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Taking place at the inspiring Il Cinema Ritrovato Film Festival, dedicated to ‘rediscovering’ lost or forgotten cinema, the Lab is led by Madeleine Probst (Vice-President of Europa Cinemas and Cinema Producer, Watershed, United Kingdom) together with Daniel Sibbers (Director of Marketing, Yorck Kinogruppe, Germany) and Hrvoje Laurenta (Manager, Kino Europa, Croatia). It is a great opportunity to share current thinking and practical solutions.

The focus of this year’s Lab is on Generation Z. Gen Zers, the post-millennials born between 1997 and 2010 into a digital culture they did not create, are already reshaping society and our understanding on how people interact on and offline. Take for example, green icon Greta Thunberg whose call for action on climate change has inspired people all over the planet.

What can we learn from them and how can we make sure our offer remains relevant to this mix of hyper connected, self-conscious and socially aware generation? How might we re-invent cinema going culture and venue brands with the insights and help of Gen-Zers? Whether that’s developing opportunities that connect with their search for personal growth and informal learning; building authentic “personal” brands on and offline; being inclusive and “safe” spaces; or just joining forces with them to make the world a more sustainable and fairer place, the time for action is now! We need to understand and respond to the growing demand for this new generation of socially aware digitally connected consumers and makers.

Headline topics will include:

• Getting insights about and from Gen-Zers towards brands and communications strategies that are connected with what’s happening
• Understanding barriers to engagement from pricing, accessibility to perception and discoverability issues
• Building a sustainable future tapping into the sharing economy, networked practice and the creative capacity within your organisation and community
• Staying relevant from creating relevant offers with young people, sustainable organisational practices and opportunities
• Building inclusive and representative organisations spaces, platforms from best practice in recruitment and wellbeing to personal and organisational development

Bring your ideas and issues to the Lab, and spend time with practitioners from a range of national contexts to find practical solutions to engage this next generation of cinema goers. Expect space for reflection, insights from young people and case studies from organisations that have found effective ways of reaching out to younger generations.

Open Slot sessions will also give participants the space to share a problem, pitch innovative ideas and/or identifying potential international collaborators for new projects.