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 Jim DiDio posted on Thursday, September 16, 1999 - 10:37 am
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I'm interested to hear what people thought of the six days in Noo Yawk. (I'm posting this un-anonymously to start off, although I may say some things that some people won't like. Feel free to post your thoughts, opinions, and agreements or disagreements, either "bravely" with name, or anonymously.)
Overall, I enjoyed the conference pretty well. Two things that I think could be done to improve it:
1.) The screenings should be broken down into subcategories (e.g. 3D-2D, flat-Dome, educational-entertainment) to allow delegates to optimize their time and concentrate on films that will impact them. Also, I'd rather see only 6 or 8 films that are realistic venue choices than 12 films with some of them not being practical. Not to anger our friends in China or Sydney, but certain films are probably not going to be signed by theaters other than the ones that contracted for them to be made; these types of films--along with films that have already been in distribution for months--should be presented during more "off-hours" (early mornings or evenings) and the bulk of the daytime slots should concentrate on new films that are viable for wide distribution.
2.) More time should be allotted for meetings and discussions. Hobnobbing at soirees is always fun, but I'd rather have only one or two "cocktail" events and more concrete meetings. It's not that I don't love free cheese and wine, but there's only so much networking you can do at these things. We had a First-Time Attendees Reception, an Opening Gala, a Marketing Awards Gala, a Tavern-on-the-Green reception, and the Francis Thompson award presentation--that's a lot of business-card-swapping in a five-day conference! I'd much rather see only two or three mass gatherings, with the rest of the time (including some of that freed-up time if you run less films) allotted to breaking down into groups. For example, given the recent developments in 1570, I'd like to see a Discussion Group formed for the institutions that operate 2D Domes, so those people can sit down and discuss their own particular concerns in the 1570 area (e.g. education vs. entertainment films; the role we think 3DSR will play in our neighborhood; the beneficial or harmful effects of the possibility of the IMAX brand becoming associated with 3D entertainment and how the 2D Domes could market themselves (either individually, or as a group); the particular needs of staffing and technical operations of a Dome, etc.,.). Or, more time could've been allotted for Professional Sessions (which, by the way, should not run simultaneously) or the Trade Show. Or, there could be Technical Sessions like the four Professional ones, where we sit down in rooms in small groups and discuss important aspects of operation (e.g. choice of arc-lamps, proper tools and supplies to purchase for a booth). Or, there could be Management Sessions (e.g. how many Projectionists should I hire and what should I pay them, how many shows should I run and at what times of day, is it best to have your own Ushering staff or to let another department of your institution run them, etc.,.). In general, I guess, I'd prefer to see a little more of the "A" (associating) in GSTA at this type of an event.
Overall, though, I think things went very well for a gathering of this type. The sponsorship worked well, and the planning and organization was clear and thorough (all the pertinent documents given to you upon arrival, all corrections and additions stressed). Kudos to whoever came up with the colored lanyard idea; that seemed to work well. Also, kudos to whoever designed the schedule: using buses to Jersey for Saturday and Sunday only, and using subway or foot-power for Monday through Wednesday in Manhattan, was a wise idea (as I would've hated to attempt to cross NYC on a weekday afternoon in a bus to get from a screening at Liberty to a screening at Sony). Kudos to the planning people: while my comments above may state that I'd like less "cheese and wine" events, the cheese and wine at said events was pretty tasty (with special mention for the folks who did up the food at the Liberty Gala and Tavern-on-the-Green). I would've liked to have seen the Francis Thompson event and the Technical Session take place earlier in the week, so fewer people would've resultantly cut out midway through the presentations to head home; but, when you have a multi-day conference, whatever you save for the end will probably be less-attended so it's tough to decide who gets to go last. Maybe we should skip the Opening Gala and have a Closing Gala instead, to ensure no one "cuts out of class early". :) |
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I found the conference to be very informative and enjoyable. (The social events were not quite up to the Sydney Standard . . . but we were there to work anyway . . . I am sorry that Hurricane Floyd made me miss the Tavern on the Green and Miss Saigon- Someone please give a full report!)
I think they did a great job with the logistics of 1000 participants, 3 theatres, NY congestion, etc. I am getting a small taste of what they went trough as I plan Big Screen Day for the ASTC Conference in Tampa- I can almost hear my hair turning grey.
One suggestion would be to have the Delegate List organized in several different ways: alpha by name, region, theatre name, etc. I am about to have one of my staff retype the list by theatre. And it would be nice if the print on the name tags was even larger, I found myself doing a lot of squinting.
Overall- great job- I look forward to Frankfurt! |
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| Jim DiDio posted on Thursday, September 23, 1999 - 10:04 am
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T.J.:
1.) Tavern-on-the-Green had very good food, amazing desserts, and open bar. 'Nuff said. :)
2.) "Miss Saigon" was okay, a lot like "Les Miz" but not as good. You would've found the opening nightclub sceme, um, interesting. :)
3.) You can hear your hair turning gray, huh? You must have to listen hard. To paraphrase, "the attendance at that Dome is pretty low". :) |
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