Boxoffice Pro - October 2019

INTERNATIONAL UNION OF CINEMAS / UNIC
BUSTLING
BELGIUM
EXHIBITORS GATHER
IN BRUSSELS FOR UNIC
CINEMA DAYS
by Rebecca Pahle
>> On October 28 and 29, representatives from UNIC’s 38
member countries (a warm Boxoffice Pro welcome to the
trade group’s newest member, Cyprus) will convene at the
Radisson Blu Royal in Brussels, Belgium, to discuss the trends
facing the exhibition industry this year. Digital platforms and
premium experiences are two of the major topics on the docket—but,
UNIC CEO Laura Houlgatte assures us, there’s plenty of
downtime between sessions to catch up with cinema compatriots
and hash out solutions to some of our industry’s challenges
over coffee or a cocktail.
After welcoming words from Houlgatte on the afternoon of the
28th, Cinema Days will start with a keynote debate between film
producer Louise Vesth and exhibitor—and recent winner of the 2019
UNIC Achievement Award—Peter Fornstam, founder and managing
director of Svenska Bio. Explains Houlgatte, “It will be a discussion
like we’ve had in previous years, examining big topics in the industry
and getting [the speakers’] feelings about what they think, where we’re
going, and what are the trends.” Phil Clapp, CEO of the U.K. Cinema
Association and president of UNIC, will moderate.
Following that opening discussion is a panel on platforms titled,
“Cinemas and tech giants – partners or competitors?” moderated by
Sarah Lewthwaite of Movio. “Basically, are [platforms] friends or foes?
Do you have to work with them? How can you work well with them?
How do you manage your bargaining power?” says Houlgatte. That
panel will be followed by another on premium experiences. Though
cinemas will, of course, be represented, Houlgatte is particularly excited
about bringing another voice to the table. An operatic voice, one might
say. “When I think about premium, I think about the opera,” Houlgatte
says. “It’s a very special experience. How do they manage to sell
this and market it? What is premium for them?”
Day two begins a series of six rapid-fire sessions, pairing quick
presentations on a variety of subjects—H.R., accessibility, untapped audiences,
auditorium design—paired with Q&As. “Really quick, really
snappy,” says Houlgatte. “Just to make sure we keep everyone on their
toes!” Following that come two parallel labs, one on cinema marketing
and the other on technology.
As in past years, the UNIC Cinema Days schedule is packed with
“loads of coffee breaks, which people always like,” and long breaks
for meals, giving attendees—Houlgatte estimates that people from
between 20 and 25 countries will attend—ample time to network and
discuss issues brought up during the official UNIC programming in
more detail. “We have usually a nice dinner somewhere, to make sure
everybody can network with everybody. That lasts for three or four
hours. It’s much smaller than CineEurope, so it has a much more intimate
feeling, if you can call it intimate with 150 people. But you see
what I mean. As intimate as it can be! … It gives you the space to have
a proper chat with people, and that’s what we really want to create with
this kind of smaller event. People actually get the chance to talk to each
other and interact with each other.”
60 OCTOBER 2019