Amazon is returning to the Port in Cannes this year for the fifth year in a row. This year, the tech company is transforming its space into a French village. Each storefront represents a different Amazon property: Prime Video, Twitch, Wondery, Amazon Live, AWS, Fire TV, Alexa+, Prime Sports and IMDb. 

The idea is to show off the breadth of the company’s platforms available to brands in a way that educates, inspires and connects. 

“Amazon Port is the center of all things Amazon in Cannes,” says Claire Paull, vice president of global marketing at Amazon Ads. “Now in its fifth year, the strategy is simple: we believe the best creative work happens when you bring the right people together in the right environment and give them the right tools and solutions to succeed. Amazon Port is where we bring together the people, ideas, and tools that help brands push creative boundaries and drive measurable results, all in one space, over five days.” 

The space is not a product showcase but a “living environment where creativity meets Amazon signals, supply and technology.” Brand Innovators caught up with Paull to discuss this year’s activation.

What is the strategy behind the Amazon Port activation this year?

In 2025, our attendance grew 58% year-over-year, with attendees from 40+ countries, reflecting the truly global nature of both the festival and our customer base. We’re excited to build on that momentum this year. Every element, from the mainstage content to the activations to the meeting rooms, is designed around what our customers and partners need: inspiration to think bigger, solutions to move faster, and connections that turn into real business outcomes. We built Port to reflect the full breadth of what Amazon can offer advertisers. 

Not as a product showcase, but as a living environment where brands, agencies, creators, and technologists can collaborate and see what’s possible when creativity meets our signals, supply, and technology. While Amazon Port has become a destination on the Croisette, we want to surprise and delight our customers with new experiences each year. This year we’ve reimagined Port as a French village, complete with a speakeasy that immerses attendees in full-funnel campaigns using the breadth of the Amazon canvas.

How are you bringing this to life in the activation?

We’ve designed Amazon Port as a series of distinct spaces, each built with intention. Our mainstage features nine content sessions this year: talent-led, culturally relevant programming spanning AI and creativity, live sports, creator culture, destination storytelling, and brand-building. We’ve increased partner voices on our mainstage by 33% this year because their stories resonate with the advertisers in the room and drive action. New this year is the Amazon Ads Speakeasy, a first-of-its-kind, interactive, self-guided experience where attendees step into real customer stories and explore full-funnel campaign journeys.

We’ve also created the Amazon Ads Gazette, a newspaper-style publication featuring 30 partner voices with expert advice, tactical insights, and thought leadership. Designed to feel like a real gazette you’d pick up at a French newsstand, it extends the value of Cannes well beyond the week itself – a tangible takeaway attendees can share with their teams back home long after the festival wraps. And beyond Port, we have 50+ earned speaking engagements across Cannes, on partner stages, publisher stages, press stages, and the Cannes mainstage, ensuring our message reaches the industry beyond the Amazon Port walls. On the Cannes mainstage, Oprah Winfrey will discuss her new Amazon partnership and accept the 2026 Cannes Lion Heart Award.

How did you land on the French village theme?

We wanted the physical environment to be part of the experience itself. The French village concept allows each storefront to represent a different Amazon property: Prime Video, Twitch, Wondery, Amazon Live, AWS, Fire TV, Alexa+, Prime Sports, IMDb. All here, all designed to spark ideas and connections. It’s designed to feel like a destination. 

A creative village you’ll want to stay in, because the next meaningful conversation or unexpected idea is always just around the corner. We’ve built in space for the unplanned moments: the café, the open networking areas, the moments between sessions. Some of the most meaningful business outcomes at Cannes come from conversations no one scheduled. From the moment you walk in, to the moment you leave, Amazon Port is an experience designed to feel cohesive and represent the true collaboration across Amazon properties. One connected environment where creativity, technology, and connection come together.

Can you talk about how Amazon is “putting creative back in the driver’s seat” this year?

Our headline message this year is: Amazon puts creative back in the driver’s seat. For a decade, marketers have chased clicks over connection. We’re here to help brands win back the hearts and minds of their customers, delivering connections at scale. The industry challenge we’re addressing is real: according to the Lions State of Creativity report, half of brands say

their insights are too weak to develop bold creative. We’re showing how Amazon signals, diverse supply, and AI capabilities help brands scale bold creative ideas and solve that problem.

This comes to life across three messaging pillars: effortless activation for every brand and format; the right signals, the right story, every time; and content that earns attention, solutions that drive action. Everything we do at Cannes ladders up to one idea: when you combine the right creative ambition with Amazon technology, signals, and reach, you can deliver connections at scale.

What are you hoping visitors take away from Amazon Port this year?

We want every attendee to walk away having learned something, met someone, or moved something forward for their business. The experience moves between inspiration and action: mainstage content sparks new thinking, the speakeasy lets you explore real campaign journeys hands-on, and the meeting rooms are where ideas become commitments.

Ultimately, we want people to leave understanding that Amazon is a force for creativity and positive cultural impact, not just performance marketing. When you combine the right creative ambition with Amazon technology, signals, and reach, you can deliver results at scale, across the full funnel. That’s the message we want people to carry with them well beyond Cannes.