META Cinema Forum Promises to Grow the Region’s Cinema Share

META Cinema Forum brings together cinema stakeholders from the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and CIS countries, committing to elevate the cinematic experience in emerging markets.

 

The sixth edition of the highly successful META Cinema Forum took place between November 7-8, 2023, at the Grand Hyatt in Dubai under the theme ‘Growing the Region’s Cinema Share,’ exemplifying a dedicated commitment to fostering growth and innovation within the industry.

The event, attended by over 500 delegates, visitors, buyers, sellers, and other industry stakeholders, featured engaging discussions, presentations, and workshops addressing the industry’s challenges, solutions, and current market dynamics. Key topics covered included Regional Content Production and International Collaboration, Cinemas of the Future, as well as a comprehensive exploration of emerging cinema trends and technologies, incorporating vital cinema statistics and case studies delving into Rewarding Patrons and Effective Pricing Strategies.

A myriad of stands, presenting the latest products, services, and technologies from a carefully curated selection of industry suppliers, technology providers, and stakeholders, were also showcased at the event.

The forum also attracted the biggest cinema operators in the region as partners in success, with VOX Cinemas, the forum’s strategic partner, alongside AMC KSA, Cinepolis, Muvi, and other cinema operators presenting their future expansion plans.

A notable feature of this year’s edition was the spotlight on Women in Film and TV (WIFT). The event showcased a round table discussion titled ‘Beyond the Glitz,’ featuring prominent female panelists such as Nancy Paton, Founder of Desert Rose Films and President of WIFTGCC, Charlotte Louise Sutcliffe, Entertainment Lawyer and Associate at CWB, and Head of Events at WIFTGCC, Ozge Conduroglu, Acquisition & Distribution Lead at The Plot Pictures MENA, and Ashleigh Potts, Marketing Director at Studio Distribution, Majid Al Futtaim LLC.

Additionally, the forum celebrated rising female Emirati filmmakers Zainab Shaheen, Maitha Al Awadi, Eman Al Sayed, and Sarraa Al Shehhi. The spotlight also shone on Nayla Al Khaja, the first Emirati film director, who received recognition at the WIFT MENA AWARDS during the event.

 

META Highlights

 

Leila Masinaei, Managing Partner, Great Mind Events Management, remarked, “The success of the 6th META Cinema Forum reflects our unwavering commitment to advancing the cinematic landscape in emerging markets. This year’s event has reinforced our belief in the power of collaboration, innovation, and shared experiences within the industry. We are excited about the future possibilities and the role META Cinema Forum will continue to play in shaping the cinema sector in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and the CIS region.”

The two-day cinema conference also featured special screenings, including the latest Marvel movie ‘The Marvels’.

The highlight of the event was The META Cinema Awards and Gala Reception—a night of celebration recognizing outstanding achievements in the cinema industry. Nathan Gilligan, Senior Operations Manager at Comscore, and Nena Loncar, Client Insights Manager at Comscore, presented the awards. Recipients of this year’s META Cinema Awards include:”

Motivate Val Morgan was one of the media partners for the META Cinema Forum and a supporting partner for Meta Cinema Forum 2023.

META Cinema Forum 2022 Underlines Growing Opportunities and Challenges in the Region

The fifth edition of the hugely successful META Cinema Forum was held between 25-29th October 2022 at the Atlantis the Palm Island, with renewed optimism following the opening of several large-format cinema screens a few months after the industry began operating at full capacity.

As many as 56 exhibition stands displayed the latest products, services, technology from a select group of industry suppliers, technology providers and industry stakeholders at the convention.

Over 500 delegates, visitors, buyers, sellers, and other industry stakeholders attended the event, which also addressed the shortage of feature films, documentary films, and other film genres in the region.

More than 44 industry officials and experts shared their perspectives on the current market situation, challenges, and solutions through speeches, presentations, training, and workshops etc.

