GSCA 2009 International Conference and Trade Show
September 21–23, 2009
Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
IMAX Theater at Indiana State Museum
Dome Day Sept. 24 at Cincinnati Museum Center
The following professional development sessions will be offered at the GSCA conference in Indianapolis. More details, including presenters, will be added as information becomes available.
Giant Screen Industry 101: An Introduction, Refresher, and Idea Exchange
Sunday, September 20, 3:00 pm (one day before the official start of the conference)
Jump-start your conference experience on Sunday, September 20, at 3:00 pm with this valuable interactive group session. Industry leaders from all sectors will provide insights and practical information to help you succeed and generate more revenue. There will be plenty of time for questions and exchange among the participants. The session is also a great opportunity to network and make new industry contacts. All attendees are welcome, and first-time attendees are particularly encouraged to attend.
Topics will include:
- the DNA of the industry
- DMR (Digital Re-mastering) in non-multiplex settings
- film programming and marketing
- getting the competitive edge with customer service and frequent-moviegoer programs
Presenting industry experts include:
- Diane Carlson, Session Moderator, Vice President, Visitor Services, Pacific Science Center
- Bernie Gaw, Manager, Field Marketing, IMAX Corporation
- Tim Knapp, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Technicolor
- Mike Lutz, Co-chair of GSCA's Professional Development Committee and Senior Vice President for Business Development at MacGillivray Freeman Films
- Toby Mensforth, GSCA Chair, and Vice President, Theaters and Concessions, Smithsonian Enterprises
- Paul Wild, Theatre Director, National Geographic Theatre, Victoria, BC, Canada
The Marketing Challenge: Evolution or Revolution
Monday, September 21, 9:00 am – 10:45 am
Times are changing, posing a challenge to how we approach our marketing efforts. Join us for a thought-provoking and interactive dialogue to identify successful communication strategies that overcome the clutter of emerging competitive projection technologies and to evaluate if today's decades-old business model ensures a healthy industry as theater marketing investments decline. A two-part discussion.
Moderator: Mike Lutz, MacGillivray Freeman Films
Part 1: Giant Screen theaters are experiencing increasing amounts of competition of entertainment formats: from HD home theater to digital Sony 4K projectors to Real D theaters. From a theater marketing perspective, what are the most important qualities that distinguish a giant screen from other theaters? How can giant screen theater and distributor marketing practices slice through the clutter/confusion and communicate these qualities in order to make them more attractive to the general public?
Panelists:
- Mark Bretherton: IMAX Theatre Sydney
- Mary Jane Dodge: MacGillivray Freeman Films
- Chris Hurtubise: COSI, Columbus
- Larry O’Reilly: IMAX Corporation
Part 2: Theatrical distribution in the giant screen industry has its roots in the 1970s. While exposition and amusement park exhibitions generally used a “flat rate” license fee model, distribution to most giant screen theaters was based on a model wherein the theaters paid for the cost of the print and soundtrack, the costs of local promotion, plus a box office percentage of about 25% to the producer (via some distributor). This model has remained unchanged for three decades, but recently giant screen theaters have significantly reduced or eliminated their promotional investments into a film exhibition. This change is one likely contributor to steeply declining box office income for theaters and subsequent returns to distributors/producers.
Is this 30-year old model still working? Or will its continued employment result in lower and lower revenues for theaters and producers? Can anything be done with this model to improve the health of the industry for its theaters and producers alike?
Panelists:
- Jonathan Barker: SK Films,
- Diane Carlson: Pacific Science Center Seattle
- Richard Morrison: Museum Victoria IMAX Theatre, Melbourne
- Tina Ratterman: Big & Digital
- Brenda Tremblay: Science North, Sudbury
Transitioning to Digital Cinema
Monday, September 21, 12:45 pm – 2:30 pm
The transition to digital cinema is underway. In this session, we will review current d-cinema technologies and services as they apply to both exhibition and distribution and examine the implications for the giant screen industry. We will also address what we know (and don’t know) about consumer response and expectations to evolving digital cinema technologies. This session will be made up of several segments. Most will be panel discussions, and we are also making time for a lively Q&A segment.
Session Presenter
Charlotte Jones, a Senior Analyst with UK-based Screen Digest
We are very pleased to confirm that the opening segment will be a presentation by Charlotte Jones, a Senior Analyst with UK-based Screen Digest. Charlotte specializes in the global film and cinema sectors and authored the first major industry study on digital 3D cinema, The Business Case for Digital 3D Cinema Exhibition. She is also the co-author of the major report Digital Cinema: Rollout, Business Models and Forecasts, published in 2006. She has particular expertise in the digital cinema market and tracks developments in this area.
Prior to joining Screen Digest in 2003, Charlotte was an associate analyst for Kagan World Media, focusing on the European TV and sports rights sectors, following an analyst position for SportBusiness Group developing consultancy projects. Charlotte holds a BA Honours degree in Geography from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, and subsequently gained an MSc in International Business.
