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From the 20-23rd June, I had the chance to visit the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity held in the southern French city of Cannes. The Festival is a seven-day global event for those working in the creative communications, advertising and related fields. It is considered the largest gathering of worldwide advertising professionals, designers, digital innovators and marketers. Practically, the who's who from the advertising industry comes to this festival. This is the advertising and agency industry's version of the Cannes Film Festival. Each June around 15,000 registered delegates from over 100 countries visit the Festival to celebrate the best of creativity in brand communication, discuss industry issues and network with one another. Packed with my trusted Canon 5D Mark III, my tripod, and my notes (18 meetings a day were booked!), I left early Monday morning on the 20th June from Gatwick with Niall McKinney, the CEO of The Knowledge Engineers AR, VR, Data, Content Marketing were a big part of Cannes this year. There were some great activations including the opportunity to explore Mars on a school bus, as well as the opportunity to ride a surf wave or ski in the alps with Samsung’s latest VR equipment. Google seems to think that these are the technologies that will impact our lives in the next year. But can you imagine wearing a VR set and walking around the city? Steve Vranakis, chief creative director at Google said: “creatives need to distinguish between VR and YouTube 360 because they are not the same thing and creatives also need to better understand the user in order to make sure they really apply the technology and embed it properly to provide a better user-experience.” "VR is an extremely multidisciplinary medium. It takes a lot of things for VR to work its true magic.” - Ola Björling, Global VR Director, MediaMonks. Indeed, the key message this year was that technology is no longer enough to impress humans. In a landscape that is more competitive than ever, the talk of Cannes this year was that it now expected as a standard as part of the marketing mix that there is an AI or VR element. ‘Digital Marketing’ has almost become obsolete as a term or offering, marketing is now just ‘digital’ and is expected to be so. Data was another big topic at Cannes this year, but what I have found is that we have a lot of tools to capture the data but we (agencies) don't develop a lot of skills to analyse the data. Wei Fei, chief creative officer at FCB China told me that "People generate the data and data is about the people and so people are important when it comes to data. Things like their behaviour, their needs, and what it makes you feel and what can you do to change that thing to solve the problem." Haydn Sweterlitsch of HackerAgency elaborated more: "I do believe that with the speed of processing improving exponentially and with our ability to harvest data being the stuff of science-fiction, it comes down to the next step, which is that we have Big Data, we have Smart Data and the next step in the evolution is Beautiful Data. This would be data that informs you and that is digestible, and eventually becomes actionable. That to me is beautiful data and that is the future of data." Many experts were pointing out that it would be right to consider 2016 as the year of tech education and 2017 as the year of tech application. It would be interesting to see what the reality would be like and what trends will be exposed in next year's event.  The Palais at Cannes. Snapchat was a major sponsor: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Facebook Beach at Cannes Lions 2016: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Cannes: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Havas Cafe at Cannes, where delegates could hold meetings, watch football and attend talks providing insights: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Nikki Mendonça, President, OMD EMEA; Meredith Kopit Levien, Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer, The New York Times Company; Cecily Mak, Chief Revenue Officer, Flipboard; Rich Raddon, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, ZEFR; Robbie Douek Managing Director, EMEA, Maker Studios Inc; Sara Hopkins, Social Media Influencer and Simon Lowden, President & CMO Global Snacks and Insights, Pepsico: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Nikki Mendonça, President, OMD EMEA; Meredith Kopit Levien, Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer, The New York Times Company; Cecily Mak, Chief Revenue Officer, Flipboard; Rich Raddon, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, ZEFR; Robbie Douek Managing Director, EMEA, Maker Studios Inc; Sara Hopkins, Social Media Influencer and Simon Lowden, President & CMO Global Snacks and Insights, Pepsico: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Robert Senior, CEO, Saatchi & Saatchi: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  American singer FLO RIDA at Cannes Lions 2016: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Yours truly at Cannes!  Delegates at the Facebook beach could try out the social media platform's new features, such as virtual reality (VR) and others: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  VR played a big presence at this year's Cannes Lions Festival. Here, a group of people can be seen trying out a demonstration by Samsung: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Night falls over Cannes: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  The News UK Yacht at Cannes Lions 2016: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Freddie Ljungberg: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Harry Redknapp at Cannes Lions 2016: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Shaun Custis, Head of Sport Content at The Sun, Hosted by Shaun Custis, at Cannes Lions 2016 with special guests Harry Redknapp and Freddie Ljungberg watching England Vs Slovakia: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Watching England Vs Slovakia on-board the News UK yacht at Cannes Lions 2016: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  An England fan wearing a digital shirt. News UK transformed its super yacht the Panthalassa into a hub of event activation, with guests trying wearable tech shirts one evening while watching the football, with the T-shirts reacting to developments in the game and where guests could feel the contact of the ball on screen. Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Cannes: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  The main Palais at Cannes: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Cannes: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Panel discussion on ubangeas, which is a term coined in a soon-to-be-published report from Ogilvy and refers to the grand conglomeration of cities into new areas in the more ‘exotic’ parts of the world and how that is going to affect digital media and its impact on consumers and the way brands need to talk to them, work with them and be creative, particularly talking about the velocity of growth in middle classes, perhaps in countries which we have not featured so much about as business owners or marketers. The panel talk was moderated by Niall McKinney, CEO and Founder of The Knowledge Engineers (as well as being the Editor-in-Chief of 12ahead.com). The panelists were Cindy Gallop, a well-known consultant and Founder of IfWeRanTheWorld, John Gerzema (far right), an author and CEO at BAV Consulting and Justin Sturrock (second left), leads people and organization practice at PwC.  Paris at midnight as seen from 35,000 feet...see the Eiffel Tower and Arc De Triomphe to the right? (flying last night from Marseille to Gatwick). All the other 140 passengers were sleeping and missed such a beautiful view...: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh   Eiffel Tower coloured in green in respect of the attacks in Lahore: Photo Copyright AFP On 27 March 2016, only a few days after the deadly attacks in Belgium, at least 75 people were killed and over 340 injured in a suicide bombing that hit the main entrance of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park, one of the largest parks in Lahore, Pakistan. I am sad...what saddens me even more is that there does not seem to global solidarity when such terrible attacks happen in the Middle East, Africa or in Asia, but only when attacks happen in the West. What happened to the one world, one race mentality? Where did we lose our ways? Or am I missing something here? Except the mainstream media, there seems to be little or no coverage elsewhere. Where is that SOLIDARITY that we all show when such attacks happen in Western countries? Food for thought. How sad and ironic that the word Pakistan means 'peace' in Urdu. This was the wish of the country's great founder and it is time we apply peace to the country's true standing. For those who may get me confused, I am not a Pakistani or have anything to do with Pakistan, but I believe in the one world, one race mentality. It is time we stopped this madness of attacking innocent people just for the sake of getting a political point across. Attacks such as these only create business for media agencies and create fear in peoples mind- it does nothing to solve the problem. Proper dialogue and discussion on the table is what is really required. The world needs a true problem solving leader who can just get things done and be respected by everyone.  Relatives of the victims of a suicide bomb blast cry outside a hospital in Lahore: Photo Copyright AFP  Beaches are not always just a place to relax. Sometimes you have to work to get there, and sometimes you need to have the guts, too. There are so many types of beaches in the world; there is that special one just for you. Let's see the typology: there are beaches for families, for elders, there are some for party freaks, even divided by music types, or course for sports fanatics, and the explorers can find some hidden spots as well. Who is an explorer? In my book it is the person, a beach lover, that will go one step further, who will risk a bit to find the more remote, hard to reach, but beautiful and awesome beaches. These remote places are not crowded, there are maybe a few lone explorers there, or maybe you are even alone. I consider myself to be an explorer, and during my travels I found a few of these beaches. Do you want to go there? Do you have the guts to go there? Let's start easy. There is a beach in the Croatian town Pula called Galebove stijene, which translates to Seagulls' walls. What I love about this beach is the diversity of water entries. You can walk easily in the water over the small pebbles or you can jump off a cliff. The height varies from one to thirteen meters. Water depth is around six metres, so what are you waiting for? If you have fear of heights, you can always watch the daredevils performing crazy stunts. The coordinates for this beach are 44°51'40.28"N, 13°48'19.02"E.  Beach Galebove stijene How about a beach with a view of a castle? There is one of those, too. It's called beach Duino, in the Italian town Duino. The height difference between the parking and the beach is about 50 meters, and you have to work for it. But once you have climbed it, it is worth it. The view is amazing. This place is also famous for the Rilke trail with its sea cliffs. The coordinates for this beach are 45°46'18.77"N, 13°36'16.99"E.  Beach Duino The south of France has a gem of its own. It's called beach de la Galère and it is located near the town Cabasson. The trail to the beach is definitely not suitable for someone with ton of luggage. First you have to walk for a kilometre and second there are rocks you have to climb over to actually get to the beach. But once you survive the trail, you are rewarded with the most amazing beach experience. The coordinates for this beach are 43° 5'29.07"N, 6°19'57.09"E.  Beach de la Galère Moving even farther West, the Spanish town called L'Escala or the ladder, has a beach called Cala Salpatx. It is not suitable for everyone, because first you have to walk around 750 metres and then climb down for 20 metres. You better bring your climbing shoes. The coordinates for this beach are 42° 6'58.09"N, 3° 9'28.39"E.  Beach Cala Salpatx And here is the winner in my book. The best beach for explorers. Why? Because it is difficult to reach, but once you conquer that, you are rewarded with the most spectacular view. And with someone special at your side, you can create the best memories. The name of the beach is Punta Crena. It is located close to the Italian town Varigotti. How to get there? You have to walk for about 500 metres. Part of the trail you go through a forest, and then you have to climb some rocks, better bring a rope, because the descend and ascend are about 50 metres in total. The coordinates for this beach are 44°10'53.93"N, 8°24'24.82".  Beach Punta Crena This article was initially written by beach enthusiast Greg Balazic
Fond memories of Paris....with a beautiful photo I took from the sky in 2010...when Paris was the city of LOVE not WAR. Prayers and thoughts with ALL Parisiens.  Arc De Triomphe seen from 35,000 feet in 2010 (flying from Geneva to London Heathrow: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  The Eiffel Tower, as seen on a press trip in 2011: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh Take courage, my French friends (of ALL races and religions). Prenez courage, de mes amis Français (de toutes les religions).   
