The conference opened with a closed meeting of the UNIC Women’s Cinema Leadership Programme. Moderated by Monica Chadha, Independent Director, Mocha 8, the session featured an inspiring talk by Javier Sotomayor, President of International, Regal Cineworld.
At the official start, attendees were welcomed by Laura Houlgatte, CEO, UNIC.
The opening Keynote Debate, moderated by Phil Clapp, President, UNIC & Chief Executive, UK Cinema Association, brought together Javier Sotomayor, President of International, Regal Cineworld, and Mary Kouinoglou, Senior Vice President, Theatrical, EMEA Licensees, Sony Pictures. Together, they explored the latest market dynamics, opportunities for future growth, and the challenges shaping the cinema landscape.
The programme continued with the panel debate “For a Fistful of Euros”, moderated by Claire Beswick, Founder & CEO, The Living Room Cinema. Radek Tomasik, CEO, Ferment Kolektiv, set the scene before a discussion with Asger Flygare Bech-Thomsen, CEO, Nordisk Film Cinemas, Laura Fumagalli, Exhibitor, Head of Marketing & Events, Arcadia Cinema, and Mathias Holtz, Cinema Program Producer, Folkets Hus och Parker & President, Europa Cinemas. The panellists focused on the value-proposition of cinemas and the importance of continuing to offer choice while elevating the experience.
A dedicated Spotlight Session followed, with Denis Ozcan, Investigations Manager at Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), MPA, presenting the MPA’s “Knock and Talk” technique and its role in the wider strategy against piracy.
The next segment, UNIC People Programme – Invest in Your People, focused on workforce training in exhibition. Moderated by Jan Runge, Independent Advisor / ICTA, the session featured presentations from Brett King, CEO & Partner, HighRock, on CineTrain, and Caro Raedts, Europa Cinemas, Coordinator Cinema ZED Leuven, on the Europa Cinemas Bootcamps, demonstrating how targeted training helps support staff growth and enhance customer experience.
A series of Quickfire Sessions rounded off the day.
Quickfire Session I – Cinema Accessibility: “Tous Ensemble au Cinéma” (‘All Together at the Cinema’) was led by Julien Marcel, Founder and CEO, Cine Group.
Quickfire Session II – Cinema Sustainability featured Marie-Christine Desandré, CEO, Loft Cinemas & President “Ecologie des Cinémas” for the FNCF, and Juliette Vigoureux, Founder, LA BASE.
Quickfire Session III – Women’s Cinema Leadership Programme, moderated by Laure Galtier, Head of Projects & Events, UNIC, included contributions from Ruth Hinton, Group Head of Customer Experience & Insight, Vue International, and Katrin Mathe-Cotillon, Sr. Manager Theatrical Marketing EMEA, Crunchyroll.
After the closing remarks, attendees gathered for a convivial drinks’ reception and dinner, rounding off a first day of learning and connections.
Day two was divided into Marketing Lab and Technology Lab.
In Marketing, moderated by Sharon Reid, Director of Marketing and Partnerships, Cinema First, with support from Laure Galtier, Head of Projects & Events, UNIC, Kamil Jarończyk, Communications & Policy Assistant, UNIC, and Chiara Elisa Cuneo, Trainee, UNIC, the morning opened with the panel “How to Create Habits and Not Just Moments”, moderated by Angela Malvone, Project Manager & Business Developer, Cinema and Content Expert. Guest speakers Ruth Hinton, Group Head of Customer Experience & Insight, Vue International, Samir Azrioual, Managing Director, Cineville, and Sam Clements, Head of Marketing & Membership, Picturehouse Cinemas explored how cinemas can turn occasional visits into long-term habits, how to engage audiences between major releases, and whether behavioural science can strengthen repeat patterns.
This was followed by Quickfire Session I – “Go Big & Go Home”, showcasing a collaborative promotional campaign connecting exhibition and home entertainment. Chris Spelman, Director of Group Partnerships, ODEON Cinemas Group, Liz Bales, Chief Executive, British Association for Screen Entertainment (BASE), and Andrew Stewart, Head of Commercial Partnerships, Amazon Prime Video, shared insights from their cross-industry initiative.
The Focus Session – Silver-Haired Screens, moderated by Sara Frain, Managing Director, Picturehouse Entertainment, turned attention to audiences aged 50+. Panellists Sylvain Bethenod, CEO, Vertigo Marketing Research, Mark De Quervain, Head of Operations & Cinema Strategy, INDY Cinema Group, Stijn Vanspauwen, Country Manager Box Office Sales & Marketing, Kinepolis, and Laura Weber, CEO, CINECITTA’ examined the cinematic preferences of older audiences and how exhibitors can continue to attract them.
