Geneva Convention

Convention co-chairs George Rouman and John Scaletta go down the list of exciting events taking place at the 2008 Geneva Convention in the May 2008 issue of Boxoffice:

Informative Disney Institute Seminars

For those of you keeping track at home, you know how excited we at Geneva are about the two Disney Institute© Seminars planned for Wednesday, May 14, and Thursday, May 15. Theatre owners and managers alike can glean knowledge from seasoned Disney executives at both the Leadership Excellence and Quality Service seminars. If an individual company were to hold a similar seminar solely for their own internal use, rest assured the price would be far greater than the registration fee to this convention—which, incidentally, was not increased from last year.

Boxoffice Magazine’s Alternative Content/3D Panel and digital flat-screen giveaway

Aside from renowned economist John Maynard Keynes, who says there is no such thing as a free lunch (or TV)? Obviously, Keynes never basked in the glory of a 56-inch Texas Instruments/DLP digital flat screen. Registered attendees who submit their Boxoffice Seminar ticket are automatically registered in a drawing to win a 56-inch flat screen, compliments of TI/DLP. Even with a screen bordering on five feet in length, you will be shocked at the crispness of the picture. Speaking of crisp pictures, digital is coming, which means alternative content options as well as 3D. The Boxoffice Seminar will help you maximize all available options in the conversion to digital.

The panel itself, moderated by Boxoffice Publisher Peter Cane, offers an exceptional cast of industry leaders in the area of alternative content. Headlining the panel will be Tony Adamson of DLP, Darryl Schaffer of Screenvision, Michele Martell of The Bigger Picture, Jeff McNall of Dolby 3D and Joe Peixoto of Real D. With the issue of digital conversion hotter than ever, this panel is sure to get you thinking about what the theatre industry is and what it could be. Who knows? You may be in store for a surprise or two.

Feel Good About Your Contribution to Industry Charities

Every year, NATO of Wisconsin & Upper Michigan and the Geneva Convention donate $50,000 to the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation. For those of you unfamiliar with the work Will Rogers does, their primary focus is to assist “pioneers of the motion picture industry who find themselves in need; the assistance to consist of direct financial aid, medical care and temporary business subsistence during periods of unemployment for eligible applicants.” For more information, or to make a personal donation, please visit www.wrpioneers.org. It truly is amazing that such a small, tightly knit group of exhibitors in Wisconsin and Michigan are able to contribute such an astounding amount of money to such a worthwhile charity year after year.

NATO of Wisconsin does not put on the Geneva Convention to make a profit. All profits are donated to charity. The annual Variety—The Children’s Charity Golf Outing donates all proceeds to the charity after which it is named. In the able hands of golfing co-chairs Jim Florence and Steve Felprin, this shotgun-style golf outing is conducted every year to kick off the Geneva Convention. This year, the outing falls on Tuesday, May 13. All proceeds from the golf outing go to benefit Variety—The Children’s Charity every year. For more information, visit www.varietyny.org. Their motto is easy to get behind: “Never say ‘no’ to a child in need.”

Honor the past with the heroes of today

At Geneva, we honor those who go above and beyond the call of duty in their respective areas. We honor those who blazed a trail to make exhibition the multi-billion-dollar industry it is today. These awards are not necessarily given out every year, only when there are worthy candidates. We honor individuals who excel in philanthropic endeavors with the Ben Marcus Award, and those who excel in showmanship with the Larry Hanson Award. Both are named after some of the most honorable individuals to ever work in the industry. We are fortunate enough to have two worthy awardees in 2008. The Ben Marcus Award is going to Gene Grengs of Grengs Theatres in Eau Claire, Wis. The Larry Hanson Award goes to Dan Klusmann of Village Centre Theatres in Bozeman, Mont.

Let’s give out more prizes!

Studio of the Year

Following a record $9.7-billion 2007, we would be remiss not to acknowledge the great product the studios released. When the “experts” said the industry had reached a plateau, we proved them wrong (and, in turn, further raised the bar for 2008). Ladies and gentlemen, your 2008 Geneva Convention Studio of the Year is Warner Bros. Kudos to Warners for their year-long consistency as well as box office smashes. You may recall more than a few of their 2007 top earners: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, I Am Legend, the pleasant surprise of 300, as well as Ocean’s Thirteen and The Bucket List.

Boxoffice Blue Ribbon Award

The Blue Ribbon Award is presented every year to the studio with the highest-grossing individual film. In 2007, that honor fell upon—you guessed it—Sony for Spider-Man 3. Peter Parker wrapped his web of intrigue around a captivated audience thirsty for more “Spidey” after the first two installments. Spider-Man 3 will certainly go down as one of the greats, grossing $337 million. Well done, Sony.

2008 Vendor of the Year

Exhibition and Technicolor have been partners for more than 90 years. In addition to producing up to 5 billion feet of release prints a year, Technicolor Digital Cinema provides a full range of installation and support services to exhibitors ready to make the switch.

Experience digital demonstrations at four convenient Marcus locations

The Marcus Corporation has been kind enough to offer four of their nearby theaters to demonstrate the advances in digital cinema and 3D technology. These will be open to all registered conventioneers at no cost. Prepare to be wowed as the future of cinema literally leaps off the screen at you. The picture has never been crisper, so please join us for a sneak peek. Please call the NATO of Wisconsin & Upper Michigan office at 262-532-0017 or email Matthew Reiter at matt@natoofwiup.org for further information about this opportunity.

To read the rest of the May issue, click here

Check back for continuing coverage of the Geneva Convention