16 ad_lindholm.indd 1 05.03.2013 10:40:49 To draw more traffic onto the market floor (and help everyone relax after long days of buying and selling), NATPE hosted Happy Hours each evening, offering participants complementary red and sparkling wine. But booze wasn’t just flowing on the market floor. Lines still formed throughout the day at the elevator banks as attendees waited to ascend the Tresor Tower lifts for meetings with exhibitors in the suites, and to keep participants happy while they waited, organizers offered sparkling wine and sparkling water at certain points of the day. Bubbly Saves the Day For NATPE March/April 2013 NATPE Review ( Co n t i n u e d ) (Continued from Page 14) (Continued from Page 14) suites and stands, which all went up, but it’s the cost of the Fontainebleau,” said Echegaray. “It’s becoming such an expensive venue, and the cost of everything is escalating to a point where people are shocked.” This includes the cost of food, drinks and valet parking. Of course, Echegaray recognized that “NATPE can’t control [the price hikes at the Fontainebleau], but the client base can by saying that if the prices continue to rise, they will not stay at the Fontainebleau, and will instead stay elsewhere.” He added that the NATPE organizationshoulddowhatitcan to “try to bring the costs down, to control the costs.” As Echegaray said, the “cocktail parties on the floor and welcoming cocktail parties all helped somewhat” because exhibitors were able to bring their clients to those events for a drink. “But when you sit down [at the bar] to have a glass of wine with a client, that high cost is ridiculous,” he said. Yet Echegaray remained positive,saying,“Theorganization was very friendly and very informative, and right there ready to assist you, andmost of the hotel staff was very attentive. The cost is my only complaint.” While Peace Point’s Tomlin agreed that the costs at the Fontainebleau are high, he acknowledged that “Miami is expensive at the best of times and worst of times. You get used to an 18 percent tip added to every receipt — that’s just Miami.” He also noted that no one from his company stayed at the Fontainebleau. “We were at the Grand Beach, and we quite enjoyed it,” he said. Regardless of the costs, everyone seemed to be happy with the sunny locale. “We look forward to Miami again next year,” said eOne’s Cabrera. Starz’s George concurredbecause “the location seems to be a good draw for the expanding European buying base.” Rod Perth, NATPE’s president and CEO, has confirmed that the market will once again be held at the Fontainebleau in Miami Beach, January 27-29, 2014. Activity, Costs Up at NATPE
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