Staying connected during the festival and market

Attending a trade fair without e-mail access is pretty much unthinkable these days. It’s only a few years back that I had to run to a cybercafe near the railway station to check mail, burn CDs (yes, CDs) and print documents (using the wrong keyboard). In fact, my first time in Cannes I didn’t even have a mobile phone (this is going back a bit). Imagine the fun of re-scheduling appointments.

We often get questions about mobile phones and WiFi. To simplify, if you’re from Europe and are staying just a few days, it’s probably simpler just to keep your number and pay the roaming fees. If you’re from outside of Europe and/or staying for the whole festival, you could save money by renting a local number. If you are organising anything, such as a screening or reception, I recommend a local number as you will spend half your time on the phone.

The good news is that your entrance fee to the film market gives you 6 hours of free WiFi access. The bad news is that if you go over that or don’t have a market accreditation, you will pay €15 per day.

So I recommend preparing all e-mails offline and not get carried away using Twitter! The other alternative is to save all connections until you are in your hotel.