It’s that time of year again. From across the globe, 11,000 members from all corners of the creative industries have come together to mark the 60th Cannes Lions Festival. With seminars, workshops and panel discussions, the next seven days promise to provide a wealth of inspiration for those in advertising and digital media. If only The Practice team were in attendance!

So what’s on offer, and which brands will shine as the creative stars? This year, the Festival has seen a record 35,765 entries from 92 countries, all of which will be displayed at digital kiosks under categories such as Film, Media, PR, Design, Mobile and Branded Content & Entertainment. These will give visitors, delegates, and judges the opportunity to witness some of the most creative international work and decide who will win each coveted award throughout the week and in Saturday’s closing ceremony. Alongside this, the talks and discussions sound fascinating; Sunday already saw topics explored such as the relationship between human emotion and video advertising, the need for seeking untapped territory to fuel creative vision, and celebrities as digital media “brands”. One seminar we’d absolutely love to hear focuses on this intriguing question; “Hemingway, Dickens and Michelangelo: The Best Agency ever?” We can imagine that this trio of creative geniuses would undoubtedly give any a run for their money!

Workshops will see participants draw upon case studies from the world’s most successful brands such as Coca-Cola, Nivea, Heineken and Apple, to learn about the key ingredients needed for acclaimed design and global communication strategy. Each one will be hands-on and skills driven, enabling visitors to explore everything from mobile ad campaign creation, to producing great YouTube content. Simultaneously, daily forums will address key global affairs such as China’s digital landscape, the media and internet as we know it today, and something we at The Practice love best- making predictions! Some of these include forecasting the future for New York’s tech scene, where the business of sustainable brands is headed, and the future of consumer privacy.

With a look back at the Festival’s rich history, including the celebration of Leo Burnett’s “Marlboro Man”- the iconic work which became the focus of the inaugural event, we wonder who will steal the spotlight this time? If we look back over the past year, expected talking points and winners are predicted to include BBH and their Margaret Thatcher Marmite, cleverly featuring the message, “Contains Iron”, Red Bull and Felix Baumgartner’s freefall from Space, or Ann Romney and Michelle Obama’s Durex China campaign amongst other popular pieces. It’s a shame that The Practice team will have to miss out on this year’s extravaganza, but as consolation we’ll be checking out all that the Cannes Lions app has to offer- from social feeds to an awards tracker so we won’t miss out on who wins what! And better still, there’s always next year!

Are you heading to Cannes Lions this week? Have you attended in the past? And which creative pieces do you feel deserve special recognition throughout the Festival? We’d love to hear your stories and experiences from the event, so please tweet to us @PracticeDigital and share them on our Facebook page.