Professional Development and Innovations Sessions

The GSCA began its Audience Research project in fall, 2023. The Morey Group has been working with our Audience Research Task Force closely to develop a four-phased project:

1. Theater Positioning Report to identify giant screen theater audience characteristics, visitor origin, visit frequency, and market capture. Completed October, 2023.
2. National Market Survey to identify characteristics among current, lapsed, and non-attending audiences. Completed February, 2024.
3. Audience Survey to identify audience characteristics and motivations, evaluate experiences, assess impressions, and predict intent. Will be completed September, 2024.
4. School Group Survey to identify motivations, expectations, competition, and intent of school group field trips. Will begin First Quarter, 2025.

During this session, The Morey Group will present top level findings and actionable insights from the Audience Survey.

Do you know that consumers expect brands to offer optimism, uplift and re-enchantment? Or that 63% of consumers want brands to provide them with multisensory experiences? How about that consumers will actively seek out brands that give them a reason to smile? VML, a part of the world’s largest advertising agency, will share highlights of their 2024 global consumer trends assessment and insights into the evolving, almost at the speed of light, social media landscape.  What market segments are using which platforms? What format of messaging is working on each? Are there examples of AI driving messaging in social media?

With 30,000 employees world-wide including offices in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia and working with some of the biggest global brands VML has the resources and need for up to the minute consumer insights to help their customers drive growth and build relationships of trust.

They will focus on how their insights can assist our industry now. The VML office in Nashville has have direct experience with our industry having worked with the Tennessee Aquarium and IMAX Theater.

Session Organizers: Thom Benson, Tennessee Aquarium and Diane Carlson, Giant Screen Cinema Consulting

VML

• Session Leader: Brad Lisle, Foxfire Interactive
• Kick off the session with AI marketing expert, David Schweidel, Professor of Marketing at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. David explores how marketers can harness AI to boost ticket sales, optimize visitor engagement and operational efficiency. Next, hear from GSCA innovators who share their recent AI marketing experiments and experiences. Finally, engage directly with the speakers in a dynamic Q&A session, where you can delve deeper into AI strategies tailored to the unique challenges of the giant screen film industry.

Moderator: Phil Streather

Additional Presenters: Ryan Holota, Saskatchewan Science Centre

Description:

Is it time to re-visit the distributor/theater splits? 75% average to theatres was forged in the heady days of theaters spending $100,000 or more to market each film. Co-op marketing, where distributors provide theaters with cash to market the films, is increasingly the norm. This session gets down and dirty with the budgets, revenues and returns of our wonderful films and dares to ask the big question: Is it time for a change?

Presenter: Ryan Holota, with a real-life marketing data scientist (TBD)

Session Overview:

In a world increasingly driven by data, understanding how to collect and interpret data is crucial for making informed business decisions. This session aims to demystify data science for non-technical professionals, providing practical insights and easy-to-implement strategies.

Ryan, along with a marketing data scientist, will guide attendees through the basics of data collection, common pitfalls, and how to leverage data for better marketing and customer service outcomes. The focus is on simplifying data concepts and demonstrating how to make the most of available data. This session will cover:

• Introduction to Data Collection:
  • Importance of data in marketing and customer service.
  • Embracing mistakes as a learning process.
• Understanding Data Collection:
  • Types of data: quantitative vs. qualitative.
  • Data sources: primary vs. secondary.
  • Ensuring data quality: accuracy, completeness, and reliability.
  • The deceptive nature of data when handled lazily. E.g. “Data never lies, but it can say whatever you want”
• Types of Data in Marketing and Customer Service:
  • Customer Data: demographic and psychographic.
  • Behavioral Data: purchase history, website interactions.
  • Feedback Data: surveys, reviews, NPS & CSAT scores.
• Methods of Data Collection:
  • Web Analytics: tools like Google Analytics, key metrics.
  • Point of Sale: capturing email addresses and zip codes.
  • Customer Feedback Tools: designing effective surveys, using NPS and CSAT.
  • Social Media Monitoring: tools for sentiment analysis.
• Best Practices in Data Collection:
  • Ensuring data privacy and compliance (GDPR, CCPA).
  • Ethical considerations in data usage.
  • Maintaining data quality and validating sources.
• Practical Applications and Case Studies:
  • Marketing Campaigns: personalization and targeted advertising.
  • Customer Service Improvements: enhancing support with data insights.
  • Customer Experience Enhancement: creating seamless journeys.
• Tools and Technologies:
  • Overview of popular tools: CRM systems, marketing automation platforms.
  • Data analytics tools: visualization and customer insight tools.
• Conclusion and Next Steps:
  • Encouraging small starts in data collection.
  • Providing resources for further learning and support.

