Frank de Neeve of Cineserver
Here is another entry in our series presenting the comments of industry participants on last month’s Cinema Expo.
Frank de Neeve is not only an experienced projectionist working in The Netherlands, but he also runs the digital cinema news website Cineserver.nl. For those whose Dutch might be a little rusty, the site can be translated by clicking on the U.K. flag in the upper right hand side of the navigation bar.
Without further ado, here is de Neeve’s thorough accounting of Cinema Expo:
Naturally this year’s Cinema Expo was the first one that was a joint production between UNIC – the European exhibitors Association and the Sunshines. I think the cooperation can work well; UNIC might not be able to manage on their own as NATO will do next year. Last year there were two conflicting shows: Cinema Expo and the week before that the European Cinema Summit in Brussels.
The European Cinema Summit was by far the worst show I have ever been to: it was badly organized, panels were boring and went on for too long, there were too many people that liked to hear themselves talk etc. No refreshments, hardly any companies on the trade show (Doremi even left after the first afternoon!). However, the topics they wanted to cover in discussions were good.
For years – although people flocked to Cinema Expo – Europeans have also been critical of the show:
- It was too American, with only blockbusters, Coca Cola sponsored seminars, etc.
- The trade show only being open a few hours a day as otherwise people might miss ‘important’ Hollywood films
- There was not enough room for discussion that reflected the cultural diversity of Europe, with traditional discussion points like piracy and windows always popping up.
You could this year already see a shift in the panels:
- Many were presented by Phil Clapp of the UK exhibitors association
- There were even two instances where headphones were handed out, as one of the panelists was speaking in French. I think this has only happened once before.
Popularity: 6% [?]
The UK’s largest exhibitor 
Much to no-one’s surprise, French cinema chain 
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