Dive Brief:

• The Cannes awards are usually where agencies go to hunt Lions, but several agencies are using it as an opportunity to pick up new clients. 
• For example, Cutwater ​— an agency that was born under the Omnicom umbrella but split soon after formation —  is enjoying the Cannes without any entries for awards. 
• The agency is there to make the connections to lead to new clients, as it last year met the CMO of Georgia-Pacific and became the company's creative agency of record a year later. 

Dive Insight: 

Cutwater is doing what any creative agency should — being creative. In addition to agencies, Cannes draws in a lot of marketers from a large pool of sought-after brands. If the agencies can make connections during the awards, those relationships can lead to new clients down the line. This tactic could be applied to a variety of other events that aren't normally considered a place to meet clients.