After four intense days of sharing with and finding inspiration from each other, as well as enjoying of the wonderful Il Cinema Ritrovato happening around us, it’s the final day of this year’s Bologna Lab. Today the participants had time to reflect on some of the key learnings and insights on challenges of cinema exhibition that have been presented throughout the Lab and consider how to apply these usefully to their own cinema venues.

As our blogs have captured, the Lab has covered a wide range of topics from community-building, marketing, physical spaces, distributor partnerships, connecting with audiences and everything in between and beyond. Madeleine & Mustafa refreshed participant’s memories of everything that was covered and offered some prompts to think about ways they can practically be applied to the participant’s own cinemas, thinking both in the short term and long term. Madeleine reemphasised the importance of a positive and supportive working environment, highlighting the ways in which everyone in a cinema organisation can play a role, from the cleaners who could have insights into how to improve bathrooms to front-of-house staff who know your customer’s interests and wants.

The participants discussed practical ways to apply the Lab’s inspirations and ideas to their everyday work, including personalized newsletters, build a strong identity, show behind the scenes, collaborate on diversity and inclusion through trainings, space ideas, involving staff team more (staff picks), 6am screenings, classic matinee…

The participants were also encouraged to think about ways in which the Europa Cinemas network might help develop their ambitions, with Collaborate To Innovate, Boot Camps and future Audience Development & Innovation Labs presenting opportunities for continued support for cinemas.

If reading about the Bologna Lab has been inspired you to connect with cinema colleagues and our network, the Europa Cinemas Network Conference is taking place at the Radisson Blu Hotel Vilnius (Lithuania) from Thursday, November 28 to Sunday, December 1st, 2024. The Network Conference is a space to discuss practical ideas and innovations, offering dynamic, interactive discussions and concrete actions to be implemented in the short and medium terms. We hope to see you there!