20 March/April 2017 V I D E O A G E In the past few decades, communication has changed dramatically between buyers and sellers of TV shows, movies, and new media. Yet, looking at preliminary attendance numbers for MIP 2017 — 11,083 participants — the need for a presence at a trade show has not changed. Some of Canada’s larger program producers and suppliers were asked to weigh in, and were unanimous: Trade shows still provide the most efficient and cost-effective way of accessing the greatest number of clients and prospective buyers. Even in the age of Skype, Apple’s Facetime, and online screening rooms “there is still no substitute for face-to-face meetings and catching up in person,” saidChris Knight, President and CEO of Gusto Worldwide Media, a producer of food and cooking content for both television and digital platforms. Shawn Rosengarten, VP, Distribution at Montreal-based Muse Distribution International, andNatalie Osborne, chief strategy officer, 9 Story Media Group, concurred that trade shows are an essential part of sales efforts and play a major role in international distribution strategy. ForCorusStudio’sRitaCarboneFleury, head of worldwide sales: “They present opportunities to pitch new content, build relationships and stay abreast of content trends and opportunities.” Christina Jennings, CEO and Chairman of Toronto’s Shaftesbury Films, added “During the early stages of project development, markets provide the opportunity to meet with multiple buyers at once, allowing you to gauge the international market’s appetite for the types of shows you are developing. In terms of selling completed product, trade shows are invaluable in getting your content in front of as many decision makers as possible.” Other companies concurred. Attending trade shows is vital to Blue Ant International’s sales and future growth. For Solange Attwood, SVP, Blue Ant International, the emergence of new content platforms means that global rights markets become a great opportunity not only to check in with existing clients, but also to continue to reach out to new ones. “Over the course of the year, each market showcases the launch of our new slate, keeping buyers informed of new acquisitions, pre-sales and co-production opportunities across all content genres,” she said. Donna MacNeil is VP, Marketing and Strategic Development for Marble Media, of which Distribution360, headed by Diane Rankin, is its sales and acquisitions arm. MacNeil finds that the knowledge and buzz that comes with the preparation for attendance at an important trade show is invaluable. And that there are still many buyers that use the key markets for their buying cycles and also as a barometer from which they evaluate programs! The same markets consistently come up in the respondents’ top three: “This year “MIPCOM, MIPTV, and NATPE are the three markets we are investing the greatest resources in,” said Rosengarten, adding that “our strategy can change year to year.” For Shaftesbury, MIP-TV, MIPCOM and Kidscreen are tops: “We specialize in scripted storytelling for all screens – these three markets have proven to be themost useful for us inmoving projects forward,” said Jennings. As a recently launched distributor, Corus is entering its second year of attending trade shows and among its priorities are MIP-TV, MIPCOM and Realscreen. “Through presence at each of these shows we are able to share our content with the worldwide marketplace,” explained Carbone Fleury. AllmarketsarecriticaltoBlueAntInternational’s success, said Attwood, “but MIPCOM, MIPDoc and MIP-TV provide a scale of business, given the large attendance from international buyers. We also pay special attention to Realscreen and ATF as buyers that attend those markets have traditionally enjoyed success with Blue Ant International content and brands.” For Marble Media’s MacNeil, MIPCOM, MIPTV, Kidscreen and Realscreen are tops due to the company’s focus on a broad selection of program categories, primarily kids, family and unscripted titles. 9 Story Media is a creator, producer and distributor of animated and live action content for young audiences. As such, its top markets are MIPJunior/MIPCOM, Kidscreen, andMIP-TV. But added Osborne: “We attend a number of markets during the course of the year, in addition to those, including NATPE, MIFA (The International Animated FilmMarket), Licensing Expo, Cartoon Forum and Asian Television Forum.” In allocating resources, Gusto currently puts more into trade shows but expects to include sales visits over the next few years, too. Per Corus Studio’s Carbone Fleury: “Both are key parts of our overall sales strategy. We are in the business of servicing our global clients and use both trade shows and sales visits to make sure we keep clients aware of the depth and breadth of our programming libraries.” Attwood said Blue Ant’s presence at international trade shows provides a home base not only for its sales team, but also for its premium production partners and adds that sales visits are a key component to its ability to deliver on those fronts. But financial and time allocations can change fromyear to year. Shaftesbury’s Jennings explained that, “it really depends on the kinds of projects on a current slate and the strategy established to best move them forward. Trade shows provide producers and distributors with the opportunity to meet withmultiple distribution platforms, fromkey territories, at once. On the flipside,marketmeetings are often condensed and can be rushed; it’s hard to replicate the quality of meeting you can have on a dedicated sales trip vs. a trade show. There are pros and cons to both strategies.” 9 Story strongly believes that attending markets is not enough. Osborne elaborated: “Our distribution strategy uses them to complement regular, regional sales trips, which can offer the opportunity for more focused meetings. Markets by nature can be costly endeavors. We have a large team, across distribution, development and marketing that attend some of our key markets, which is a considerable investment. Our sales trips are equally important and must work handin-hand with our market strategy.” Marble Media plans each year a bit differently depending on the programs being offered. “The trade shows provide a different kind of marketing opportunity to the sales trips. A trade show is about putting your company’s best foot forward with a key focus on title launches and branding exercises that are about both sales and acquisitions. Dedicated sales trips are more focused and can often close deals that may have been started elsewhere, but they are also about showing commitment to your clients and to getting to know their territory better,” said MacNeil. Do the seminars and conferences at trade shows benefit sales results? Shaftesbury finds, generally speaking, the majority of conferencebased seminars are beneficial as a way to gather market intelligence and get a good feel for what international buyers are looking for. “As both producers and distributors, we sometimes find inspiration and often discover emerging trends at seminars and conferences thus benefiting sales. They can also provide networking opportunities,” said Jennings. For 9 Story, though: “Because markets are such an investment, you need to maximize your time with clients and partners. When we do have the opportunity, we try to attend selective topics that resonate. Kidscreen in particular tends to be a good venue for panels and we typically will try to attend some of the seminars at MIP Junior,” said Osborne. “It’s hard to assess whether these have any impact on our sales results; they generally serve as an opportunity to hear from peers and partners in the industry, which helps inform trends and strategy.” But most sales companies find the sheer volume of meetings they book often precludes attending seminars. However, Corus executives do review the seminars’ linksmade available online through By Isme Bennie TV Trade Shows’ Attendance May Vary, But They’re Still Essential For Business Canada at TV Markets (Continued on Page 22) Rita Carbone Fleury, head of Worldwide Sales, Corus Studio
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