Au Baroudeur: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh
In a city that prides itself on its fine breakfast cuisine it is difficult to pinpoint a particular restaurant which serves the best breakfast., I can, however, personally recommend the Au Baroudeur located opposite the Gare De Nord. If you have arrived early in the morning, nothing beats eating a freshly baked croissant accompanied by a café au lait. The restaurant's ambiance and interior design is heavily influenced by fine French architecture blended neatly with the Sahara Desert, which is well complemented by African artifacts - there's even an Indiana Jones Hat on the wall! 
Le Soleil D'or: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh
It's hard to believe that the luxury Chocolatier, Debauve & Gallis on 30 rue des Saints-Peres, used to be a 19th century pharmacy that sold chocolate for medical purposes. Now it sells the sweet stuff for a more romantic reason! Those who want to recharge themselves after a day of walking around the quiet side-roads of Paris, head for the culturally inclined Les Deux Magotson 6 Place Saint-Germain-des-Près. Scrumptious desserts and freshly made coffee are some of the tantalizing foods on offer. One does not need to venture far to see the attractive sight of baguettes, cheese and wine. Even if these were the only things served in Paris then you would still be able to count Parisian meals among some of the best you have ever had! Parisians take their food seriously, even at breakfast foodie treats are on offer at every cafe, such as croissants, baguette with cheese, freshly squeezed orange juice and espressos that pack a punch. Therefore, it is no surprise that the French are best known for their scrumptious cuisine, even more so than for their taste in fashion. Ask those who fly with Air France their reason for choosing the national flag carrier and they will invariably answer because of the French cuisine. That said, though many Parisian restaurants serve authentic French cuisine, equally delicious international dishes may also be found across the capital but where else are you going to find frog's legs cooked so perfectly? 
I started the day with a French breakfast at Cafe De Nord: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh
 The Eiffel Tower: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh Paris, the capital city of France is, quite simply, the city to go for romance. The city of lights projects a strong ambiance of romance, and this romantic feeling is evident in all parts of Parisian life, ranging from the endless chains of cafes dotted around the metropolis, authentic French cuisine, local poetic parks and gardens, the French language (and its romantic accent), and, of course, magnificent Parisian architecture. I had flown in from Hong Kong to Paris on Air France, and had a deliberate 16 hour stopover in the capital city. After landing at around 4.30am at Paris CDG, I decided to head over to enjoy the city for the whole day before heading onward towards London in the evening. Oh and of course, being completely jet-lagged with my body operating on China time helped to stay fresh and awake. Unlike other busier metropolises, such as London or New York, life is laid-back in this city of over 8 million people. As one takes a metro journey from Charles De Gaulle Airport to the city centre, one cannot resist appreciating the sight of a typical native French gentleman wearing a French beret and playing a harmonium; or a young couple kissing passionately on the metro against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower - yes, this is Paris, the city of romance! Paris - for fashion and food! Lined with internationally branded chic boutique shops selling designer wear and chocolates, the elegant boulevards of Saint-Germain-des-Près, on the left bank, are a must for any tourist, irrespective if you are on a romantic trip or a business trip. For times immemorial the area has been a favourite hotspot of gifted writers and thinkers, such as Jean-Paul Sarte, Ernest Hemingway and Albert Camus, who spent endless days whiling away their time writing, drinking fine coffee and people-watching. Nowadays, Saint-Germain-des-Près is an area renowned for shopping - luxury shopping! Paris's equivalent of London's Mayfair or Primrose Hill, Saint-Germain-des-Près has built a strong reputation for being the most sought after expensive area, and a favourite with French and International A-listers for some ridiculously hot shopping. Interspersed along the boulevard are home-design showrooms, boutiques', cafés, local bakeries, and Parisian chocolatiers. The exceedingly comfortable thought about being in Paris is that, after a long day walking and sight-seeing, one can always take a brief respite along one of the many cafes or eateries on any street in the city. Take a stroll! An evening stroll along the banks of the Seine, or around the Louvre and the Jardin des Tuileries is, of course, not only free but also healthy, and très romantique! Even if you are on your own on business trip take a walk with your camera along one of the many streets of the Marais neighborhood, during the day or evening; it can provide some stunning insight into the local Parisian culture, beauty and history. For the romantic at heart another place to explore can be the artistic area around the Montmartre. Visit the Eiffel Tower This spectacular symbol of France was first constructed for the Paris Expo in 1889, and since then has become an ideal place to go. During the daytime it is beautiful but is even more so in the evening. Why not try a delicious meal at either of the tower's two restaurants and enjoy the beautiful view at the same time! Altitude 95 is on the 1st floor, +33(0)1 45 55 20 04; and the Le Jules Vernes Restaurant is on the 2nd floor, +33 (0)1 45 55 61 44. It is highly recommended to reserve at least a few days in advance as it's something of an accomplishment to get a table here. Can't miss the Champs- Élysées! The glamorous Champs-Elysées is the place where you'll find most of the city's dining, shopping, museums, beautiful gardens and maybe even some Hollywood celebs, known to frequent the avenue! The Arc de Triomphe, overlooking the unmistakable Champs-Élysées, was commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1806 as a tribute to the country's military victories. It houses some of the world's most treasured sculptures of the Napoleonic battles, a terrace, and a hall. A visit to the top is worthwhile on any day of the week to get panoramic views across Paris- you'll be exposed to a sea of splendid stone architecture.  Paris in the morning: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  The Arc De Triomphe: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  The ever busy Paris Metro: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh  Paris in its glory: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh Architecture of Arc De Triomphe, and Champs ElyseesNotre Dame de Paris La DefenseEiffel Tower and River SeineParisian Architecture
RIBE Restaurant Paris: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh
Located only 5 minutes from the Champs de Mars metro station in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, the RIBE is an exceedingly popular eatery with tourists, business persons as well as love-birds. The RIBE is a bustling restaurant with an extensive menu, which includes an equally broad drinks list. Try the "Assortiment des Fromages avec le Salade" (Assortment of Cheeses with salad), as an ideal French starter, followed by "Saumon Poché Au Beurre Blanc" (Poached Salmon with Butter Sauce). 
The Eiffel Tower peeks between Parisian buildings: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh
Photo Copyright Navjot Singh
Paris’ Avenue des Champs-Elysees and Arc de Triomphe, from the top of La Defense, is arguably the most expensive street on the planet to get a coffee (London/New York are no match...trust me...the Brits and the Yanks are still trying to work out how to make the stuff let along sell it!). Looking down to the Place De La Condorde where the gift from the Egyptians, the Obelisque, has replaced Madame Guillotine; and further, through the gardens to the Louvre Museum. Well, here is a Brit who is going to indulge in enjoying a very expensive coffee (even the Italians would argue!).
I took a short hop across the pond to visit our French friends for a day, and take in the sights and smells of the Parisian way of life. It's amazing how many things you can see in a day in Paris. Go and enjoy ONE of the most romantic cities in the world. 
The Arc De Triomphe: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh
Eiffel Tower: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh
Eiffel Tower: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh
Eiffel Tower: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh
Place de la Concorde: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh
Photo Copyright Navjot Singh
River Seine: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh
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Get in Touch:LIFE MATTERSHere I share my thoughts
and experiences during my travels, and how some things have affected my life as an expat and world traveller. Travelling is about capturing that moment in life. Every word, view and opinion on this page is that of Navjot Singh - except where indicated. The most recent is at the top. Scroll down to read the archive. Or search using CTRL+F (COMMAND + F) and enter a keyword to search the page. Just some of the stories you never heard before. The NAVJOT-SINGH.COM web blog is separate to this web site....Click blog, which may not be visible in some countries due to local firewall restrictions, so in those cases this weblog may be read. The weblog also includes some of my press trip reports- most of which are not published on the official blog because of copyright issues. The weblog also contains articles that may be associated directly with a PR trip for a country, airline or a hotel. These are PR reviews done in relations with various companies. If you are an investor or a trend watcher then you may find this website useful as investing has a lot to do with personal observations and finding the ideal trend or next big thing. The average human on the street frequently knows far more about the state of the economy than politicians, university professors, subject matter experts, and financial analysts who seldom travel, or if they do so, only from one hotel to another hotel! The pulse and vibrancy of an economy is nowhere more visible than on a country's streets. 
All photos and words are © Navjot Lauda unless stated. Photos taken by others or by agencies are appropriately copyrighted under the respective name. No photo or word/s may be taken without the prior written permission by the author (i.e. Navjot Lauda). All Rights Reserved. 
Navjot being interviewed by Cecila Lu at GDTV.
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