Cannes Lions Festival - Day Eight

Well, that's a wrap. Day one seems like it was years ago and my feet are permanently swollen, but I couldn't be better. The last day was very slow - with few short talks and attendance that seemed to be decreasing. At the end of the day, we attended the final awards show for film, integrated and the coveted titanium category.  

Instead of talking about who won and who didn't, I thought I'd do a recap of the festival with its highs and lows. If I'm lucky enough to come back again, it would be nice to see how my impressions of the festival change as I learn and grow. 

Greats: 

It was evident that the festival was in its 64th run, with top-notch organization and beautiful artwork around the Palais. The Cannes Lions app was monumentally helpful in helping me plan my day, although there were many instances where I wished I could quickly clone myself to be in multiple sessions at the same time. Here are some of the most memorable sessions (although there are many more great ones that I didn't list).  

• Beyond an Ordinary World - How Collaboration Inspires Ordinary to Extraordinary - Simon Le Bon (Duran Duran) and Nick Wood (Syn Music)
• Healthy Storytelling - The Importance of Embracing the 'Dark Side' - Nick Dutnall (Aesop), Tania Boler (Chiaro) and John Duncan (VICE) 
• Keith Barry Can Read Your Mind - Mentalism for Marketers - Keith Barry, duh
• The Power of Storytelling to Touch People's Hearts - Flavio Machado (SRCOM), Daniela Thomas (2016 Rio Olympics), Vik Muniz (2016 Rio Paralympics)
• The Biology of a Creative Idea - Adam Horowitz (MIT), Benjamin Tritt (artmatr)
• How Adidas Never Finishes Reinventing Itself - Alexander Wang (Designer), Stan Smith (Grand Slam Champion), Paul Gaudio (Adidas), Ferdinando Verderi (Adidas)
• Building Community through Creativity on Mobile - Sheryl Sandberg (Facebook), Jonathan Mildenhall (Airbnb), Colleen DeCourcy (Wieden + Kennedy)
• How to Suck Less as a Client - Axel Schwan (Burger King), Fernando Machado (Burger King)

Not-So-Greats: 

Sometimes the descriptions of the talks did not match the actual topic of the session which was at times pleasantly surprising but oftentimes disappointing. Also, the moderators were a crucial element in the success of the session and unfortunately, some moderators did not do a good job asking the right questions to gain the most insightful knowledge from the panelist. With that being said, even though there were some sessions that didn't live up to the hype, there was always something I learned in each one. I quickly learned that the sessions with high-profile celebrities didn't make it more educational or inspiring than ones with lesser-known guests. 

So I end with a pile of magazines I'll want to read but never get around to, endless hours of talks I missed at the festival and will have to watch online later, and enough creative energy and inspiration to last a while - at least until I make it back for round 2. Until then, stay tuned. 

xoxo, 

Mel