(Continued from Page 14) 16 June/July 2013 NATPE Budapest ( Co n t i n u e d ) three-day market, and its efficiency. After this edition, the panorama will be clearer.” In fact, many exhibitors indicated that their experiences this time around would likely impact their future plans. Caracol Television’s Sales executive for Eastern Europe and Asia, Roberto Corrente, said, “It is important to see how the clients react to the changes the major studios and the NATPE organization agreed to. Last year, we saw less client flux, mainly because of the event that the major studios did in parallel with NATPE Budapest. We really hope that during this new edition this matter is resolved, mainly for market relevance.” FremantleMedia’s Bolenius concurred that “in general [studio] screenings shouldn’t take place during the market because it’s not fair for distributors or buyers,” but he emphasized that “it’s not something that has had a negative impact on us; I see all my key clients regardless.” Thesamewas trueforA+ENetworks’ Zuccarelli, who noted, “Typically, studio screenings don’t usually impact us. We’ve always seen significant attendance fromour key buyers in the region, and have a full slate of meetings booked going into the market. In fact, the great part about NATPE Budapest is that we are able to meet face-to-face with clients who don’t always attend MIP-TV and MIPCOM.” Exhibitors are prepared for busy meeting schedules: “When I first began to plan, I was only going to stay two full days,” said Telemundo’s Pillow. “However, I decided to extend my stay to the entire three days of the market. It was the best decision I could make because my agenda is filling up very quickly and every half hour will be complete before I leave.” “Since this is a fairly short market, we do expect our schedules to be completely booked before the market begins,” said Starz’s Kimberley. In the weeks leading up to NATPE Budapest, Tess Charman, Sales director for CEE, Middle East, Africa for Entertainment One, told us her schedule is “filling up fast.” She also noted that she hoped “attendance continues to grow” this year and in the future. New this year, the NATPE organization also made a key “financial investmentinnavigational tools, creating a state-ofthe-art meeting concierge service called ‘Navigator,’” said Perth. The service is intended to “help buyers and sellers attending the market by providing assistancewithscheduling meetings and attending screenings,” he added. Something else that’s new this year is NATPE Budapest’s partnership with FRAPA, the international format industry association dedicated to the protection of formats. FRAPA representatives will attend the market and can be reached via NATPE Navigator to answer legal questions regarding format production, acquisitions or sales. One special event on the radar is a newbreakfast briefing session titled, “Extending the Value of Content – Beyond Borders and Across Platforms,” in collaboration with Broadband TV News at Café Gerbeaud. The session will be moderated by Broadband TV News editor Julian Clover, and speakerswill include Antony Root, EVP of Original Programming and Production for HBO Europe and Patty Geneste, chair of FRAPA. As far as the location and venue go, the organization doesn’t expect any changes in the near future: “We don’t have any plans to change the venue now, but we’re always trying to be responsive to our customers and trying to find the best, most efficient way to come together. Hopefully we’ll be [at the Sofitel Hotel in Budapest] for a long time, but we’re also pragmatic. We’re dedicated to serving the Eastern European region,” said Perth. And exhibitors are happy about that. Telemundo’s Pillowsaid, “Budapest is awonderful location. It is beautiful, safe, easy to travel to, has a wonderful climate, and most importantly, this market began in Budapest and for many of us it is now a tradition.” EchoBridge’sDemirtas concurred: “The current venue provides all necessary facilities and a good overview, so the only change I would love to see is an even bigger size and importance of NATPE Budapest.” Caracol’s Corrente also agreed that “for the moment…the place and the venue are the right ones for this important market.” Starz’s Kimberley likes “the Sofitel Hotel and feel[s] overall the market is run quite efficiently there. The location is central to many countries, as is the hotel a good meeting place in Budapest.” That said, she noted, “The markets are still continually changing and growing, so there might be merit in the coming years for a location change.” Meanwhile, FremantleMedia’s Bolenius noted that while he’s “very fond of having the market in Budapest, there could be room for improvement in terms of the venue.” Content’s Benmore said “In 2012 the venue and locationworked really well for us and I’d be happy to see the event remain there, however, Moscow would also be excellent in terms of reaching broadcasters in the Russian and CIS regions.” A+E’s Zuccarelli also expressed her satisfaction with the city and hotel, but said, “If it changes, we would be open to following the market.” Now it’s up to NATPE Budapest to lead the way. Starz’s Kristen Stanisz and Alisha Serold at the NATPE Budapest boat party last year Tetsuo Ito, Japan’s Ambassador to Hungary, chats with NATPE CEO Rod Perth in 2012 The experience this year at NATPE Budapest will be crucial for our company to better understand the future of this market, and to observe our clients’ response to participating in a screening plus a three-day market.
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