Industry leaders and officials who attended the META Cinema Forum included Toby Tennant, Senior Vice-President for EMEA Theatrical Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures International; Tonis Kiis, Senior Vice President for International Distribution at Warner Bros. Pictures; Paul Higginson, Executive Vice-President, EMEA of Universal Pictures International; Toni El Massih, Managing Director – Cinemas, VOX Cinemas; Andrew Such, CEO of AMC Cinemas; John Schreiner, Senior Vice President for Theatrical Development in EMEA, at IMAX Corporation and Zaur Darabadeh, Chairman of the Board of CinemaPlus, among other global leaders.

The forum witnessed powerful presentations from Saudi Arabia, Asia and Africa regions, the future of the large-format cinema halls as well as the prospects of the streaming services, technology disruptions and other subjects. Experts also addressed the demand-supply mismatch in film contents and theatre facilities across the Middle East and Africa.

Apart from the Middle East and African countries, cinema industry stakeholders from Turkey, Asia and CIS countries also joined the META Cinema Forum, making it a truly global cinema industry convention.

 

Meta Cinema 2022

 

Leila Masinaei, Managing Partner, Great Mind Events Management –organizer of the META Cinema Forum, said: “META Cinema Forum has successfully repositioned the region’s cinema industry in the global map, so much so that large-scale investment has widened the theatre facilities across the region. The industry is currently gearing up to increase the supply of good quality contents and regional blockbusters that will pull more viewers to the cinema halls.”

“META Cinema Forum has now become a global industry convention for which international cinema industry suppliers, technology providers and other industry stakeholders prepare and launch their latest innovations. As a result, we can see a number of global cinema industry suppliers have lined up new products and services for the industry,” she added.

The two-day mega cinema industry conference was followed by a three-day META Film Fest, which kicked off with the screening of three short films from the UAE: Deadline, Children of All and IDI, and screened over 70 shortlisted full feature films, documentaries, and short films from Iran, Jordan, Sweden, Korea, Egypt. The main attraction of the festival was the gala premiere of Emily by director Frances O’Conner.

 

Meta Film Festival 2022

 

The film festival also attracted several international and regional celebrities including Cris Mejia, Nayla Al Khwaja, Emirati film director, Maria Bello, and Casey Shannon, Shalila Samavati, Pegah Ahangarani and Neslihan Yeldan among many others.

Motivate Val Morgan was one of the media partners for the META Cinema Forum and a supporting partner for Meta Film Fest 2022.

 

Source: META Cinema Forum Press Release

META Cinema Forum 2022 to Address Demand-Supply Mismatch and Growth of Content in the MEA Region

META Cinema Forum brings cinema stakeholders from the Middle East, Africa, Asia, CIS countries and Turkey to address the demand of theatre facilities and shortage of film contents in certain markets while the overall industry shows strong growth in the MEA region.

 

The next edition of the META Cinema Forum will address the demand-supply mismatch in film contents and theatre facilities across the Middle East and Africa which will be held from October 25 to 26, 2022, at the Atlantis the Palm, Dubai.

Cinema industry stakeholders from Turkey, Asia and CIS countries will join the META Cinema Forum, making it a truly global cinema industry convention that has become one of the must-attend global cinema conventions.

More than 500 industry delegates, experts and participants will discuss and debate the opportunities and challenges faced by the industry stakeholders at the META Cinema Forum. More than 60 suppliers will display the latest products and services that boost the moviegoer experience. The two-day mega cinema industry conference will be followed by a three-day META Film Fest that will screen over 40 shortlisted full feature films, documentaries, and short films along with premieres of highly anticipated releases of 2022 at the VOX Cinemas at the Nakheel Mall.

“META Cinema Forum has become an international platform for the global cinema industry community to build partnerships and bridge the content gap, and to discuss ways to expand cinema chains into emerging markets,” Leila Masinaei, Managing Partner, Great Mind Events Management, said.

