Boxoffice - August 2019

SHOWSOUTH 2019
BY KEVIN LALLY
SOUTHERN COMFORT
NATO OF GEORGIA’S SHOWSOUTH PROVIDES A
WARM WELCOME FOR EXHIBITORS
À VOTRE SANTÉ
Château Élan Winery
& Resort, Braselton,
Georgia
>> One of the most popular of NATO’s regional
trade shows is ShowSouth—and no wonder, since
this annual summer event is held at Château Élan,
a luxury winery and resort in Braselton, Georgia,
a short drive from Atlanta. The resort offers a spa,
wine tastings, and biking trails for those who aren’t
too caught up in the convention’s two days of
activities, August 20–21.
Executive director Robin Miller reports that “we
have two seminars planned for this year. First is
Ask the Audience, presented by NCM, where they
use their research panel of 5,000 avid moviegoers
to provide exhibitors with data-based answers to
questions that impact their business. That will
be followed by a session on ADA captioning and
audio description presented by Esther Baruh of
NATO. She will be describing the proper use of
ADA devices and their upkeep, so that everyone
has them in good working order at all times.”
Another ShowSouth session will focus on the work
of the Independent Cinema Alliance, presented by
its chairman, Bill Campbell.
Miller also emphasizes that “the trade show is a
wonderful part of our
show, an opportunity
for theater owners and
managers to see the
latest and greatest that
is available for their
theaters. We have projector,
seat, and candy
vendors—anything
that has to do with
theaters. So the attendees
can speak directly
with the vendors and
find out what best fits
their needs.”
Following Tuesday
afternoon’s NATO
of Georgia meeting,
the socializing kicks
into high gear with a
cocktail party at the
winery, the Statesman
of the Year dinner honoring Coca-Cola’s Bruce
McDonald, and the annual Casino Night. Wednesday
night culminates with the Variety “Big Heart”
Awards dinner and after-party; this year’s honoree
is Craig Chapin, former president and CEO of
Allure Global Solutions.
Miller notes that ShowSouth is one of the
largest regional shows for exhibitors in the United
States. “We have independent theater owners
as well as large-chain theaters represented at
ShowSouth.”
As for studio support, “We have representation
from all of the major studios, as well as independent
distributors participating in our exhibitor-relations
forum and dessert party on Wednesday
afternoon. We encourage all our attendees to
attend this event, so they can have that one-onone
time to discuss their theaters’ needs with their
exhibitor-relations representatives.”
Miller concludes, “Our goal at ShowSouth is to
give people that comfortable, relaxed atmosphere
that the larger shows just can’t offer. You get to
spend quality time with the vendors and the exhibitor-relations
people. We also encourage theater
chains to hold their managers’ meeting at our show
because of the seminars, the trade show, and exhibitor
relations, so they can have all the information
they need in one spot.”
30 AUGUST 2019