Cannes Lions 2017: From human mind to space exploration, 10 speakers not to be missed

Newsroom Creativity, Festivals & Awards, People

There are more than 450 speakers to be present this year at Cannes Lions Festival, but all, from entrepreneurs to neuroscientists, from actors to astronauts, will be united by something that all share in their work: creativity.

Regardless the branch of activity, creativity is the engine making things move forward. The more one crosses the borders between disciplines, the more one innovates. Everything starts in the human mind, the place where ideas emerge, and, from there, the only limits are set by you.

It’s hard to choose only a few seminars from the festival to attend or to combine them into the perfect mix but, if you want to do some mind stretching, the following speakers are not to be missed.

  • Ray Kurtzweil – Inventor, author and futurist

By seeing this man, you will see the future. With a thirty-year track record of accurate predictions, “the restless genius” as he is called, Ray will talk about a way to close the gap between us and technology. And keeping our humanity in a technological world it’s a thing we all should strive for.

  • Dan Ariely – Behavioural Economist, Founder Member, The Center for Advanced Hindsight

We make thousands of decisions every day. Some are good and some are bad, we all know this. But why do we choose the way we do it? Why do we choose a brand instead of another, why do we click on certain links and more important, why do we so often fail to act in our own best interest? If we want to be become better decisions makers we first need to understand how this whole process works.

  • Adam Horowitz – Graduate Student, MIT Media Lab

When you see “graduate student” among so many big names you may think “why him?”. Well, because he will talk about the biology of creative ideas. More exactly about the convergence of art and technology and the power of interdisciplinary. By exploring the human brain’s own creative process we can see how the best ideas today are born.

  • Sir Ian McKellen – Actor

Only a person who has embodied so many characters can know what storytelling really means and how can influence people’s life. An idea would be nothing without a good story to present it, so it’s important to know how we can tell the stories we believe in.

  • Sarah Hofstetter – CEO 360i

Accepting our vulnerabilities and celebrating our individuality is a way in which we become stronger. In a male-dominated industry, there are woman who show that being different is often the greatest asset. For sure everyone has a lot to learn from this.

  • Mike Massimino – Former NASA Astronaut

If you wonder how creativity looks from space or rather how creativity can help you when you are in space, only a former astronaut can tell you that. One thing is for sure: an astronaut sees things differently.

  • Dino Burbidge – Director of Technology and Innovation, WCRS

You would definitely want find out the latest research and practical techniques that can boost your creativity especially from a person whose job is to approach things from a different angle. By combining dots that nobody thought to join before, innovation appears.

  • Charles Day – Founder The Lookingglass

Without people there will be no creativity. The human factor is the most important thing in a creative world. And all creative people need true leaders, leaders who are inspiring, fearless and care about their people. Charley Day, advisor to some of the world’s most creative leaders, knows some secrets for sure.

  • Beau Lotto – Professor of Neuroscience at University London Goldsmith College. Founder and CEO of Lab of Misfits and Ripple Inc.

At his lab, Beau Lotto is spanning social and personal boundaries between people, brands and institutions, in order to create insights into what it is to be human. The way he presented his findings so far, using perceptual neuroscience in a highly interactive presentation were amazing.

  • Jason Crusan – Director, Advanced Exploration Systems, NASA

NASA it’s a place where challenges are big and also the need for creative ideas to solve the problems. Most often great innovation comes from the work of big teams and it’s important to know how to integrate them. Jason Crusan can tell for sure how we can take advantage of the wisdom of crowds in order to innovate.

There are so many speakers to learn from, so many subjects to explore and limitless creativity. Whatever will choose to see at Cannes Lions this year, one thing is certain: your perspective will be wider.