According to SHOOT, Rich Silverstein of Goodby Silverstein & Partners is making his first trek to Cannes.
Up until this year, he limited his annual attendance to this part of the world to cycling’s Tour de France. An avid cyclist, Silverstein said he finally relented when it came to turning out for the Cannes Fest.
“I had put it off long enough. Cannes has become so important in the zeitgeist of advertising. Though I must admit that spending a week in a dark room in the South of France seems like torture.”
For some relief from the darkened screening room, Silverstein will bring his bicycle. “At the end of each day of judging, I’m clearing my head and heading for the mountains.”
“When [his GSP partner] Jeff [Goodby] came back from judging, he affirmed to me that “you just have to experience Cannes to understand why it’s so powerful,” related “Silverstein.
The number of submissions to the competition this year is off by 20 percent and attendance is expected to decline in ’09 by 40 percent as compared to last year.
In related news, some judges at the festival are emitting Tweets.