Presenters: Richard Morrison, IMAX Melbourne

Seeking additional presenters

Session Overview:

In today’s digital age, social media is an essential tool for engaging with audiences and driving traffic to giant screen theatres. Richard Morrison from IMAX Melbourne will present an insightful session on leveraging social media analytics to enhance audience engagement and improve marketing strategies.

Session Description:

Richard and his team are experts in using social media analytics to engage and grow the audience at IMAX Melbourne. He will share their methods & analysis of the theatre’s social media performance across multiple platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. This session will cover:

• Popular Content: An exploration of what types of posts and content formats have garnered the most engagement and why they resonate with audiences.
• Success Stories: Detailed case studies of successful social media campaigns that boosted attendance and enhanced brand visibility.
• Lessons Learned: Insights into what strategies did not work as expected, including an analysis of potential reasons and how the team adjusted their approach.
• Data-Driven Decisions: How to use social media analytics to inform marketing decisions and optimize future campaigns.
• Engagement Strategies: Practical tips for creating compelling content and fostering meaningful interactions with followers.

Attendees will gain valuable knowledge on how to harness the power of social media analytics to attract and retain audiences, tailor content to audience preferences, and ultimately drive ticket sales and visitor engagement.

Learning Outcomes:

• Understand the key metrics and tools for analyzing social media performance.
• Identify successful content strategies for different social media platforms.
• Learn from real-world examples of both successful and less effective campaigns.
• Gain actionable insights to improve your theatre’s social media presence and marketing efforts.

Presenter: Ryan Holota, with guests from other institutional theatres (TBD), Alamo Drafthouse (TBD), and the National Association of Concessionaires (NAC) (TBD)

Session Overview:

While ticket sales are essential, an underutilized revenue driver for many theatres lies in their concessions. This session will explore how theatres can expand beyond traditional offerings to create a more lucrative and appealing concessions menu.

Session Description:

This dynamic session explores the importance of innovative concessions in driving theatre revenue. With contributions from guests representing successful theatre chains and industry associations, this session will delve into:

• Current Trends: An overview of the latest trends in movie theatre concessions and how consumer preferences are evolving.
• Case Studies: Success stories from leading theatres such as Cineplex, AMC, and Alamo Drafthouse that have transformed their concessions to significantly boost revenue.
• Menu Innovation: Ideas for expanding your concessions menu beyond the traditional offerings of popcorn and Coke. This includes gourmet popcorn, specialty drinks, fast casual options, and unique food items like chicken wings and artisanal snacks.
• Operational Tips: Practical advice on managing an expanded concessions menu, from sourcing ingredients to maintaining quality and efficiency.
• Marketing and Presentation: Strategies for effectively marketing your new concessions offerings to patrons, including the use of social media, in-theatre advertising, and special promotions.
• Customer Experience: Enhancing the overall customer experience through better food and beverage options, thereby increasing repeat visits and customer satisfaction.

Moderator:  Thom Benson, Vice President and Chief Communications and Marketing Officer, Tennessee Aquarium & IMAX® Theater

 Panel Members:

David Blair Chief Marketing Officer, Chattanooga Tourism Co

Caroline Borgudd, Marketing Communications Manager and Steering Committee Member, Cosmonova, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden

one TBD either a distributor or theater with stories of success

Description:  

Learn how can you work with your regional tourism office to boost visibility and attendance to your theater. What do tourism offices look for in local partners? What data and insights can you gain from their visitor research? How can you work together to achieve mutual success? David Blair has worked with the Tennessee Aquarium and IMAX Theater and brings deep knowledge of marketing national brands and social media strategies to his tourism work. Caroline Borgudd from Stockholm works with her local tourism office to get valuable data about tourist trends and events that she can use to drive attendance. She will share examples of this beneficial information source.

Presenters: Nate Cohen and James Neihouse

Description:

In the on-going effort to find better ways to fill our Giant Screens with the proper aspect ratio image while using commercially available cinema cameras many filmmakers have taken to shooting “Sky Extensions” to fill the void on the screen. In this session you will see the results of the experimental use of two vertically stacked cameras and commercially available shift lens to achieve a taller aspect ratio represents an innovative approach in digital giant screen production.  This technique maintains the full horizontal sensor resolution of the capture system. This technique will also allow for some “reframing” to better accommodate the dome theaters.

By overcoming the challenges associated with this technique, filmmakers can expand their creative horizons and deliver visually striking content that stands out in a saturated media landscape.

Presented by Brian Eimer, ImagesInSound