Welcome to BigScreenBiz.com

Firstly/ I try to make every Show West and East. Missed East last year and made most of all the rest for last 10 years or so. I believe in the shows and getting my direction and batteries reset. If I could regularly attend screenings or had a regional NATO that did anything perhaps it would not be as neccessary.

I left Atlantic City nervous for Show East but it has worked out very well for me. Good coffee across from the AMC, great seats, excellent movement from floor to movies to events. I always find a cheap place to stay nearby. My car rental and my hotel cost me nearly less for 4 nights total than the show hotel would have for one night. But the car gets me right where I want to be.

The best things? The movies, the schmoozing, trade show, open bars, casinoi night, flowers and birds and Cuban coffee at Bongo's.

3-D was really cool!

Digital looks better and better and watching the 10 panel members fight about it was great!

The worst things: no product reels or even a freaking DVD of the coming films trailers as they always did in the past.

The absolute grating assumption that everyone knows everyone and we're all mega corporate members. I would love to see events that featured 10 people you should know but can't meet. An "Independents Night" with state stickers on the floor and on your badge so you could go stand in the area you are from.

I would schedule in some nap or free time if it was up to me.

So the worst things are negligible to me. Most trade shows you go to are free and you wanlk around and meet vendors. This is really a 3.5 day marathon of breakfast-luunch-dinner-speeches-conferences-trade shows-movies-drinks-etc. etc. And it is not cheap. I estimated it at +_/- 2000.00 to go to Show East alone. +/- 35-4000.00 for 2 at Show West.

I saw 9-10 films of which they were all pretty good: more on that. Some were really good and I callled to book immediately. That's priceless.

I have been going long enough so that I always run into people I know: it is a small world and always find someone to sit with and bother. It's a real enjoyment to hang out with people in the industry and kvetch.

More later.... see you at the movies. I have to go see the Governor.

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Michael Hurley
Impresario

Showeast absolutely sucked this year. $800 for what? The food was not as good as in years past, the trade show was pointless (nobody there - the ones that were there were stingy). They ran out of goody bags... I don't know if I'm going to return to this. The Vegas show is loads better...Next year I'm probably just going to talk to my film company reps and get passes to the screenings, and skip the rest of the show. $800 is not worth it for salads/cheesesteaks/hot dogs/hamburgers...

It's a matter of bang for the buck -and Show East just didn't deliver. This was the first year in many that I paid full price to go-never again. All the networking and meet and greet could have been done without spending the dough. In years past I have had dinner with reps from American Cinema, Klipsch and Kinotone. This year I didnt set up anything ahead of time rather I relied on the regular schedule of Show East events. I was disappointed with the whole process(no goody bag for me either-no seats for the film Bobby)and too much digital will save the world BS.
All in all for the independent operator the $875 just does not seem worth it. I will go next year and set my own meetings in advance- and pocket the $. I am with you Mike Spaeth on this one.

What kind of loser am I? Good question. Sometimes you (or I) need actual proof. At the Show East trade show there was a Christie booth and you could sign up to be in a small tent filled with 20.00 bills blowing around and you had 20 seconds to grab and keep as much as you could. I was chosen as # 10 and went last. The first nine each hit for a max of 380.00 and a low of 180.00. When I got in I managed to grab 5 20.00 dollar bills for a total of 100.00. That's just the kind of guy I am: put me in a room full of free money and I come in dead last at picking it up.

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Michael Hurley
Impresario

Hmmm. My perspective on this year's show may be skewed. I was there to promnote our new feature "on eBay" and in that I was really successful with so much positive feedback that it kept me buzzed and looking forward to every event. Plus I had a mission to get rid of my 1000 pencils and 1000 hand outs: which I did.

So let me ask this: assuming there should be a Show East: what specific things would you like to see?

My list:
1. product reels
2. Technicolor DVD of upsoming films.
3. No "we ran out" of Goody Bags.
4. an event specifically targeting small players and independents.
5. Meet NATO board and directors reception.
6. more debates and seminars
7. a live auction of good stuff

and you?

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Michael Hurley
Impresario

This was the most dissapointing year I have had at the show for my short time attending Showeast. I thought it was mostly due to the fact that I really was not shopping for anything on the trade floor but maybe it was the show! It is always good to go to Florida in Oct, relax, meet new friends and have the business pay for it!

I think all good conventions put out survey's to get new ideas for the next show. We need one here. Both food events on the trade floor were very poor since we did pay $800 for the event.

We did network and that always has been good in the past. I wanted to meet more of you with Mike at the bar on Tuesday to exchange ideas and put faces with names.

Yes I did see Mike's grabe for the money and if you did not I won't tell you about it here. ( The Video may show up on his EBay site )

I find almost all the vendors I use at Showeast. They actually have time at this show to show you their stuff and talk for more than 30 seconds like at showest.

I agree with Mike the Digital Pannel at the opening cerimony was the best I have ever seen at Showeast or Showest. I still don't know how we little guys will ever be able to go digital. The 3-D stuff was great but when will this work at home? That could even change this advantage.

I saw Mike working hard at the show and maybe that is why he got more out of it than we did. We normally try and make sure we meet new people everyday and look at everything at the trade show. This year I was tired and looking forward to a good time here for about 6 weeks. So I had fun but did not accomplish much.



[This message has been edited by dsschoenborn (edited October 31, 2006).]

How would you change the shows? What would you add? Seminars? More learning?

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Michael Hurley
Impresario

One more reason not to pay to go to Show East-Two of the films-Stranger than Fiction and A Good Year-that were screened I can not get on opening day. What's the point of an independent seeing these movies when I won't be getting them til later. I had room at my cinema for both of these movies as I am pedominantly a first run theater with 7 screens.
Show East now turns out to be even more of a waste of money.

I have been asked to write a "what they should do at Show east and Show West" column for ScreenTrade magazine. This will serve as your final boarding calll to present suggestions to pass on.... Mike

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Michael Hurley
Impresario

1) many of the film companies promotion people are there on Casino night. But unlike Showest Schmoz-a-Rama lunch I find it hard to meet and talk to them. I have meet several of my promotion managers at Showest and now they and I have a face to go with a name so it makes working with them more personal.

2) Many studios keep saying that because of Showeast some of their films were more successfull because of the reaction they got they expanded the relesae. I have the same issue this year as many. Although I did enjoy the films many I am not opening or can not open due to screen print limits. Lets not let this turn into an all independant film showeast.

3) I felt more time pressure in the trade show this year for some reason. I would have spent more time at the trade show if I had it.

4) Trade show floor Lunch and Breakfast was a total disaster. We paid for it why can we not eat it. I don't mind standing at tables just have the tables to stand at and have enough food to feed the deligates so I can spend time with the vendors.

5) Events should run more on time everything would run better and we would have the time promised at events and on the trade show floor. If the trade floor opens at 8:30 then it should open then and not 9. There is no reason that should open late the vendors know when they have to get there.

6) I like the opening session this year. It was real and relevant enven to the little guys. Keep up that and maybe even add one and skip one of the .... award ceremonies.

1) Round table discussion for independent theaters only. (4 0r 5 locations at the max)
2)More time between events so as to be less rushed.
3) Make this event value based-make the experience a must attend event-perhaps a preview of the entire holiday film schedule.
4) Show us a good business model of efficiency and lower next years prices for registration
5) Have a movies only package for those who could care less about awards banqets and bad food.

I've currently decided I would rather go to NY a couple of times a year for screenings rather than go back to Showeast-same money but a lot more fun.