META Cinema Forum also complements the development of the creative economy whose contribution could make a significant impact in the Middle Eastern and African countries. It will boost the Dubai Creative Economy Strategy that aims to transform the emirate of Dubai into an international destination for creativity and the capital of the creative economy by 2025.

A recent report, The Future of the Creative Economy, by Deloitte, shows that the creative industry employed nearly 20 million people in nine countries.

“The nature of the creative economy will continue to change and specific businesses and sectors will thrive or decline. New sectors could emerge entirely. However, we can be optimistic that the creative economy as a whole is likely to grow over time,” Deloitte said in its research paper.

The Dubai Creative Economy Strategy aims to double the contribution of the creative industries to the GDP of Dubai from 2.6 per cent in 2020 to 5 per cent by 2025. It also seeks to more than double the number of Dubai-based creative companies from 8,300 in 2020 to 15,000 by 2025, and more than double the number of creators based in the emirate, from 70,000 in 2020 to 140,000 by 2025.

META Cinema Forum is the first and so far, the only cinema industry-focused convention in the Middle East and Africa region that has one of the fastest growing entertainment industries in the world where governments and the private sector are investing heavily in entertainment facilities to diversify economies and reduce dependency on a single economic sector.

The event brings all the stakeholders on a single platform to brainstorm on the growth of the industry and identify opportunities going forward. It will host seminars, awards, premieres of new movies, workshops, and masterclasses, and showcase new products and exclusive slate content presentations.

META Cinema Forum is backed by all the leading industry players. The event is supported by VOX Cinemas as the Strategic Cinema Partner, and the National Film Authority joining as Supporting Partner. Other leading industry partners include Universal Pictures International, Warner Bros. Entertainment, AMC Cinemas, Cinepolis Gulf, Maison SU, Cinemarine, CineBodrum, FilmHouse Cinemas, Golden Scene, Cinema Plus, Dolby, ME Cinemas, Starz Play, Cinepax and Empire Entertainment.

Motivate Val Morgan is a media partner for this year’s META Cinema Forum.

Source: META Cinema Forum

Winners of the META Cinema Forum Awards 2021

VOX Cinemas wins the Highest Grossing Exhibitor in The Middle East 2020-21 award for generating revenue amounting to US$171.7 million in the Middle East from October 2020 to October 2021 at the META Cinema Forum Awards 2021.

VOX Cinema’s US$171.7 million box office revenue represents more than 21 percent of the US$800 million box office revenue expected in the Middle East in 2021, according to research by Omdia.

 

The 4th edition of the META Cinema Forum – the largest cinema convention, covering Middle East and African markets, powered by Yummz Hot Chips Cafe, took place between 26th and 28th October 2021 at the Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai.

 

Eight winners were honoured with the highest industry accolades at the META Cinema Forum Awards for their achievements – based on the numbers collated from industry sources – making it the most authentic industry awards based on performance. Two of the awards were presented by META Cinema Forum while the rest 6 were presented by Comscore.

 

VOX Cinemas won the Highest Grossing Exhibitor in The Middle East 2020-21 award for generated revenue amounting to US$171.7 million in the Middle East from October 2020 to October 2021.

 

Cinemarine Cinemas won the Exhibitor of the Pandemic Period of Turkey. Cenk Sezgin, Chief Executive Officer, Cinemarine Cinemas, received the award for his organisation.

 

Murat Cemcir, Enterprising investor, Producer, Artist, was adjudged the Fastest Box Office Success in a Very Short Seasonal Period in Turkey. His organisation saw 21 million in admission and TL226 million Turkish Lira box office revenue in 10 movies.

 

Four Star Films won the Highest-grossing English Title in the Middle East 2020-21 for Fast & Furious 9 with box office revenue reaching US$16.98 million in the Middle East.

 

Empire Entertainment and Orient Films won the Highest-Grossing Arabic Title in the Middle East 2020-21–for Waafet Reggaala, which generated US$15.08 million box office revenue in the Middle East.

