Audio Network takes on Cannes

By: Carrie Russell

Date:: 25 Oct 2011

The Audio Network team take on Cannes.
After battling what felt like everyone else in the UK heading down south en route to the airport on one of the hottest days of the year; running through check in and being waved through a special fast track security, the Audio Network team made it to the departure lounge by the skin of our teeth. We were en-route to Cannes.

The whole team comes together (almost!)
MIPCOM is one of the biggest events of the year for Audio Network. It allows us to meet Film and TV producers. We are one of the only music suppliers at the event, so it allows us to identify the upcoming need for music in film and tv. It is also a great opportunity to get together with our sub-publishers from around the globe.

For the second year now, we hosted a summit to share the past years’ progress and our future plans. Representatives from the global offices and sub publishers were presenting their growth and development and sharing insight in to the day to day workings of the different teams. One of the reasons we are able to grow so successfully is because we are interacting and operating in such a close knit way and sharing these experiences.

One of my favourite quotes of the day from the summit was from London’s very own (Doctor) Simon Anderson; ‘We are the shop window for composers’...a real sense of achievement in the room when we are reminded how far the catalogue – and company have come since it was made up of a binder of 10 CDs, now we are providing music for film and TV globally, answering the need for original stock music.

What we’ve all been waiting for
Following the conference, it was time for the unveiling of the stand, a culmination of months of preparation, and on arrival it did not disappoint. With a large presence in the Palais it looked amazing. Definitely standing out from the others; it was going to be hard for anyone to walk by and not sit up to take notice.

The Cannes sunrise peeking over the Palais and yachts, fantastic. We had a sense of ‘the calm before the storm’ with the stand all ready to go, the professional barista was ready, speakers were pumping out Audio Network tracks and the iPads were poised with a sneak peak at the new website (more on that later). Come show opening it wasn't long until our fantastic teams were taking meetings and spreading the good Audio Network word!

It was also today that Audio Network launched a creative collaboration deal with top TV producers. An exceptionally busy day on the stand, in meetings and at various networking and launch events between the team we were ready to go and support our sponsorship of the C21 beach club.

High expectations for No Expectations
The music was provided not by Audio Network however, but by No Expectations; a band made up of ITV programming chief Peter Fincham and Endemol UK topper Tim Hincks. After playing some fantastic hits and getting everyone on the dance floor No Expectations called it a night...the Audio Network team however did not! A fantastic day and evening to be repeated on day 2.