Leadership Programme, a flagship initiative aimed at achieving
of cinema exhibition. It was a year of change, with European
gender balance in exhibition. Thanks in no small part to the
Parliament elections in May and a new European Commission
dedication of our inspiring mentors and mentees during the
executive coming into office in December. Some 60% of the
three editions so far, the scheme is thriving and we’re delighted
European Parliament’s members (MEPs) were elected for the
to see the launch of initiatives such as Women in Exhibition.
first time and the new Commission leadership has unveiled a
A focus on retail, marketing and tech
broad range of fresh priorities. These changes will bring both opportunities and challenges, as we continue to reach out to
Our expert working groups went from strength to strength in
our established contacts and new potential allies at EU and
2019 and we welcomed a new addition, the UNIC Circular
national level to ensure the future of European cinema-going.
Economy Retail Group. Created with partners from Coca-Cola,
UNIC is also looking forward to a productive year as a
it gathers professionals across the industry committed to
founding member of the Global Cinema Federation (GCF),
creating a sustainability roadmap for exhibition in Europe. The
which groups the world’s leading cinema operators and the
UNIC Marketing Group was re-launched in 2019 and we are
two key multi-national trade bodies (UNIC and NATO) to
planning more meetings in 2020. In addition, the UNIC
represent the sector’s global interests. In 2019, the GCF was
Technology Group continued to bring together respected
present at many industry events, with a keynote address and
professionals to explore developments in the ever-changing
panel at ShowEast and the Federation’s annual meetings at
field of technology. Towards the end of the year, we teamed up
CinemaCon and CineEurope. We expect the GCF to continue
with UNIC member Rolv Gjestland for his fascinating take on
to grow, both in terms of size and influence.
“How to design a cinema auditorium”, launched at our Cinema Days and available for free on the UNIC website.
Without giving too much away, at CineEurope this year, you can look forward to an enticing mix of previews, launches
Speaking of which, the 2019 UNIC Cinema Days was the
and discussions on trends, developments and other topics for
most successful to date, with discussions ranging from the
exhibitors and professionals worldwide. Don’t miss the chance
relationship between cinemas and tech giants, to what
to discover everything that’s set to make the big screen
constitutes “premium”, accessibility, untapped audiences and
experience irresistible — put CineEurope 2020 in your diary!
much more. We look forward to building on this success in 2020 with a dynamic programme of seminars and workshops covering the full spectrum of cinema-going in Europe today. But 2019 wasn’t just a big year on the industry side. The lion’s share of UNIC’s work and purpose is focused on advocacy within the EU institutions to promote and defend the interests www.cinematech.today
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