Panelists:
- Brian Bonnick, IMAX Corporation
- Ann Marie Dumais, The Nielsen Company
- Paul Fraser, Blaze Partners Digital Cinema Works, Session Moderator
- Larry O'Reilly, IMAX Corporation
- Christian Scheidegger, Swiss Transport Museum
- Pim van Collem, Cinemec
CONCURRENT SESSIONS
Wednesday, September 23, 9:00 am – 11:00 am
Lessons Learned from GSCA’s 2008 Symposium, Connecting Society with Science: The Greater Potential of Giant Screen Experiences
This session will focus on the outcomes of this NSF-funded symposium. Presentations will review the evaluations of participants from pre- and post-symposium surveys and the organizers will present recommendations for future directions and next steps to more effectively connect science with society through the giant screen.
Panelists:
- Emlyn Koster, President and CEO, Liberty Science Center
At the helm of Liberty Science Center since 1996, Emlyn has written and spoken extensively about the greater responsibilities of the science museum field. Integral to this context, he attracted U.S. National Science Foundation funding for giant screen industry symposia in 1999 and 2009 to explore the greater potential of giant screen experiences to be a powerful bridge between science and the opportunities and challenges facing society and the environment.
- Mary Nucci, Research Analyst at Rutgers University
Mary focuses on issues relating to media presentation of controversial science.
- Valerie Knight-Williams, Director, Knight Williams Research Communications
Valerie specializes in the development and evaluation of science and health education media and outreach projects. Her firm collaborates on projects that are typically regional or national in scope, are implemented in formal and informal educational settings, and involve the use of diverse media, such as: PBS television programming, giant screen films, interactive multimedia, websites, exhibits, and print materials. For the GSCA Symposium of 2008, funded through a grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation, Valerie conducted a summative evaluation to help the Symposium team assess the impact of the event and the extent to which the team met its original goals.
Balancing Success in Commercial Theaters
Some of the most successful stand-alone, destination, and multiplex operators will explain their strategies, tricks, challenges, and what makes them successful.
Panelists:
- Jim Patterson, Major Cinemas
- Gil Perez, Destination Cinema
- Mike Greenfield, IMAX Corporation
- Charles Auger, IMAX Theatre Quebec City
Giant Screen Cinema Projectionists: YOU are the final link in the chain!
For each and every motion picture presentation the giant screen cinema reputation for consistent high-quality projection performance, technical standards, and professional showmanship depends solely on the dedicated skills of YOU--the Giant-Screen projectionist! Spectacular sums of money are spent in the production of giant screen films to serve our specialized market. You, the giant screen projectionist, are the final link in the chain. You are the person at the end of the line whose obligation and responsibility is to present our films in the best possible manner to our audiences. In your hands rests the final product--the product for which everyone else before you has given their very best effort. Now it is up to you! So what does it take to be that dedicated technical salesman and showman, the giant screen projectionist? This session will cover all the major tips, tricks, and tools-of-the-trade to help you achieve not only that end, but to achieve our ultimate goal: satisfied audiences and repeat customers to our theaters.
Panelists:
- Ron Bartsch, The Henry Ford
- Cherie Larson Rivers, Liberty Science Center
- Toby Winsett, Denver Museum of Nature and Science
Image Capture 2009
A review of all (well, most) of the cameras, both analog and digital, in current use for giant screen image capture. What differentiates film from data cameras? How do 65mm film images stack up against 4/35mm and 8/35mm film images, as well as 2K, 4K, and HD digital images? By what criteria do we compare them? What postproduction processes are employed to improve uniformity of a film captured in multiple formats? And what does the future hold?
Panelists:
- Tim Knapp, Technicolor
- Andrew Oran, FotoKem
- Colette Scott, Kodak
- Phil Streather, Principal Large Format
Generating a Buzz with Social Media
In the last few years, social media has become an integral part of a successful marketing and brand portfolio. It’s the 21st century “word of mouth”...and so much more. Join the GSCA Marketing Committee for a timely and important industry development session that explores how theaters and producers can tap popular and emerging social media tools to generate awareness, develop a community of engaged "ambassadors," strengthen the brand, and drive traffic. A leading social media agency and a distinguished panel present case studies and examples drawn from the U.S. and international giant screen industry, theaters and producers offering customer value through Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Yelp, and others.
Panelists:
- Duncan Alney, Founder and Creative Director at Firebelly Marketing, an Indianapolis-based social media marketing agency
Duncan will present an overview of the power and growing popularity of viral and social networks and how best to effectively tap today’s social media toolkit: fanpages, tweets, content streams, widgets, wikis, texts, targeted social ads, and more.
- Kelli Nowinsky, Public Relations Manager, COSI (Center of Science and Industry, Columbus)
Kelli oversees COSI’s very active social media campaigns, including innovative promotions, contests, and education outreach to engage museum and theater customers. She will discuss COSI’s experience as well as efforts to measure the success of social media activity.
- Alexandra van der Zee, Marketing Manager, Omniversum, The Netherlands
Alexandra will present (and demonstrate) a popular alternative form of social media in Europe: Bluetooth proximity marketing. This technology allows mobile devices with Bluetooth transmitters to stream trailers/content to the phones of target customers--at the theater, partner venues, or even on the street.