 

Film One won the award in the Highest-Grossing Title in Africa 2020-21 category for Omo Ghetto: The Saga, with box office revenue reaching US$1.66 million in West Africa.

 

Muvi Cinemas won the Exhibitor of the Year 2020-21 award for its recent accomplishments in growth and development during a period of great uncertainty having established 121 screens over 13 locations across Saudi Arabia.

 

Eagle Films won the Distributor of the Year 2020-21 in recognition of the support and dedication to deliver a pipeline of quality films during a period of risk and instability having more than 46 most films released during October 2020 – to October 2021 – including Wrath of Man and The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard.

 

Unlike other industry awards that are based on either corporate marketing presentations, public perception or jury nominations, META Cinema Forum Awards is based on pure numbers that puts them at the top of the ranking in each category where the names were chosen from.

 

Leila Masinaei, Managing Partner, Great Mind Events Management, said, “This is a true reflection of the best performance in each category in the film industry and we are pleased to honour them with their well-deserved awards.

 

“The numbers dictate who wins the awards. For example, Four Star Films won the Highest-grossing English Title in the Middle East 2020-21 for Fast & Furious 9 that is based on the box office revenue figure, reaching US$16.98 million in the Middle East. No one can dispute its rank as top-grossing film in the region.

 

“As MENA Cinema Forum matures as the largest cinema convention in the Middle East and Africa, we want to make thing more transparent to ensure authenticity of the awards that are based on third-party research.”

 

Box office revenue in the Middle East is set to cross US$800 million in 2021, US$1 billion in 2022 and US$1.3 billion in 2024, recovering from US$250 million in 2020 – marking the fastest recovery in the world, according to research by Omdia.

 

More than 500 industry delegates, experts and participants discussed the opportunities and challenges faced by the industry stakeholders at this year’s META Cinema Forum. The three-day mega film industry conference took place just a few weeks into Dubai Expo 2020 – the largest event in the Middle East and Africa region.

 

The Middle East and Africa region has one of the fastest growing entertainment industries in the world and governments are investing heavily to diversify economies and reduce dependency on a single economic sector

 

Motivate Val Morgan was a media partner for this year’s META Cinema Forum.

 

 

Sources: Press Release (Great Mind Events Management)

 

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Saudi Arabia Becomes the Top Theatrical Market in the Middle East

While box office returns in 2020 will suffer an estimated 80% global drop due to COVID-19, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is bucking this downward trend, having grown since 2019 to become the Middle East’s top grossing territory this year to date.

 

Fresh figures released during the recent META Cinema Forum exhibitors’ conference in October reveals that the Kingdom has overtaken the United Arab Emirates this year, and is currently the region’s top-grossing territory, with more than $73 million in theatrical movie ticket sales over the past 40 weeks – a roughly $2 million increase in box office returns compared with the same period in 2019.

 

The UAE during the same 2020 period has generated roughly $51 million, roughly a quarter of its 2019 box office draw.

 

Commenting on the growth of the theatrical market in KSA, Cameron Mitchell, CEO of VOX Cinemas says: “We believe that Saudi Arabia is the only cinema market globally to have expanded in 2020.”

 

Mitchell sees the Saudi market as having increased by roughly 4% year to date – despite the fact that, due to the pandemic, cinemas where closed between March and the middle of June – and is forecasting an 8% growth by year’s end.

 

The theatrical market in the Middle East in 2019 was worth $600 million, of which Saudi accounted for a $110 million share and the UAE roughly $250 million – which excludes releases of Indian and Arabic films and some indie content. “This year our numbers are telling us that the UAE is going to be worth about $60 million, and Saudi is going to be worth $120 million,” says Mitchell.

 

In terms of the bigger picture, Mitchell believes that Hollywood will value the Middle East at about $220 million in 2020 out of which KSA will contribute to 50% of the same this year.

