VidCon to Leave Anaheim as the Creator Convention Links Up With Lions

VidCon will leave Anaheim and link up with Cannes Lions operator LIONS as parent company Informa seeks to expand the Lions brand global.

This year’s Cannes Lions event saw a significant increase in the number of creators attending and participating, and with brands like YouTube and TikTok holding an official presence that rivals the major ad companies and media companies.

Now Lions intends to take that momentum worldwide, launching spinoff events across the globe, and creating what it calls VidCon x Lions Creators. Both VidCon and Cannes Lions are owned by Informa, which bought the creator conference in 2024 from Paramount.

In the U.S., the major event will be the Insight to Impact Festival, which will launch in Denver next month, and move to Nashville in 2027. VidCon x Lions Creators will become a tentpole of that annual event, and will also have a presence at Cannes Lions each summer.

“The creator economy has never moved faster or mattered more within the global marketing ecosystem,” says Simon Cook, the CEO of Lions. “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.”

“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,” added Sarah Tortoreti, VP and business lead for VidCon. “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.”