Next came Quickfire Session II – Turning Empty Seats into a New Opportunity: Direct Marketing and Exclusive Sales with Mélanie Canivet, Co-Founder, and Sylvain Mante, Co-Founder, Ozzak. Ozzak's co-founders presented their platform as a direct marketing tool designed to address the industry challenge of unsold cinema seats.
The session “Beyond the Hype: Practical AI Solutions Driving Cinema Performance”, moderated by Martin Berg, Co-Founder, Mojo Works, featured Clarissa Bergh, Managing Director, Lillehammer Kino, and Patrick von Sychowski, Digital Marketing & Communications Manager, CinemaNext, highlighting real-world examples of AI-powered scheduling, programming, customer insight, and operational efficiency.
In Quickfire Session III – Kino Games, Thierry Baujard, Co-Founder, Spielfabrique, introduced a programme designed to connect cinema and video-game communities.
The event then spotlighted the UNIC/Coca-Cola Retail Award, recognising Pathé Cinémas and ODEON Cinemas Group as the 2025 winners. The segment was presented by Stephanie Morgner, Senior Director, Away From Home Customers, Coca-Cola Europe, with contributions from Sabine Goldie-Auger, Commercial Director, Pathé Cinémas, and Martin Waller, Group Operations Performance and Development Director, ODEON Cinemas Group.
The afternoon continued with a series of Masterclasses and Group Workshops, offering hands-on training. Sessions included:
“Restoring the Relevance of the Cinema Experience” – The Boxoffice Company Malcolm MacMillan, Managing Director, UK / EVP Exhibitor Relations, Boost
“Pushing the Right Buttons: Motivating Factors Across Different Film Types and Audience Segments” – Comscore Movies Nena Loncar, Client Insights Manager, and Nathalie Kaiser, Manager, Statistics and Research
“Turning moviegoer insights into practical marketing strategies” – VISTA Group Lauren Greene, VP, Strategic Services
“Fixing the Broken Windows” – Showtime Analytics Richard Power, CEO
“Momentum Matters: How Consistent Advertising Builds Trust, Recall & Ticket Sales” – Gruvi Lee Shelton, Commercial Director
The Technology Lab included a series of technical updates, open debates, panels, presentations and group workshops from cinema technology experts. The lab was moderated by Guillaume Branders, Founder, studio funambule and supported by Gabriele Belluzzi, Industry and Events Assistant, UNIC. The day began with “The State of Cinema Technology”, delivered by Charlotte Jones, Senior Principal Analyst, Media & Entertainment, Omdia.
This was followed by “Key Challenges and Opportunities in Cinema Technology”, in which Guillaume Branders, Founder, studio funambule, spoke with Mike Bradbury, Head of Cinema Technology, ODEON Cinemas Group about emerging needs and long-term trends in cinema operations.
A session on Content and Infrastructure Security, moderated by Guillaume Branders, Executive Director, EDCF in conversation with Ian Robbins, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Strategic Planning and EMEA Operations, Cinema at Deluxe and Joseph Boutros, Senior Manager Cinema & Group Entertainment Support Service at Dolby Laboratories, examining vulnerabilities in legacy equipment and proposing coordinated industry approaches.
Jan Rasmussen, Head of Screen Technology, Nordisk Film Cinemas, then presented “Cinema Hardware Lifecycles: Time For An Industry Conversation”, assessing equipment replacement cycles and long-term sustainability.
The interactive workshop “Next Steps in Energy and Operational Efficiency: Mapping Cinema’s Innovation Needs”, moderated by Jan Petersen, Owner, Cinetech Consulting, brought together Jan Harmsen, CTO, Kinopolis, Nicolas Hamon, Projection and Sound Manager, Kinepolis, and Brieuc van der Straten Waillet, Business Development Lead, Jetpack.ai, who examined future R&D priorities.
Participants then explored EPIC: Vue’s New Premium Large Format Experience with Kiril Enikov, Group Director of Cinema Technology, and Ruth Hinton, Group Head of Customer Experience & Insight, Vue International.
A collaborative session on Staff Training & Certification, co-produced with the International Cinema Technology Association (ICTA), followed. Moderated by Jan Runge, Board Member and International Representative, ICTA, it provided an overview of available training resources and invited feedback on areas requiring further development.
The programme continued with “AVATAR: Fire and Ash – Best Practices and Insights Ahead of Release”, presented by Scott Taylor, Senior Manager, Studio Operations, The Walt Disney Company.
The day closed with “Cinema & Cybersecurity: Protecting Networks and Equipment”, co-produced with the Cinema Technology Community (CTC). Moderated by Richard Mitchell, President, CTC, the session outlined key vulnerabilities and best practices for safeguarding connected cinema infrastructures.
Thank you to all our members, partners, speakers, sponsors, and attendees for an inspiring two days. We look forward to seeing you at future UNIC events, especially at CineEurope 2026 in Barcelona (22-25 June)!