 

David Hancock, an analyst at London-based Omdia says, “The fact that Saudi has now overtaken the UAE, albeit in a weird year, is suddenly a milestone for the Saudi Arabian cinema market.” Hancock expects the country will be a billion-dollar market “in 3 to 5 years,” depending on recovery from COVID-19 which he estimates this year will cause an 80% global box office drop, with losses totaling up to $30 billion. He also mentioned that KSA is on track to become the dominant market in the region “and one of the top 10 or 15 markets in the world.”

 

An interesting aspect of Saudi Arabia’s current box office upswing is that grosses in the country are currently generated from a mere 260 screens – less than half the 614 screens operating in the UAE. Average occupancy levels in cinemas across the Middle East have not gone beyond 20%, and Saudi is no exception. However, in terms of generating box office, KSA has the cushy advantage boasting of an average ticket priced at $17.60, which is the highest in the region followed by UAE figure which is $12.80, and Kuwait, the region’s third market, priced at $11.90.

 

Since cinemas re-opened in June, the biggest releases across the Middle East was Tenet, earning $1.1 and $1.5 Million in its opening weekend in UAE and KSA (figures from Box Office Mojo), followed by Mulan – which earned over $1.3 Million in its opening weekend in UAE. Unhinged starring Russel Crowe also performed handsomely in the region, though figures were not made readily available.

 

Meanwhile, screen growth in Saudi Arabia is going forward undeterred, with VOX presently operating 124 screens across 11 locations. Aside from VOX Cinemas, other cinema exhibitors operating in the Kingdom include Muvi Cinemas and AMC Cinemas who have 10 and 6 operational cinemas respectively, and are in the midst of massive expansion plans over the year ahead.

 

It’s also interesting to note that a number of new cinema locations opened across KSA, post the COVID-19 lockdown. VOX Cinemas opened three new locations – Sahara Mall, Tabuk Park and Al Jamea (Town Square), Muvi Cinemas massively expanded with the opening of six new locations – Jubail Mall, Al Ahsa Mall, Haifa Mall, Aziz Mall, Nakheel Mall (Riyadh) and Mall of Dhahran, and AMC Cinemas opened four new locations – Hafr Al Batin, Riyadh Gallery, Al Khair and Azizia Plaza.

 

VOX projects there will be a total of 340 screens in operation in the country by year’s end, and close to 700 by the end of 2021.

 

Having a market like Saudi Arabia can help Hollywood studios offset some of their losses, says Mitchell, who is worried that due to COVID-19, the supply chain is drying up. To overcome the challenge posed by the lack of new content, VOX is stepping up its offer of alternative content such as live soccer matches, opera and concerts, and also classic re-releases. VOX has also teamed up with local players Image Nation and MBC Group to produce a slate of Arabic films, at least three of which they plan to release in 2021 as part of a plan to release up to 10 Arabic self-produced titles annually.

 

Mitchell is confident the country will become a top ten global market for cinema, with ResearchAndMarkets.com forecasting the industry in the Kingdom will be worth more than $1.2 billion by the end of 2030.

 

 

Sources: Variety, Arabian Business, Arab News

META Cinema Forum Discusses the Region’s Project Updates and COVID-19 Recovery Strategy

Including META Cinema Forum Awards, Screenings and More

 

October 27, 2020 – Dubai, UAE. The third edition of META Cinema Forum kicked off today and is supported by the cinema giants in the region. Throughout the two days the conference will discuss all the latest projects and developments in the industry and the effect that COVID-19 has had on the cinema industry, projections, plans and the vision for recovery.

 

Taking place on 27 -28 October at VOX Cinemas, Mall of the Emirates, the event will gather 28 of the industry’s leaders in cinema production, distribution, construction, and technology. For the first time ever, the event is taking place in a hybrid format, welcoming attendees to attend physically or virtually via video conferencing technology. The speakers and the panelists choose whether to participate in the physical form hosted at the VOX Cinemas, or on a digital platform, making the event accessible to all and a global first live hybrid event to be shown in a cinema.

