Video Age International October 2015

42 Ten Steps to 2030 adequate substitute for a personal meeting, lunch or drinks with a key client. However, virtual market platforms will offer values that never existed in the traditional market conventions before — for example the seller can be actively present with their entire content catalog in a market 365 days a year. Another advantage is that the seller is able to connect with a much larger and more global audience, many of whom might not have attended a conventional market. It is already possible for buyers and sellers to discuss TV programs and their availability on Skype, send a online link to a screener, negotiate and close a license deal in little more than an hour. The same opportunity to close a deal in such a short time during a conventional market has its challenges, due to the under-half-hour duration of meetings and the time constraint for buyers to screen programs at the sellers’ booth. For Grant Raynham, “the future will be a combination of fewer live markets and more virtual markets.” The decline in attendance at traditional conferences and trade shows over the past few years has been attributed not only to financial problems, but also to factors such as fears of pandemic flus and terrorist attacks. As Alessandro De Rossi, CEO of Medianetwork Communications, a content distribution company in Italy explained, “buyers, content distributors and producers have always embraced the idea of virtual trade markets, it was the Internet and virtual technology itself that was not yet ready for them.” U sually on MIPCOM opening days, huge crowds of attendees would gather impatiently at the door of the Palais waiting for it to open, ready to rush to their first meeting. If these exciting moments belong to the past, then what is the future of international TV content sales? Internet technologies have impacted all businesses, not just television. For example, nowadays, before a large real estate company breaks ground to build a development, they model the entire community online. Then, they bring other realtors into the virtual software and give online tours to pitch pre-sales to foreign investors. This is now happening not only with the real estate business, but also with other industries, such as cosmetics, automobile, publishing, merchandising and eventually with TV trade shows. There have already been attempts to create virtual online markets for international TV and film content sales business, yet none of these have had much success among buyers and vendors. Germany’s Grant Raynham, a buyer/ consultant, commented: “Virtual markets are good for an overview, yet they lack the personal interfacing needed in closing a deal.” The general idea is that even in 2030, trade shows will be important for the direct, personal contact between buyers and sellers, which is hard to replace. In addition, acquisition and sales executives feel much more appreciated by their company when they are sent to trade shows in exotic places like Cannes, Miami or Singapore. It is almost a working vacation. However, online virtual markets have already replaced the mechanical side of sales. Therefore, companies can now allot less cash to spend on traditional markets and conventions. It is clear that companies will have much more return for their dollars online, and, even better, online marketing is measurable and predictable. But can the digital environment really displace brick and mortar events, where personal meetings can justify the expensive registration, strategically located booth, fees and travel costs? Rick Feldman, former CEO of the NATPE international TV trade show, expects that conventional markets will never disappear:  “Of course sales won’t migrate online and of course trade shows are here to stay.” Similarly, Greg Kimmelman, founder and CEO of Global Telemedia, a TV content distribution company in Boston, said, “Markets are a place to see [or meet] someone face to face, shake their handandget anopportunity that surpasses emails and even telephone calls. A personal meeting at a market can make all the difference with the transaction. I firmly believe [a traditional trade show] is a necessary part of our business and will continue.” Dom Serafini, VideoAge editor, added “While traditional trade shows benefit from personal contact (which is an essential component of the entertainment industry), virtual trade shows don’t have added value, since buyers can easily get all the information on the sellers own website. Plus, the conference component of a traditional trade show, even if it reduces floor traffic, increases the opportunity to establish relationships.” However, even at a virtual trade show, there are realistic-looking halls with booths for showcasing TV content. The buyers can view demos, pick up literature and chat with sales representatives in real time. Keynote speeches and seminars are delivered in real time or on-demand, creating a synergy that standalone companies’ websites can’t match. While buyers can get information from a seller’s website, it is time consuming to search for websites and companies that might have the TV program or series they are seeking. A virtual market allows buyers to search for products in a much more effective way, and sellers to showcase their content to buyers who do not attendmarkets because of budget or travel constraints.  The notion that websites can showcase a seller’s content just as well as virtual markets will not be true for much longer. First of all, new virtual technologies, especially 3D, have increased the potential for sellers to find new clients from a virtual market. If they wish, buyers can link directly from the virtual booth to the seller website. In addition, with traditional trade shows, buyers cannot physically cover 100 percent of the market floor and visit every booth in just two or three days. From the comfort of their office, however, they can cover the entire virtual market and visit every single virtual booth.  Participating in an online market may not be an By Ettore Botta October 2015 V I D E O A G E Virtual Trade Shows Have Merits And Time Will Prove Them Right Ettore Botta is president of SpaceWoW, a production and distribution company based in Los Angeles since 2001, and VP Marketing and Business Development for Speech Morphing, an entertainment media technology company. In 2011 he launched GEM.com, a virtual content market that suspendedservice in2014. Previously, he was VP Marketing and Sales at Sandra Carter Global, where he was executive producer for Hollywood Reporter TV weekly series. Botta began his career in 1972 as director cameraman for UPITN and ITN in South Africa and Swedish TV in Latin America. He also produced programs for BBC in the former Soviet Union and directed and produced educational documentaries for National Geographic in Africa, North America, Europe and Latin America. Ettore Botta