We’re now just 8 weeks away from the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, and we’re gearing up to travel to the south of France to hear the latest from advertising industry thought leaders and cheer on the winners of the awards.

As we’ve done in previous years, Microsoft Advertising will be there sponsoring the event, speaking on the main stage, providing all important internet access in the Cyber Lounge and hosting advertising executives from all over the globe at our Beach Club.

We’ve also just launched our Cannes Lions 2011 microsite where we’ll be showcasing videos, blog posts and Twitter coverage from our team on the ground in the Palais de Festival and along the Croisette.

To kick off our reporting, I recently caught up with Cannes Lions CEO - Phil Thomas – at their London offices to find out how preparations were going, how the team hopes to reflect the industry in such a fast-moving environment, how digital is nearly always at the heart of all the winners of the awards, and, most importantly, how to win a Cannes Lion!¬

Thanks to Phil and the team for letting us share this insight and you’ll be hearing more from us in the coming weeks.

Cheers Mel

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