BoxOffice® Pro - December 2010

GENEVA REPORT > WISCONSIN WONDERLAND (continued from page 24)
MIDWEST
HALL OF FAME
INDUCTEES
Edsell Byrd
Corydon Cinemas
Mort Fink
F & F Management
Stanley McCullough
Falls Theatre
Don Perkins
Marcus Theatres
2010 GENEVA
CONVENTION
AWARD
WINNERS
BEN MARCUS AWARD
Paul J. Rogers
LARRY D. HANSON
AWARD
Tim Warner
STUDIO OF THE YEAR
Lionsgate
VENDOR OF THE YEAR
C. Cretors & Company
BOXOFFICE
BLUE RIBBON AWARD
Paramount
Transformers:
Revenge of the Fallen
BOXOFFICE
GAME CHANGER AWARD
20th Century Fox
Avatar
CHEERS!
Co-Chairman John Scaletta with Paramount’s Monique Flores and BOXOFFICE Publisher Peter Cane
people roll up their sleeves and get to work.
This year was no different, as Wednesday
was bursting at the seams with content. For
the second year in a row, the Geneva Convention
was proud to offer two of the wildly
popular Disney Institute Seminars: Approach
to Inspiring Creativity and Approach to People
Management. After the first, Inspiring Creativity,
attendees left feeling optimistic that they
had learned a thing or two about promoting
divergent thinking among their employees.
Next, two Exhibitor Relations seminars
showcased upcoming releases and Tony
Shalhoub—Wisconsin native and star of
underground hit Feed the Fish (also made in
Wisconsin)—accepted the “Spirit of Wisconsin
Award.” Best known for his portrayal
of a quirky police detective on TV’s Monk,
Shalhoub gave a gracious and charming acceptance
speech.
The afternoon sessions began with the
Boxoffice Conference, a provocative panel
discussion on the topic, “Digital Cinema for
Any Size Market.” Leading installers and
independent owners alike hashed out installation,
upkeep and operations. Following
the panel, most attendees found their way to
the trade show floor where approximately
85 vendors showed off their latest products.
An open bar contributed a special kind of
charm to the floor.
The Wednesday night Gala Awards Dinner
was kicked off with NATO President
John Fithian’s encouraging words about the
staying power of exhibition. Little did we
know that this dinner would become one of
the more memorable of the year as Marcus
President Bruce Olson presented charitable
donations totaling $275,443 to six statewide
hospitals for assistance in setting up neonatal
intensive care divisions. It was truly
a magical moment in the ballroom to see a
gift that would save a baby’s life.
After that moving donation came a
moving tribute as a speechless Paul Rogers
received the Ben Marcus Award for his decades
of outstanding service to exhibition.
Everyone who has met Paul agrees that no
finer choice could have been made, and
he accepted our applause with his usual
equanimity and selflessness. For a full list of
award winners and Hall of Fame recipients,
please see the sidebar.
After a Wednesday evening screening
of RED, attendees slept well and started the
final day with a warm breakfast on the trade
show floor and the second Disney Institute
Seminar, People Management. Following the
Midwest Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
at lunch, the convention took a final bow
and the curtain closed.
We’re proud that we can describe the
2010 Geneva Convention as informative,
entertaining and intimate. To all our wonderful
sponsors and vendors, we could
not give our fellow exhibitors this level of
experience without you, and so we thank
you. Don’t forget to mark your calendars!
Tuesday, September 20 to Thursday, September
23, 2011. Where Hollywood meets
the Heartland, we will always do our best to
make you feel welcomed!
26 BOXOFFICE DECEMBER 2010