Apollo Cinemas UK

http://www.mediasalles.it/dgt_online/index.htm

WOMEN IN DIGITAL CINEMA
Cara Jones, Apollo Cinemas Ltd, UK

My name is Cara Jones and I work for Apollo Cinemas Ltd, based in the UK.

It is a very exciting time to be part of the Apollo group as we are in the process of converting the whole of our thirteen existing sites with a total of seventy-seven screens to Sony 4k projectors and Real-D 3D technology.
At the moment we are about midway through the conversion process and for the sites that have already received their projectors the results have been staggering. Admissions to these cinemas have risen substantially, dramatically improving their market share in their specific catchment area, and the market share performance of the company as a whole, across the UK territory.

My role in the Apollo organisation is as an assistant manager at their cinema in Rhyl on the North Wales coast. We are a small site with five screens and a total seating capacity of seven hundred and forty-three. My site is one of those still waiting for its digital make-over.

My main role within the management team (which incidentally is all female) is in the development of marketing strategies which will increase our customer base. With the rise of digital and in particular the increased popularity of 3D films the focus has shifted from increasing the flow of customers to purely trying to maintain current admission levels and persuade the local population that we are still relevant at a time when patrons are becoming more sophisticated and increasingly expect more from their cinema experience.

Rather than paint a gloomy picture of how we are struggling to compete with our competitors whilst waiting for our shiny new Sony 4k and Real-D equipment, I thought it would be more interesting to focus on the plans that we have for development so that when the changeover takes place, we can begin life as a fully digital cinema with a bang, living up to the expectations that have been placed on us by the company and by our local population.

So my current project is to prepare for the installation by developing a programming policy, rather than spending the time twiddling our thumbs, waiting for the digital projectors to be installed. We are therefore taking a pro-active approach to the digital conversion, planning and researching within the local community in order to ensure that, when we are digital, our programming policy will be attractive to the local population.

To do this effectively we have surveyed our current customers and, more importantly, potential customers as to what they would like to see showing at their new and improved local cinema. The results from the surveys were very enlightening, we saw that customers are most anxious for the installation of 3D so that they don't have to travel to see the latest blockbusters that are showing in 3D and can return to using their local cinema again.

There is a great deal of excitement regarding the variety of films that we will be able to show and we have had requests for Bollywood nights as well as independent films and foreign language films.

The ability to show classic movies has also created a stir within some sectors of the local community.

To cope with the variety of local interest we are planning to form film societies where the members can decide the programming by voting for the film selection that they want to see. This will work for us on two levels, by providing art-house films for a currently under-represented group of film fans and by guaranteeing that we have an audience for these movies. If the pilot film society works well then we can form other genre clubs, increasing our admissions and further widening our range of film programming.

Alternative content also seems to have captured the imagination of the local population and the prospect of live opera, theatre and ballet again appeal to customers who currently have to travel out of town to experience these productions on the big screen. For our alternative content customers we are planning to make it a night to remember, as close to the real thing as possible, with an opening reception, wine and canapés. I am currently speaking to local luxury food producers to try to secure their support and sponsorship of these events.

Digital will also enable us to show amateur films and we are lucky enough to have an extremely creative community with local groups who make films that highlight local issues and some that make films purely for enjoyment and to develop creative talent. We are excitedly talking to these groups and when we are fully digital one of the first things we want to do is to host a local film festival where these groups can showcase their talents and we can have our very own awards ceremony. This will then become an annual event and one that we hope will be an important part of the local community calendar.

As a town we are also trying to redefine tourism in the area and one of the ways we are looking to do this is by developing international links and holding cultural exchanges and festivals. Here again we are looking to play our part by hosting film festivals that coincide with these tourism initiatives and also provide our regular cinema-goers with the opportunity to see something a little different. I would like to use this opportunity to make a request both to the new friends that I met while in Helsinki and indeed anyone else reading this column; please can you take some time out to recommend films from your respective countries that could feature in possible film festivals.
I can be contacted by email at the following address: rhyl@apollocinemas.com Please mark all correspondence for the attention of Cara Jones. May I thank you in advance, for your suggestions.

My belief is that if we strongly involve the local community, they will reward us with their continued patronage and bring friends, because we can employ all the marketing tricks in the book but word of mouth is still perhaps one of the most effective marketing tools there is.

I would like to thank you for taking the time out to read this column and hope to see you next year at DigiTraining Plus to discuss how successful these strategies were for us and how we are coping in the brave new world of digital cinema