The show included a series of seminars. First off there was the panel on “Driving Commercial Success through People" which covered the challenges faced by cinemas in attracting and retaining top talent, particularly in the post-COVID environment, and announced the launch of the UNIC People Programme to address these challenges. The session was followed by the “Executive Roundtable: Engaging Audiences and The Future of the Theatre Industry” which discussed the need for cinemas to adapt and innovate in order to engage audiences and stay competitive in an ever-changing market, particularly focusing on strategies to promote a wider range of films and provide an unparalleled big screen experience.
In addition, the Coca-Cola seminars presented key insights into consumer preferences. The first seminar “How Consumers are Embracing Sustainability” discussed consumer attitudes towards sustainability, opportunities for cinema operators to support consumer choices, insights on consumer behaviour regarding reusable vessels, the role of behavioural science in developing sustainable strategies, and industry collaboration and achievements in sustainability. The second seminar “Engaging the Young Adult Audience” gave insights into how consumers, particularly Gen Z'ers and young Millennials, are recalibrating their expectations and embracing the concept of "Everything in Moderation" in terms of health, spending, and social media.
The CineEurope Trade Show gathered companies who showcased their products for enhancing the cinema-going experience. In addition to the showcasing of products there were insightful ICTA sessions covering a wide range of topics with panels such as “What’s Next? Trends and New Technologies Transforming the Cinema Experience”, “Behind the Screens: Bridging Staff Shortages and Skills Gaps in Cinema” and “How Can Cinemas Prepare For the Next Wave of Marketing Innovations: Social, AI and AR”. There was also a panel discussion titled “Piracy Gets Commercial: Are You Ready for the Competition?” which provided an exploration of the emerging commercial model, its scale, and what can be done to disrupt it and followed by a presentation on “Sustainable Cinema Design”.
Of course, CineEurope wouldn’t be CineEurope without its studio presentations and attendees were spoilt for choice with Lionsgate, Creative Europe & Unifrance, Mubi – for the first time- , Sony Pictures International, Universal Pictures International, STUDIOCANAL, Warner Bros. Pictures International, Paramount Pictures International and Walt Disney Motion Pictures International.
Who shared some of their great line-ups – and brought talents along - for the coming months. Attendees were also invited to a screening of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
For UNIC, CineEurope 2023 also coincided with the publication of its Annual Report, examining key cinema trends across the 39 territories represented by the association. We launched the 7th edition of our mentoring scheme as well as a new UNIC People Programme ensuring the cinema industry remains an attractive and premium employer. UNIC also hosted its annual reception as well as a ceremony honouring the circuits which made it to the “Giants of Exhibition: Europe” list in collaboration with Boxoffice.
Last but not least, we celebrated our 2023 Gold Awardees, the 2023 UNIC Achievement Award, Hans-Joachim Flebbe, the 2023 International Exhibitor of the Year, Nordisk Film Cinemas and the 2023 International Distributor of the Year, Tonis Kiis.
We hope you enjoyed the convention as much as we did and we cannot wait to see you at CineEurope 2024, scheduled for June 17-20. Save the date!