The International Advertising Festival had planned a separate direct marketing show, but the inaugural Cannes Lions Direct will now be merged into the main festival due to start on June 16.
The direct show had been heavily pushed and had been part of a planned expansion of the International Advertising Festival. The festival had also planned to move the Cyber Lion competition, which was established in 1998, to its own show as well. The Cyber awards will also remain within the busy main show.
The Cannes Festival denied that folding the direct show into the main show was because of lack of interest, but said that the direct industry wanted to participate in the main show.
According to a spokesman for the Cannes Festival: "Every network asked us why we didn't put the direct event within the main week of Cannes. They're new delegates and they've never been to Cannes before."
The rescheduling will create a host of problems for direct and interactive judges, who will have to start work earlier, meaning some judges will not make it and some will have to be replaced at the last minute.
US reports indicated the changes were due to fears of low attendance. The festival said that in all it had received around 1,200 direct entries, which for a global competition is not seen as particularly high.
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