Cannes Lions 2016: 5 design things to look out for

As thousands of people prepare to traverse the Promenade de la Croisette in search of the most inspiring talks, best networking opportunities and the hippest parties, we look at what the design world can get out of the Festival of Creativity.

Discussion: Brian Chesky in conversation with Joanna Coles

What: Hear about the inspirational story behind design-led start-up Airbnb. It’s hard to believe this travel company has only been around since 2008, and CEO and co-founder Brian Chesky will share how the disruptive brand has changed the way we travel. He’ll be chatting with Cosmopolitan editor-in-chief Joanna Coles.

When: 20 June, 1-1.45pm.

Where: Lumière Theatre.

Info: You will need a Festival Pass to attend this talk but if you can’t make it, you can watch our Age of Design documentary featuring Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia here. More details can be found here.

Talk: Thinking Design

What: Set to be one of the most interesting design-based presentations at the festival, this talk takes place on Monday, led by Japanese creative director Yoshihiro Yagi. He will be speaking about “design thinking” and how it is “increasingly becoming a critical competence in business”.

Yagi, who works for Tokyo-based consultancy Dentsu, will take the audience through a “global tour of thinking in design” exploring how people and businesses around the world approach design in very different ways.

Dentsu also has a number of other talks on the Festival agenda, which you can see here, including a talk with musician Brian Eno.

When: 20 June, 2-2.45pm.

Where: Lumière Theatre.

Info: You will need a Festival pass to attend but this is one of eight talks you will be able to live stream here. More details can be found here.

Panel discussion: Experience with Stefan Sagmeister

What: Renowned graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister is making an appearance at Cannes this year, alongside Billie Whitehouse, chief executive of Wearable Experiments and Adobe’s vice president of brand marketing John Travis.

The panel will be discussing how design and risk-taking can create meaningful experiences, according to the festival. Sagmeister’s entertaining and quirky presentation-style will also ensure this is a riveting session.

When: 20 June, 3-3.45pm.

Where: Lumière Theatre.

Info: You will need a Festival pass to attend this talk. More details can be found here.

Talk: Anna Wintour in conversation with Christopher Bailey

What: Cannes is swimming in celebrity talks, but the most interesting presentation on the billing looks to be Anna Wintour in conversation with Christopher Bailey. The Vogue editor and the chief executive of Burberry will be chatting about creativity in the digital age. However, if you want something a bit more Hollywood, there will also be the chance to hear Will Smith or Gwyneth Paltrow speak throughout the Festival.

When: 21 June, 10-10.45am.

Where: Lumière Theatre.

Info: You will need a Festival pass to attend this talk. More details can be found here.

Talk: Virtual Reality – How to Hack Human Perception with Finesse

What: Virtual reality is one of the buzzwords of 2016, and if you’d like to find out about the craft of VR production then you should make your way to the Discovery Stage on Wednesday to listen to Ola Björling, MediaMonk’s global director of VR. The consultancy has already worked on a number of VR projects and Björling will talk about its work with Adidas, and Lincoln and Chrysler.

There are also a number of VR demos taking place around the Palais, so you should be able to get your fill of virtual reality even if you don’t have a conference pass.

When: 22 June, 12.30-1pm.

Where: Discovery Stage.

Info: You will need a Festival pass to attend this talk. More details can be found here.