Cannes Lions Dos and Don’ts.

This week more than 15,000 people will descend on the French coastal town of Cannes – host to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the largest celebration of the great and the good of the advertising world.

Here are some tips for first timers..

DO

Prepare to be inspired – the world’s greatest creative minds will be sharing their wisdom

Download the festival app – makes navigating the week much easier

Be spontaneous – the best treats are stumbling into unexpectedly brilliant events

Collect as many wristbands as possible – the more wristbands you have, the more important you are

Take some time out from the Palais and visit Google’s brilliant beach bar

Take a spare phone for when you leave yours in the Uber from the airport

Bring a portable phone charger – there is nothing more frustrating than a dead phone

Expect to do a lot of walking

Visit the Gutter Bar – the ad fest’s most famous watering hole where the drinking goes on until sunrise

Shamelessly demand a selfie with that Hollywood star

Wear sunscreen

Come and see our keynote

DON’T

Attempt to hard-sell your services – it’s not that kind of conference

Arrive late – popular sessions fill fast; 15 minutes early is a good idea

Over-pack – daytime dress code is pretty much ‘beach casual’

Overfill your schedule – make time to peruse the thousands of inspiring competition entries in the basement

Attempt to live tweet every session – you’ll miss half of what’s being said

Attempt to deal with stuff that is going on back at the office

Be surprised that a bottle of rosé can cost up to £50 in some hotel bars

Expect to get much sleep

[by@itsjamesherring]