Pre-match build up

Some more facts and figures on the country’s entries to Cannes: Our biggest entry is in Outdoor – with 57 followed by Press with 47. Film and Radio are equal on 24. Then there’s 9 in Media, 4 in Cyber, 3 in Direct and one each in Titanium and Promo.

So we have a chance to win in every category! Our total of 170 is more than say, Turkey. Slightly less than the oil rich UAE – which won a gold last year for that ad with a “NEW” label attached with a paper clip to a flat TV. On the other hand Brazil has 2,537 entries and the USA leads everyone with 3,384.

Meet Linda Locke, Asia Regional Creative Director of Leo Burnett, in the airport, and one of this year's Outdoor judges. She lends me a Euro for the luggage cart. Having weighed up the ethical implications of this I reckon we're both in the clear. Better pay it back later though. Maybe at the Welcome Dinner for Radio, Press and Outdoor juries at 8pm. (Mental note: England v Trinidad and Tobago starts at 9pm - let's hope there's no long after-dinner speeches.)