Lions and Money 20/20 brands. It also attributes the value of its acquisition of customers to $163 million (£123.5 million) while the data to $186 million (£14 million).
In December, Informa announced a new Money20/20 Middle East, launched in September this year, powered by its joint venture in Saudi Arabia, Tahaluf. This is the third expansion of the franchise, with its flagship event still in the United States, which has been successfully cloned in Europe and Asia, and the Middle East is a natural next step.
In April, the Cannes Lions announced its 2025 jury roster award, highlighting the increase in representation from Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Informa Festivals currently draws 85% of its revenue from Europe and North America, leaving a great opportunity for expansion. Overall, Informa’s revenue distribution is 49% in North America, 17% in Europe and 34% elsewhere.
While geocloning is a powerful strategy, in many cases, global expansion has not been successful at the Business Festival. Despite the great support of the destination, the C2 unplugged the last minute of launching the Melbourne (Australia) version.
SXSW was able to successfully launch SXSW Sydney in 2023 and return to the sophomore event last year. However, the organization has recently undergone major restructuring and new layoffs. It shows no signs of exiting the launch on June 2 in London, but the success of the European franchise is far from a guarantee.
Profitable but demanding business model
Informa seems optimistic about the “experience-led” incident, but defending high prices requires a lot of investment and high yield value.
The premium paid by brands has attracted criticism from some of the world’s largest advertising agencies that blame consumer tech brands for pricing creative companies from the festival.
The revenue from the brand partnership is not public, but a sample of the Cannes Lions Partnership opportunity offered in 2024 includes static banners outside the venue for less than $80,000 (€70,000); a coffee cart brand for $170,000 (€150,000); a 25% call time on the “big screen” (large number display above the red carpet entrance) for up to $220,000 (€195,000).
By comparison, CES’s platinum sponsorship program for Digital Health Summit is priced at $50,000.
Attendees also paid a premium for the Lions Club in Cannes, with a walking rate of $4,869 (€4,295) in 2025. The VIP experience starts at $7,167 (€6,345) and the student pass is $1,128 (€995). There is even a $672 (€595) price of “Connector Pass” that only accesses the festive mobile app for the web, but cannot access content.
Money20/20 US activity is also on the expensive market side. The standard pass for October exhibitions is currently priced at $3,499 and the price on May 16 is $4,099. Startups, non-raised retailers, government entities and nonprofits can purchase discount passes from $1,495.
According to Ascient’s 2023 annual report, the Representative Pass generates $34.6 million (£26.1 million) from the two franchises.
By comparison, the SXSW’s “Platinum” badge has a walking rate of $2,295 in 2025, and the organization announced it will lower the fare for the 2026 edition. The cost of attending Dreamforce at Salesforce is $2,299, tickets to C2 Montréal are more affordable, and the fully acquired “C2 Experience” pass costs $1,300 (CA $1,795).
Awards based on brand partnerships
The awards are also a huge currency maker for Cannes Lions, with admission fees ranging from €675 to €2,765. Last year, the organization said it won 26,753 awards. The last year, these awards alone received $41 million (£300.9 million).
Informa has copied the same formula for Money20/20, and the Fintech brand just launched a series of new awards last month. The cost structure of the currency reward is similar to the Cannes Lions, starting at $699 and up to $2,659. Currently, it has only five categories. Cannes lions have 30.
Business holiday models may face geographical barriers
Despite the success of the model in the United States and Europe, high fares may prove to be a barrier to global expansion. The Money20/20 Middle East’s “Standard Pass” is priced at $2,750 and the Early Bird promotion is priced at $1,375. The price is significantly lower than the Money20/20 Europe price, which is $4,411 (€3,895) and offers a “standard pass”.
Seamless Middle East Fintech, a competitive trade show held by Terrapinn, offers a “free event pass” and free access to trade shows and conference meetings. The show also offers a $3,000 “Premium Network Pass”, which increases networking opportunities in lounges and event apps.
Leap is a tech show born in the Middle East under the Tahaluf brand, offering free visitor pass restrictions entries after 1 p.m. and selling for the 2025 edition of the Representative Pass for $800 ($400 early bird rate). Dubai’s Gitex Global is consistent with CES, offering a “visitor pass” of $123 (AED450).
Since one third of the total acquisition price for the Lions Club and 20/20 brands exceeds one third of the acquisition price, there is confidence that the Business Festival will be translated globally even if the financial model may require a geographic adjustment. It hopes to leverage its global operations, cross-sector coverage and strong media assets to ensure its festival division becomes a significant revenue generator.
