CEA St. Andrews Meeting - Steve Davis reports for DCM

Steve Davis, Head of Exhibition, Digital Cinema Media, reports back from last week’s CEA meeting in St. Andrews.

Just a quick update from a very foggy St. Andrews last week (just as well I don’t play golf). Myself, Rebecca Rau (Account Manager), Ian McKeag (IT Whiz Kid) and Joe Evea (Commercial Director) were welcomed into the heart, and cinema, at St Andrews.

The New Picture House, St. Andrews (where Kate and Will once dated) played a marvellous host to the Scotland CEA Meeting. There were some great presentations; including

- The BFI Film Audience Network - they delivered a really slick presentation about what, how and why they’re doing what they’re doing. More on this soon.

- Grainne Peat updated us on the Autism Friendly Screenings, and received some amazing feedback from our very own Berwick-upon-Tweed Maltings and the Pavilions Galashiels. Both sites embraced autism screenings for the first time, and both received great engagement, admissions and promotion within their local community, to the extent of screening 1 month from here on out. Do get in contact with Grainne from the CEA to get your site involved and fit it into you’re your programming.

- Simon Brown of F.A.C.T (Federation Against Copyright Theft) repeated his insightful presentation on piracy. As mentioned in a previous Close Up, please click on the below link, and forward onto your colleges to learn more and potentially win a£500! Please click here and forward onto your colleges to learn more and potentially win £500!

We rounded off the meeting with some amazing trailers (I love my job); The Godzilla trailer blew me away, so the film must be epic; also I’m really excited about Interstellar, I can’t believe we have to wait until November! I think I’ll place a bet now for Nolan to win Best Director Oscar 2015, the man is a legend.

Post trailers everyone joined DCM back at the Rusack Hotel for tea/G&T (depending on your preference), overlooking St Andrews Golf Course (which we could finally see as the fog had subsided). The was followed by a delightful meal at the New Golf Club overlooking St Andrews.

If you’ve not been to a CEA meeting before, or in a while, I implore you to come along to the next one in your area. DCM will be bringing along other members of our team, and board, to future meetings; including Zoe Jones (Marketing Director), Tom Linay (Head of Film) - who will give the distributors a run for their money, Rob Tomalin (Head of Business Development)… to name but a few. If there’s anyone else you would care to meet let me know and I’ll bring them too. It would be great to see you and let us entertain you for a couple of days.

If I don’t speak to your beforehand here’s to a typical wash out British Summer. I’m off now to focus on completing the TMS rollout in May, and also begin the process of understanding and commercialising your business further (questionnaire to follow). Also as promised, we’ll be reporting back soon from CineEurope.

I hope to see you at a CEA meeting in later this year.

Steve