 

Focusing on the current challenges the industry is facing, the content and format has been adjusted accordingly to cater to the needs of the industry and commenced with the welcome remarks from Leila Masinaei, Managing Partner of Great Minds Event Management, organisers and Head of the META Cinema Forum team followed by the Forum’s Strategic Partner, VOX Cinemas, Cameron Mitchell, Chief Executive Officer, Majid Al Futtaim Cinemas and Majid Al Futtaim Leisure & Entertainment.

 

At the welcome remarks, Leila Masinaei, Managing Partner of Great Minds Event Management said: “We are  thrilled to host the world’s first hybrid conference shown live on digital platform and at a cinema, with speakers participating in person or virtually, all blended together for a seamless hybrid experience like no other. We continue to commit to our promise to deliver the richest up-to-date cinema industry content for the Middle East and African markets, working with some of the most influential cinema experts in the world.”

 

Masinaei continues, “As always the Forum includes features such as slate content presentations, special screenings, an awards ceremony, a post-event reception as well as product showcases, but in the new hybrid format blending the virtual and physical together for a first time ever experience. We are excited to welcome many new delegates to this year’s edition, whom had not attended the pervious editions and is made possible thanks to having the option to attend virtually, this is a blessing of the new era I think we sometimes forget to mention.”

 

At the opening keynote from Event Strategic Partner: Cameron Mitchell, Chief Executive Officer, Majid Al Futtaim Cinemas and Majid Al Futtaim Leisure & Entertainment, said ”The future of film depends on enhanced collaboration and, VOX Cinemas is proud to once again partner with the META Cinema Forum, which provides an important platform for key stakeholders and leading industry players to engage in open dialogue, share knowledge, challenges and ideas so that we can jointly as an industry navigate the unchartered waters of COVID-19 together and ensure the longevity of the cinema industry.”

 

He continued, “Cinema is one of the oldest cultural institutions, which has weathered numerous societal storms, wars and prospered through over a century of challenges. At VOX Cinemas, we remain fundamentally confident about the future and resilience of the industry and firmly believe that, if we continue to evolve in line with guest feedback and emerging trends, cinema will find a way, as it has throughout its history, to not just survive but thrive.”

 

Followed by insightful speech about cinema statistics and analysis during and post-pandemic era by Pablo Carrera, Principal Analyst- Cinema, Omdia. The data shared was exclusively research for META Cinema Forum and presented for the first time to a global audience.

 

Next on the agenda was a keynote panel discussion titled: Effect of COVID-19 on the cinema industry, projections, plans and vision for recovery and beyond where John Iozzi, CEO and Managing Director, AMC Cinemas – KSA, Maria Gedeon, Marketing Director, Majid Al Futtaim Leisure, Entertainment and Cinemas, Phil Clapp, Chief Executive, UK Cinema Association and John Donnelly, Business Development Director, Dolby Laboratories discussed critical topics such as the effects the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the cinema industry across the globe and in the META region, future of the cinema industry, market forecasts, operating cinemas within the “new normal”, profitability of cinemas at reduced capacity and most importantly, the road to recovery.

The Panel Discussion was followed up by a technical presentation from Dolby.

 

The second panel of the day, addressed the most critical subject in the theatrical industry, content. As the global news outlets have reported, cinemas are shutting down around the world due to lack of content and continued delays in blockbuster releases from the studios. The META region has a unique advantage by having access to a diverse range of content to cater to their population rich in diversity, and if nurtured, would not only survive the pandemic, but lead the way in the global cinema recovery by pioneering diversified content sources for the cinemas.

 

Experts offered their perspective on the subject from their unique positions in academia, production, distribution, event cinema, and cinema exhibition, the panel discussion was joined by Toni El Massih, Chief Content Officer, Majid Al Futtaim Cinemas, Joel Haikali, Director/Producer at Joe Vision Production, Chairperson of Namibia Film Commission Board, Co-founder of the Creative Industry Guide Africa, Rony Mitri, Independent Distribution Advisor, Melissa Cogavin, Consultant, Melissa Cogavin Ltd, Dr. Fazal Malik, Dean Humanities, Arts and Applied Sciences, Amity University Dubai, Grainne Peat, Managing Director, Event Cinema Association and Serge Zabbal, Business Director, Empire Entertainment.

