On a rather less than spectacular London spring day, we sat down with Philip Thomas, CEO of Ascential Events, the parent company of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and its five associated Festivals, Money2020, and a diverse portfolio of award-winning international B2B events and trade exhibitions, for another one of our Poolcast series.

Born as an advertising festival for creatives, the development of the festival has seen it move into creativity in the broadest sense. While the first ever festival received 187 entries in 1954, 2017 saw a breathtaking 41,000 entries submitted from around the world. Philip talks to us about the history, the purpose and the ever-evolving, yet enduring nature of Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity.