The creator economy has long ceased to be a parallel world to marketing. Creators have become part of the way culture is created, communities are built and relationships between brands and audiences are established. It is precisely at this intersection that LIONS and VidCon are now building a new joint platform.
VidCon, which over the past 15 years has developed into one of the largest gatherings of creators, fans, brands and representatives of the digital industry, is joining the LIONS family. The result is VidCon x LIONS Creators, a platform designed to connect the cultural influence of the creator economy with its increasingly prominent commercial significance.
The partnership brings together two different positions within the same industry. VidCon grew out of digital culture and the creator community, while over the past three years LIONS, through the LIONS Creators programme, has sought to integrate creators more strongly into the global creative and marketing industry. By bringing them together, the goal is to create a space where creators, brands, agencies, media platforms and other participants in the creator economy can meet.
Simon Cook, CEO of LIONS, points out that the creator economy is developing faster than ever and taking an increasingly important place in marketing.
“The creator economy has never moved faster or mattered more within the global marketing ecosystem. Creators are increasingly central to how culture is created and how brands connect with audiences. We’ve seen this evolution firsthand at Cannes Lions through the growth and scale of LIONS Creators, with brands, agencies, media platforms, and creators coming together to build relationships, establish partnerships and do business. The introduction of VidCon is an exciting next step which will allow us to build out a dedicated global platform for an industry that’s rapidly reshaping the marketing landscape.” said Cook.
The change will also be visible geographically. Instead of VidCon’s previous home in Anaheim, California, the primary home of VidCon x LIONS Creators will become the Insight to Impact Festival, LIONS’ North American platform.
Insight to Impact will debut in Denver in October 2026 and will move to Nashville in 2027. The festival brings together Informa’s TMRE: The Market Research Event and Content Marketing World, as well as expertise from organisations and platforms within LIONS, including WARC, Contagious and Effie. Its focus will be on connecting consumer understanding, marketing effectiveness and creativity in the North American market.
VidCon x LIONS Creators will also have a presence at Cannes Lions in June 2027, while further programme details will be announced later.
For Sarah Tortoreti, VP and Business Lead of VidCon, joining LIONS represents a way to expand the community that VidCon has built on a global level.
“For 15 years, VidCon has been the heartbeat of the creator community—the place where emerging and established creators, fans, brands, and industry leaders come together to celebrate digital culture in real life. Joining LIONS allows us to amplify that mission on a global scale. By combining VidCon’s deep-rooted relationships across the creator economy with LIONS’ unparalleled industry authority and global reach, we’re creating unprecedented opportunities for creators to build their careers, for brands to forge authentic partnerships, and for the entire ecosystem to shape what’s next together.” said Tortoreti.
VidCon’s move into LIONS is part of a broader change to LIONS’ global model. The organisation, which is home to Cannes Lions, Effie, Contagious and WARC, is developing regional platforms for North America, APAC and MENA, with the aim of making its programmes more accessible to the industry throughout the year.
