Suivez le Lab de Sofia en live!
21-23 March 2024
Le Lab de Sofia sera disponible en live-stream pendant les 3 jours de l'événement, afin de permettre à tous les exploitants et professionnels européens non présents de suivre les sessions principales et les études de cas.
(Cette actualité n'est disponible qu'en anglais)
The Sofia Innovation Lab will take place from Wednesday 20 to Saturday 23 March 2024. This year’s edition is entitled "Uplift your Skills and Strengths & Embrace New Challenges for your Cinema and Audiences" and will welcome 35 exhibitors from 16 different countries.
Led by Tom de Bont (Executive Director and Special Programmer, HEERENSTRAAT THEATER, Wageningen, The Netherlands) together with Ola Starmach (Event Programmer and Communication officer, KINO POD BARANAMI, Krakow, Poland), the Sofia Lab will be a great opportunity to share approaches and find practical solutions to some of the big questions facing the film sector.
The live-streamed sessions will include a diverse range of topics such as: staying ahead in the digital era, attracting young audiences through social media, AI and innovating marketing strategies, identifying cinema’s strengths and staff skills, implementing sustainable solutions and developing collective projects.
Follow the live-streamed sessions on our YouTube channel here.
Timetable for the live sessions (indicated in EET, local time – Sofia, Bulgaria):
Thursday, 21 March 2024 - Unlocking Potential: Marketing, Programming, Communication
SESSION 1 – Marketing Strategies: Staying Ahead in a Fast Changing Environment
9.30 – 10.00 am
Marvin Wiechert, Yorck Kinos, Germany (Marketing, Audience and Technology Expert) – What is digital marketing? The basics of digital marketing
Short Q&A
10.00 – 11.00 am
Adrianna Skornicka (Kino Pałacowe, Poznan, Poland): Enhancing cinema brand presence within a multifaceted public institution
Oana Furdea (Union, Bucharest, Romania) - Rebranding the cinema’s identity, through social media
Claudia Placuzzi (Cinema Eliseo, Italy): How to boost your community engagement with Instagram
Raul Forcada Delicado (Cines Embajadores, Madrid, Spain): Targeted digital marketing: You are your own best embajador
Short Q&A
12.00 am – 12.30 pm
SESSION 2 – Alternative Programming: Curation and new offers
Tom de Bont (Heerenstraat Theater, The Netherlands) – Short Session Introduction followed by a presentation of Cineville membership card programme
Sara Horžen (Kinodvor, Ljubljana, Slovenia) - Cinema on Demand – a success story
Dan Kratky (Cinema Svět, Hodonín, Czech Republic) - Data driven programming
12.30 am – 1.00 pm
Marvin Wiechert, Yorck Kinos, Germany (Marketing, Audience and Technology Expert) – AA – AI and Arthouse
Short Q&A
2.30 – 3.15 pm
SESSION 3 – Optimizing Your Communication Means and Tools
Ola Starmach (Kino Pod Baranami, Poland) – Short Session Introduction
Amelie Jennequin (Quai10, Charleroi, Belgium) – Gaming with a new audience
Hester Noordhuis (Filmhuis Slieker, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands) – Standing out in a saturated digital landscape
Züleyha Azman (KINO Rotterdam, Netherlands) – KINO's digital marketing strategy
Short Q&A
Friday, 22 March 2024 - Renewing Audiences: Upskill your Staff to Launch New Services and Partnerships
9.30 – 10.05 am
SESSION 4 – Adapting Projects to Reach Out to New Audiences
Ola Starmach (Kino Pod Baranami, Poland) – New Young Cinema Ambassadors programme
Hester Simons-Terpstra (Filmhuis Slieker, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands) – Open up to new audiences: The Noordelijk Film Festival and its impact
Short Q&A
10.05 – 11.15 am
SESSION 5 – Enhancing the Cinema Experience through Services and Eventisation
Tom de Bont (Heerenstraat Theater, The Netherlands) – From hospitality to hostmanship
Dan Kratky (Cinema Svět, Hodonín, Czech Republic) – Refreshment: greening the cinema’s side offer – audience impact
Patrycja Blindow (Kino Żeglarz, Jastarnia, Poland) - Building seasonal events in seasonal venues
Züleyha Azman (KINO Rotterdam, Netherlands) – Club Nights: the cinema as The-Place-To-Be
Short Q&A
11.30 am – 12.00 pm
SESSION 6 – Optimizing Human Resources
Madeleine Probst (Programme Producer, Watershed, Bristol, United Kingdom) – Skills assessment and staff management – on ZOOM
Short Q&A
2.00 – 2.30 pm
SESSION 7 – Talent Management: How to Boost Your Staff Commitment
Despina Miron (Cine Gold, Sibiu, Romania) – Staff management & work ethic implementation
Margaux Dewigne (Cinema Galeries, Brussels, Belgium) – Teambuilding with your crew
Ulla Pedersen Estberg (Tollereds biograf - Folkets bio, Tollered, Sweden) – Strategies to bring in and upskill volunteer staff
Short Q&A
3.00 – 4.00 pm
SESSION 8 – Collaborate To Innovate
Nadia Wolf (Europa Cinemas) – Collaborate to Innovate funding scheme
Greta Dirmauskaite & Gaile Janulevičė (Kaunas Cinema Centre Romuva, Kaunas, Lithuania) – CTI: Playing cinema - Cross border film education programmes
Lara Stojanović (Kino Mediteran, Split, Croatia) – CTI: Let's Start From 0+! (Krenimo od 0+!)
Margaux Dewigne (Cinema Galeries, Brussels, Belgium) – CTI: Cineville Belgium
Short Q&A
4.15 – 4.30 pm
SESSION 9 – Strengthening Your Brand through Cross-Border Partnerships
Sara Horžen (Kinodvor, Ljubljana, Slovenia) - CINEMINI Europe: Young Audience film education programme
Mence Hadji-Kosta Milevska (Centre of culture Bitola, Bitola, North Macedonia) - Building international partnerships with a limited budget under a conventional public structure
Short Q&A
Saturday, 23 March 2024 - Advancing on Sustainability, Diversity & Inclusion
09.30 – 9.45 am
SESSION 10 – Running an Environmentally Responsible Organisation
Bianca Popistas (Europa Cinemas) Europa Cinemas Charters
- Green & Sustainability Strategy Charter
- Gender Balance, Diversity and Inclusion Charter
2.00 – 3.00 pm
SESSION 11 – Running an Inclusive and Diverse Venue
Sara Horžen (Kinodvor, Ljubljana, Slovenia) - Inclusive cinema: a step further
Orlando Verde (De Cinema, Antwerp, Belgium):
Screenings for the impaired
Pavol Sklenka (Kino Úsmev, Košice, Slovakia): Bringing in marginalized groups
Tomas Tengmark (Bio Bristol, Sundbyberg, Sweden): Mobilising audiences through socially engaging topics
Short Q&A