Inclusion can’t sit at the edge of the industry anymore

When people feel safe and seen, the dynamic shifts. Conversations become more open, and people ask questions, share ideas and build connections they might not have made elsewhere. The co-founders of Empower explain.

When we created Empower (an inclusive space at Cannes Lions where underrepresented voices are amplified, meaningful conversations happen, and people can show up as themselves), we didn’t set out to create another “inclusion space.” We set out to fix something we could both see firsthand.

Year after year at Cannes Lions, the same pattern played out. The most valuable conversations, the ones that shape careers, spark partnerships and drive the industry forward, often happen in spaces that don’t work for everyone.

From WACL’s perspective, there was a clear need to create more visible, inclusive spaces for women and underrepresented groups. For Propeller, working across the festival every year, we noticed clients were increasingly looking to meet, connect, and have more meaningful conversations outside some of the more traditional networking environments.

Too often, inclusion lived on the sidelines. Fringe breakfasts. Closed-door sessions. One-off panels that felt meaningful in the moment, but didn’t change the wider experience.

So we created Empower Café, a space built on a simple idea: when people feel comfortable, safe and genuinely welcome, better conversations happen.

Now entering its third year, Empower Café has grown into something much bigger than we imagined. This year, it moves to a larger, more central location within the festival, with more space, broader programming and greater support from Cannes Lions itself.

That matters because inclusion should not be something people have to go looking for. It needs to be built into the main experience.

For WACL, that ambition aligns closely with its mission to accelerate gender equality across the industry. WACL’s work is centred on supporting each other, inspiring the next generation, and campaigning for change through its five levers: Flexible First, Work Like the World is Watching, Change the Language of Leadership, Promote for Potential, and Be a Women’s Health Hero.

Empower Café brings those principles to life.

It creates a space where people can support each other through honest conversations and new connections. It provides greater visibility for the next generation of talent and future leaders. And it helps campaign for broader industry change by showing that different kinds of environments can achieve better outcomes.

Real progress does not happen in isolation. It happens when different perspectives meet, when barriers are removed, and when more people can fully participate.

That is important because industry events are not just social moments. They are where careers are shaped, relationships are built, and future leaders are identified. If those spaces do not work for everyone, the industry itself does not either.

For decades, networking in advertising, media and tech has followed familiar formats: big parties, alcohol-led engagements and closed circles. The underlying assumption has often been that if you are not in the room, you need to try harder to get in.

But people do not do their best work when they feel excluded or uncomfortable. And businesses do not get the best out of people when entire groups are navigating environments that were not designed with them in mind.

Creating more inclusive spaces is not about removing energy or fun. It is about expanding the experience so more people can participate fully.

We have seen the impact of that at Empower Café over the past two years. When people feel safe and seen, the dynamic completely shifts. Conversations become more open. Senior leaders show up differently. People earlier in their careers feel able to ask questions, share ideas and build connections they might not have made elsewhere.

Those are the moments that matter.

Not the loudest party, but the conversation that changes someone’s perspective, builds confidence or opens up an opportunity.

There is also a clear business case. The organisations that create inclusive environments attract broader talent, build stronger cultures and produce more effective work.

Meaningful change

Making Empower Café an official part of Cannes Lions 2026 signals something bigger than one space or one programme.

It shows how the festival is evolving, recognising that care, safety, and inclusion are not separate from the experience but are essential to it.

We are proud to be working with Cannes Lions as it continues to create and support spaces like this. When an event as influential as Cannes Lions takes these issues seriously, it helps set a new standard for the rest of the industry.

There is still a long way to go. No single initiative will solve the deeper challenges around representation and inclusion. But meaningful change rarely comes from one big moment. It comes from consistent decisions that gradually reshape expectations.

We are already seeing that shift. People who did not feel comfortable in traditional environments are staying longer, making more connections and bringing others with them. New voices are being heard. New relationships are forming.

Those changes might seem small, but they add up to something bigger: a wider sense of who belongs in this industry.

If we want to attract the best talent, build stronger businesses and create work that genuinely reflects the audiences we serve, inclusion cannot remain a side conversation.

It has to be part of the main stage. And that is exactly what Empower Café is working to do.

All images by Bronac McNiel

Karen Stacey is the president of WACL and CEO at Digital Cinema Media. Louise Watson is VP, global technology at Propeller Group