Ticketing systems created from a cinema POV, detailed audience segmentation and data collection, collaboration, gaming, and uniquely tailored marketing tools and campaigns were all showcased as examples of successful models for cinema innovation in the open slot session.

Andres Kauts, Managing Director of Kinola, spoke about the need in Estonia for a better ticketing system and after looking at what was already around, decided to do it themselves. After receiving some local funds, they applied for further financial support to Collaborate to Innovate and worked with other cinemas in Estonia to create Kinola. Created in response to the needs of the independent cinemas in Estonia, it manages tickets, scheduling, staff hours, data collation (such as that needed in reporting to Europa Cinemas) and pulls film information direct from the web to save on resources around admin and data entry. Kinola plan to continue the roll out in other countries, which enables cinema to retain their independent identity whilst streamlining digital process and saving on internal staff resources.

Toni Espinosa, Co-founder and Manager at Cinemes Girona in Barcelona, and Beatriz Patraca, a PhD researcher in Social and Cultural Anthropology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, presented an anthropological co-study to provide them with evidence-based insights into audience behaviour to enable tailored strategies that go beyond what marketing based on trends can achieve. Through audience segmentation and behavioural patterns, Cinemes Girona were able to garner insights into audience demographics and, therefore, practical changes they could make to better and more directly target their audiences, with ages 45+ being the dominant audience segmentation.

Giacomo Caldarelli, Co-Founder at PostModernissimo in Italy, will celebrate its 10th anniversary in December this year and was created by the co-operative ‘Anonymous Social Enterprise’, which designed the PostModernissimo to give the community a place. Financed by Erasmus+, PostModernissimo have been able to access resources not aimed at cinemas, further assisting them in working with institutions and organisations that aren’t cinema operators. Working with local communities and schools, as well as international partners, they have been able to work in a collaborative and fluid way, bringing wider Europe to their local community and bringing their vision and passion further afield.

Thierry Baujard, Co-founder of Spielfabrique, presented ‘Kino Games’, which develops cinema as a social space for gaming communities to optimise cinema occupancy and to attract gamers. A popular past-time, gaming represents 51% of Europeans. Moreover, the average age in Europe for gamers is 31, and 45% are women, so the demographics represent a shift away from the stereotype of younger male gamers. We have a catalogue of video games and assist cinemas with games programming with games aimed at a variety of ages from families to adults. We have five cinema partners in different countries: Germany, Ireland, Belgium, Italy, and France. In Strasbourg, 47% of attendees for the gaming experience at the cinema had never been to that cinema before. Kino Games has its own platform for information, feedback and hope to further develop and grow the initiative across Europe.

Baris Azman, Head Visual Artist and Editor at KINO Rotterdam, spoke about the custom movie trailers they have created for their film programme. They have created close to 150 videos, 90% of which are trailers, with interviews and short videos accounting for the remaining 10%. Having the full attention of an audience once they are in your auditorium allows you to maximise your cinema showcase which is where custom trailers become a powerful tool for promoting your own curation and programming. Azman talked about finding a visual identity for each programme starting with a mood board, the programme messaging and the marketing intent. From this, Azman creates the graphic design which then cements the visual identity that is used across the cinema’s film print materials as well as the trailers and online marketing assets.

Photos courtesy of Gediminas Gražys.