Our Cinema Seminar will be our major event for 2024 centred on the cinema sector, looking at key trends in the industry.
The event will be a breakfast event at held at Vue Cinema London – West End (Leicester Square). This event builds on a major cinema event of the same type organised by the LPF, held just after the pandemic lockdowns ended. The cinema industry has seen many challenges and opportunities since then.
The format will be a presentation from a key industry analyst followed by a Q&A/discussion panel of operators and experts, moderated by an experienced industry leader.
Chair
Patrick von Sychowski, Digital Marketing & Communications Manager – CinemaNext
Having spent 25 years working for and reporting on the cinema business, Patrick has extensive experience in many varied roles: Senior Analyst for world-renowned media companies (Screen Digest, now Omdia); Head of Business Development for both startups (Unique Digital) and major Hollywood companies (Deluxe); COO of India’s largest media service provider (Reliance MediaWorks), as well as co-founder of two successful start-up: Celluloid Junkie (cinema B2B analysis platform) and Cultpix (SVoD for classic cult and genre films). He has lived and worked all over the globe, including London, Mumbai and Singapore, as well as having a world-wide network of colleagues across the sector.
Speakers:
Charlotte Jones, Senior Principal Analyst: Cinema & Movies at OMDIA, part of Informa Tech
As a lead analyst in Omdia’s Media and Entertainment team, Charlotte covers the global film and cinema sectors focusing on market forecasts, cinema operator strategies and new business models. She also leads a team of analysts from the wider Media & Entertainment team covering cross-sector trends in content tracking, release strategies and transmedia IP. She is responsible for the day-to-day management of Omdia’s Cinema & Movies Intelligence, the most comprehensive resource in the industry, covering 62 international territories. With a career spanning 20 plus years, Charlotte has authored numerous, high-profile reports and articles on the film and cinema industry. As a senior expert in the field, Charlotte is a regular speaker at industry events as well as a leading voice on webinars.
Sunil Suri, Director – REEL Cinemas
Sunil is the Director of REEL Cinemas, one of the UK’s leading independently owned cinema chains. Founded in 2001, it has 16 locations serving over 1.8 million customers every year. REEL Cinemas offer exceptional experiences at affordable prices, all the while being “the REEL heart of the community” wherever their sites are located. Under Sunil’s guidance, the focus is on sustainable growth, transforming each cinema into vibrant community hubs that blend leisure, entertainment, and community engagement seamlessly.
Prior to REEL Cinemas, Sunil has been involved in multiple startups. Most recently, he was co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of greenworkx, a VC-backed net zero startup on a mission to get 10 million more people into green jobs in 10 years. Sunil is also a board member of the Social Tech Trust, which is developing a £10m investment fund.
Paul John Anderson, Director – Omniplex Cinema Group and The Avenue Cinema
Paul John Anderson is the Director of Omniplex Cinema Group, the largest cinema operator in Ireland and recently expanded into England and Scotland through the acquisition of the five former Empire Cinema locations. The group currently operates 42 cinema locations throughout the UK and Ireland with 4 additional scheduled openings in 2024. Paul has over 15 years of experience operating, building and acquiring cinemas throughout the UK and Ireland. Omniplex Cinema Group’s focus is to operate high quality cinema locations that elevate the cinema experience.
Tim Richards, Founder & CEO – Vue Entertainment
Prior to entering the entertainment industry Tim was a Wall Street lawyer engaged in international finance and cross-border mergers & acquisitions. In 1999, Tim left Warner Bros. Studio in Los Angeles and founded a start-up cinema exhibition company now known as Vue International.
Today Vue International is one of the world’s leading cinema operators trading in 8 countries with 224 cinemas and entertaining over 100 million customers a year. In December 2020 and December 2021, Variety Magazine named Tim as one of the 500 most influential business leaders shaping the global $2trillion entertainment industry.
In March of 2021, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) appointed Tim as Chair of the British Film Institute (BFI) for a term of three years. Tim and his wife Sylvie support a number of charities through their family charitable foundation.
*Please note – our panellists confirm their availability in advance. If any of our panelists cancel due to unforeseen circumstances, we will use our best efforts to replace them, but cannot guarantee that all advertised panelists will always be in attendance.