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This year the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity was the worlds largest gathering of digital creators and innovators from the communications and advertising industries.

A multitude of speakers were at the festival, and there were a multitude of prizes for Film, Film Craft, Media, Press, Outdoor, Cyber, Promo & Activation, Direct, Design, Radio, Mobile and more.

So what was the next big thing everyone was talking about? That would be Virtual Reality although the technology is still in its infancy.

VR makes life virtual, it mimics real world scenarios, usually in a 3D environment, so that people could potentially walk around the Louvre Museum in Paris, without having to physically be there. Or they can learn how to operate in a hostile environment, such as one of the frontlines of the conflict in Syria, without having to put themselves in danger. And thats not to forget the most obvious VR vehicle computer games where the technology is at its most advanced.

Virtual reality is dominated by visual media, and for most people youtube is currently the main platform people go to to look for video on the internet. Debbie Weinstein, the managing director for YouTube and video solutions, told Euronews what this brave new world might be like.

I think the possibility of virtual reality is really having these deeply immersive experiences. Its as if you are there, as if you are in the front row at the concert So its as if the two of you, or three of you, or a group of you are at the front row of a concert of your favourite artist. Youre all experiencing virtual reality at the same time, but you are not actually there, she says.

The possibilities are endless because ultimately VR is simply another media, but there are some very valuable real-life advantages to contemplate. In medicine surgeons may in the future gain valuable experience practising on virtual organs when its clearly unethical for them to practise on a real-life patient. Or police officers may be able to train in a 3D simulated terror attack environment. It will never be quite the same as real life but technology will bring us ever closer to the real thing in the future.

Other big things to take away from Cannes Lions? Taking data privacy more seriously came up repeatedly.

Today we only need our smartphone to work, to get a car, order food, watch video, listen to music, read and so on. Many of us can spend days with our smartphones only and cant survive for too long without it.

This trend will not change much in the future all the companies at Cannes agreed on that. But it will raise the issue of data privacy soon, according to Alex Cheeseman, the Chief Strategy Officer at Storyful, a company which trawls the internet looking for newsworthy content to sell to its subscribers.

I believe there is going to be a major shift in consumers wanting to own their data. But for now people arent that interested. Consumers dont really care about their data, theylI give it to any website. Theyll tick the box, they dont even read it.

And when people do realize their data has been compromised, or theyre worried that it could be,what can they do about it?

The only way for me to protect that data is to take it back myself, hold it, and wrap it up in my own layer of protection, Cheeseman said.

And when the publics trust in how safely their data is stored by countless web sites and servers begins to erode, many industries may face a sober reckoning.

Once people have their own data, what does that mean for advertisers, what does that means for social platforms? There is going to be a value exchange. Within the next two to five years this is going to be a massive trend. I think it will impact the industry massively.

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Virtual Reality excites Cannes Lions festival - euronews