The Twitter Ads guide to following #CannesLions 2015

Next week, more than 12,000 people from 93 countries will head to the French Riviera to celebrate the 2015 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity (@Cannes_Lions). Thousands more will follow along from their homes and offices around the world. Whether you’re tuning in from Cannes or your couch, here are five ways to stay up to date and join the excitement on Twitter.

1. Follow influencers with a Twitter list.

Hundreds of top entertainers, artists and executives will be speaking from June 21-27 (the full list is here). Want to see Tweets exclusively from festival influencers such as @KimKardashian, Coca-Cola’s Wendy Clark (@wnd) and Twitter’s own Chris Moody? Create a Twitter list.

Start by clicking your profile icon. Then select “lists” and click “create new list.” Next, add a list name, description and the usernames you’d like to follow. Each time you click this list, your Twitter timeline will be populated with Tweets from this select group of users. You can make your list public or private.

2. Join the conversation with hashtags.

Add a hashtag to your Tweets to join specific conversations and expand your reach. For example, using the hashtag #CannesLions in your Tweets during the festival will enable people who search for that hashtag to see them.

3. Expand your network with mentions, Direct Messages, replies and more.

Twitter is a great place to make new industry connections, especially during a large, multi-day event like #CannesLions. If you’d like to make sure someone sees your Tweet, mention his or her username.

To start a private dialogue with one person — or a group of up to 50 — send a Direct Message. Consider enabling the “receive Direct Messages from anyone” setting on your security and privacy page so any user can contact you.

If you’d like to show a fellow user that that you liked his or her Tweet, consider favoriting it by clicking the star, or Retweeting it to your own followers. You can also simply reply to continue the conversation.

4. Be a part of the action by live-Tweeting sessions.

The festival schedule is jam-packed with talks, workshops and screenings. Share your favorite insights the moment you hear them by keeping your smartphone at hand and Tweeting regularly.

If you’re in Cannes, we invite you to live-Tweet our session at the Palais on Monday, June 22, at 3 p.m. CET. Twitter VP of Data Strategy Chris Moody will use Twitter data to show how global movements ignite, and what brands can do to be a part of them.

Note you can live-Tweet the festival even if you’re joining from home. Each day, one session will be streamed live (here’s the schedule). 

5. Share your view with Twitter mobile videos, Vines and Periscopes.

Use plenty of rich media to capture and share your perspective in the moment to increase your Tweet engagement rate. Feel free to get creative. Last year at #CannesLions, some of our most popular Tweets included Vine selfies from space captured by a drone (@dronie) and timelapse Vines. (If you’d like to brush up on your Vine skills before the festival, take a look at this list of six simple Vine tips.)

This year marks the first time #CannesLions attendees will be able to Tweet 30-second native videos and broadcast live video via @periscopeco. From the Palais to the beach, you won’t lack for fascinating subjects to record. @TwitterAds will have plenty of video-worthy surprises up our sleeve this year, too — swing by our Tweet Suite and follow @TwitterAds to make sure you don’t miss out. À bientôt!