 

The final panel discussion of the day was dedicated to the latest in cinema technology and unique products that are being developed with the cinema recovery around the world.

 

Showreels of upcoming features from various studios were shown throughout the day, and day one was wrapped up by a special film screening of a film that was shot in Dubai, Twisted Blues and this is the first time the film has been played on the big screen.

 

Day two of the forum is jam-packed with live sessions hosted at VOX Cinemas, Mall of the Emirates, slate content presentations, an awards ceremony and post-event reception.

 

The forum has attracted the biggest cinema operators in the region to be its partners in success. VOX Cinemas is the forum’s strategic partner whilst NovoAMC KSACinepolisCinepax and FilmOne are the forum’s Cinema Partners. The list of production and distribution partners for the 2020 edition includes Empire EntertainmentSonySPRI, and FilmOne.

 

Related Article:

META Cinema Forum Confirms 2020 Event in Hybrid Format

Highlights from MENA Cinema Forum 2019

Highlights from MENA Cinema Forum 2018

 

 

Source: META Cinema Forum (Press Release)

META Cinema Forum Confirms 2020 Event in Hybrid Format

Now in its 3rd edition, META Cinema Forum, the largest cinema convention covering the Middle East and African Markets, will take place from October 27 – 28, 2020.

After signing an agreement with the Pan African Film Consortium, the MENA Cinema Forum was re-branded as META Cinema Forum, inclusive of Middle East and the entire African continent.

For the 2020 edition, in consideration of the ongoing challenges around the global pandemic, the META Cinema Forum will be conducted as a hybrid event, first of its kinds in the world.

The event includes an invaluable conference covering all key critical topics of the cinema sector, from projects and plans to technology and content. The conference has traditionally been accompanied by the biggest cinema convention in the region, to offer the latest in supplies and technologies to the stakeholders. Special screenings, premieres, slate presentations, workshops, awards, and post event receptions have accompanied the conference and trade show to make it a comprehensive cinema convention for the region.

 

2020 META Cinema Forum in Hybrid Format

 

“The cinema industry has been amongst the most impacted sectors by the pandemic, but if the $54 million USD BOX Office sales of Tenet, the first blockbuster release since the pandemic, in its opening week at select international markets has proven anything, it’s that moviegoing is a habit we do not wish to kick, and that passion for movies and cinema as a form of accessible entertainment is here to stay. Therefore, in close coordination with the major global stakeholders, we came up with a true hybrid event, the first of its kind in the world, to facilitate collaborations that are required to help with the recovery. The event will highlight the plan for projects in the region, the recovery phase for the cinema industry, and content diversification as key critical elements. We are very delighted to work with VOX Cinemas once more as our Strategic Partners, and to be able to stream live digital content at VOX for local audience to enjoy, not to mention, to be the first in the world in 2020 to showcase upcoming movies from various studios and their new release dates,” says Leila Masinaei, Conference Director and Managing Partner, Great Minds Event Management.

The 2020 edition will include a knowledge packed conference, select slate presentations of upcoming content and films from leading Hollywood and international studios, including Africa for the first time, at VOX Cinemas, Mall of Emirates in Dubai, a live META Cinema Projects Insight session with the most senior cinema leaders in the region and rounded off with a networking after event reception. Cinema innovations and advanced technologies will also be displayed as a product showcase floor at the event.

For those who don’t wish to attend physically, don’t panic, all conference content will be available live via video conferencing technology and will be free of charge for all to attend this year.

Click here to register for this year’s forum, or contact Great Minds Event Management for more information.

 

 

Source: META Cinema Forum