V I D E O • A G E DE C E M B E R 2 0 1 1 22 (Continued from Cover) Miami Success Fontainebleau, a sprawlingMiami Beach venue, for the second year in a row. The hope is that the hotel will become a permanent home for the event, provided NATPE manages to keep costs down. As it is, TV executives are complaining that organizers are milking exhibitors with added expenditures, capitalizing on the renewed success of the market, but blaming those expenditures on the hotel’s increased costs. The2011editionof themarketboasted 4,500 attendees, including 702 buyers. The move to Miami boosted overall participation by adding about 1,000 participants, which, some observed, went a long way toward reviving the ailing market. The influx of attendees included not only broader participation from Latin America, but also the return of many Europeans who had opted out of the market in recent years. Organizers predicted this trend will continue at the 2012 market, as new companies from previously under-represented regions such as France, India, Iran, Turkey and a number of African countries, have already registered. The success of NATPE 2011 was widely attributed to the change of venue. After several markets in Las Vegas, NATPE set up shop in Miami for the third time, including the 1994 event. And although, for the most part, things ran smoothly, there were still a few kinks to work out. Long lines at the elevator banks in the Tresor Tower, which housed the suites, held up a number of meetings and, at times, trapped some participants in the stacked elevators. Meanwhile, the stands exhibition, located far away from the Tresor, wanted for foot traffic, to the detriment of the small and medium sized companies that opted for booths. This time around, organizers have ironed out the bumps in the road with a handful of strategies. NATPE’s president Rick Feldman summed up the general attitude toward the market best: “We love it, it’s fantastic. Get those elevators fixed.” Feldman added that organizers are working on ways to logistically handle the even bigger crowd that is expected in 2012. One such tactic involves cutting down the number of exhibitors in the Tresor Tower by about half and distributing suites among the hotel’s three other towers. “It’ll be more balanced,” said Feldman, “it should make the elevator issues a lot less of a problem.” Indeed, this year the major U.S. studios will be scattered among the four towers with Fox at the Sorrento, CBS at the Chateau, NBC Universal and Warner Bros. at the Versailles, Sony Pictures at the Marina like last year, and Disney at the Tresor. This allocation will bring much needed relief to the Tresor, especially considering the increased presence of the studios, which, in the case of NBC Universal, will occupy an entire floor of the Versailles Tower. Yet, most of the telenoveleros will remain at the Tresor, with only Televisa opting for the conference facility next to the registration and floor areas. Other distributors will be using stands on the exhibition floor. In total, over 250 companies are expected to exhibit. Where the conference program is concerned, participants can expect a streamlined schedule, with an emphasis on business. Feldman stated, “Some people think we do too much. So we cut down on what we’re doing at lunchtime, so people don’t feel conflicted. We’re going to take a ‘less is more’ approach.” However, seminars, panels and keynotes will focus on content creation, distribution and financing for multiple platforms, as usual. Mayra Bracer, Latin America Television Sales executive at New Yorkbased A+E Networks, was enthusiastic about the market. She and her team had a positive experience at the 2011 event. “I loved it last year,” she said, “It was a nicer venue to be in, particularly for my market. Everyone was in a really good mood and it felt like a really comfortable setting.” On the elevator situation, Bracer was pragmatic. “It is an unfortunate reality that the hotels are not designed to handle that many people,” she said. “The suite format of NATPE is very good for us, the distributors. It requires a lot less setup and is very comfortable. But I do feel for the buyers. It would ultimately be good for everyone to figure out a better solution.” Lia Dolente, manager of International Sales & Publicity at Toronto-based Tricon Films and Television, said the company will be using the market to “establish and foster relationships in Latin America and the U.S., which are both key markets for Tricon.” She added, “It’s also a very good market for introducing new programming.” Dolente expressed satisfaction with last year’s market, but also looked forward to this year’s improvements. “We [attended] last year,” she said, “and NATPE has made a number of key changes this year to improve the ‘growing pains’ of moving to Miami, a move we are very happy with.” Additionally, noted Dolente, “We find it to be a slightly less hectic and more casual market, offering more opportunities for impromptu meetings with potential buyers, unlike the larger markets where meetings need to be planned months in advance. Also, as there are generally fewer international broadcasters in attendance at NATPE, we can focus on our U.S. and Latin American relationships.” For Los Angeles-based Eyeworks Distribution, 2011 marked the company’s first foray at NATPE. Ted Bookstaver, the firm’s director of International Sales, said the market “proved to be quite positive, andNATPE will definitely be in our long-term plans.” Asked to suggest advancements for this year’s event, Bookstaver noted, “better consolidation of the buyer/ distributor population is never a bad idea, especially for a three-day market with 30-minute meeting slots.” Bookstaver and his team plan to use NATPE to finalize deals begun at MIPCOM. “The timing of NATPE is great in that regard,” he said, adding, “we also hope to continue extending Eyeworks’ global reach by establishing and fortifying relationships with clients that we might not see in Cannes, such as those from several Latin American territories.” Naturally,LatinAmericandistributors will be out in full force at NATPE 2012. Cesar Diaz, vice president of Sales at Miami-based Venevision International, said of the market, “NATPE has always been a top contender on our list of conventions that we attend each year. As it takes place early in the year, this market is ideally suited for us to introduce our Latin American clientele to our lineup of new products for the year.” As for improvements to the 2012 event, Diaz, like many, mentioned the elevators. “However,” he noted, “the [2011] event itself was a major success in as far as meetings, social events, and networking were concerned. No doubt having the convention in a tropical setting such as Miami was a welcome change of pace from Las Vegas. The only other perfect idea would be to have everyone and every activity under one big roof — much like the good old days of the one convention floor when all exhibitors used display booths.” Attendees can expect a bustling market. Parties in the suites and throughout Miami Beach will be plentiful. Social events will also include, as usual, NATPE’s Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award, honoring excellence in television leadership, and an accompanying gala on Tuesday, day two of the market. This year, NATPE will honor FremantleMedia North America’s CEO Cecile Frot-Coutaz; Fernando Gaitán, VP of Production and Content for RCNTV; Dennis Swanson, president of Station Operations for FOX Television Stations; and Matthew Weiner, creator and executive producer of Mad Men as recipients of the Tartikoff Award. Additionally, the NATPE Digital Luminary Awards will be followed by a champagne toast on Wednesday. The Luminary Awards, now in its third year, acknowledges the innovative people and companies who are catalysts in the content revolution. Honoree suggestions were accepted up until November 4, and honorees were chosen from those suggestions as well as those made by the NATPE staff. NATPE will announce the honorees in mid-December. The market will kick off with a pre-opening party on Sunday, sponsored by Venevision. The NATPE-organized opening party will follow on Monday, while other parties are in the works.
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