You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
Ifi<br />
R/IVr\L'L-ff'L-<br />
THE ART OF THE DEAL: Cinemex has risen in the ranks of exhibition by bringing state-of-the-art technology and design to fAexico City, as exemplified<br />
by the spacious lobby of the Cinemex Loreto, which features neon-framed poster cases and a ceiling-mounted multi-screen video wall.<br />
City. "The plan is to build as many screens as<br />
we can in Mexico City. Focus, focus, focus,"<br />
says Heyman. "Keep our eye on the ball,<br />
understanding that half the economy takes<br />
place in Mexico City. One-quarter of the population<br />
lives in Mexico City and the cosmopolitan<br />
area."<br />
The company's plan is not to have the finest<br />
theatres in Mexico, but the finest anywhere.<br />
"Every theatre we're building now is 100<br />
percent digital. We're going back and retrofitting<br />
a lot of theatres to make them digital.<br />
We have only one goal—to be the best in the<br />
world. We're not here to be the best in Mexico.<br />
We're here to set the standard for everything."<br />
The company has achieved the iridastry's<br />
highest average ticket price by developing<br />
state-of-the-art multiplexes and exceeding<br />
cu.stomers' theatregoing expectations. "The<br />
quality of theatres was so poor (before<br />
Cinemex entered the market] that it was easy<br />
to raise the bar," Heyman explains. "The relative<br />
comparison was really fast. IPeople] came<br />
in and said, 'We've never seen anything like<br />
this except in the U.S.'"<br />
And the public is willing to pay for quality.<br />
Regarding customers' reaction to Cinemex's<br />
higher ticket prices, Heyman says, "We have<br />
really incredible, committed, and loyal customers.<br />
They never complained once."<br />
Heyman knows the ingredients that go into<br />
a successful theatre. "I look for good sight<br />
hnes, clean service. The big thing for me is the<br />
quality of the presentation, the sound, and the<br />
cleanliness of the building. Those are the<br />
things you notice first. The decor package<br />
and the way the theatre looks are fundamental<br />
to the whole thing."<br />
The company's multiplex philosophy incorporates<br />
the industry's highest technological<br />
standards and<br />
first-class<br />
service<br />
to create<br />
Mexico's premier<br />
moviegoing experience—a<br />
concept<br />
Cinemex<br />
calls La Magia<br />
del Cine (The<br />
Magic of Cinema).<br />
They also<br />
have developed<br />
their own acoustical<br />
standard, Sonido Cinemex, in an effort<br />
to further differentiate its cinemas from new<br />
and existing competitors. "Sonido Cinemex is<br />
our own aLX)U.stical standard," says Heyman.<br />
"We match THX standard in every single theatre."<br />
Cinemex also utilizes a phone service,<br />
Linea Cinemex, dirough which customers can<br />
reserve their tickets in advance. Some sites<br />
offer patrons a liquor bar with draft beer and<br />
a coffee bar, as well as the standard assortment<br />
of movie food, and a special pick-'n'-<br />
mix bulk candy setup called La<br />
Locura—which means "The Craziness." In<br />
keeping with the philosophy that the partners<br />
have created a brand name, all<br />
Cinemex innovations are trademarked.<br />
The company<br />
was fomied at a<br />
time when people<br />
predicted Mexico<br />
was on the verge<br />
of becoming a<br />
first-world country.<br />
Instead, what<br />
occurred was a<br />
meltdown of the<br />
Mexican economy.<br />
"We opened<br />
all<br />
our buildings<br />
during the worst lime. The devaluation hit<br />
and saved our ass," Heyman recounts. "We<br />
couldn't compete because we had no<br />
buildings. We opened .seven buildings in 14
Change language