Cannes

The inaugural gathering of Elysée Wednesday in Cannes took an unexpected turn in that it lasted from 11am - 1: 30 am the next day. As Roy Martens pointed out, a record for both a Cannes meeting and EW as well! We began at the Caffe Roma across from the Casino and the Palais des Congrès where we enjoyed a very prolonged breakfast that lasted until about three in the afternoon during which people from all over the world dropped by to join us and to conduct business--talk about the mountain coming to Mohammad! We couldn't have done better had we taken a booth in the market. The most gratifying aspect of these encounters was that we were meeting with like-minded people, which made it seem more like a gathering of good friends than a series of business meetings that are signature to Cannes.

After three, we moved along to poolside at the Majestic--with stops at Gucci and LVMH for the ladies present--where we took up residence for the rest of the afternoon. There we were joined by some Cannes locals, film internationals and even a Ferrari buddy who lives in Nice. It was a splendid continuation of our morning.

When evening came, we strolled down to L'Annex on the beach across from the Carlton for dinner where we were joined by some more interesting people from Singapore and China.

It was nice that the Elysée Wednesday concept worked well in Cannes and, as a consequence, we met producers, distributors, branding specialists and investors all with a common interest. I couldn't have written a better script for a movie. My thanks go to Roy Martens and to all who participated.