The ninth edition of Conecta FICTION & ENTERTAINMENT, held from 16 to 19 June in Cuenca (Castilla-La Mancha), concludes today with a highly positive balance, returning to the essence of its first editions, supporting talent and demonstrating an innate capacity to establish high-value connections. All the more reasons that speak of the importance of this event, as highlighted by the Government of Castilla-La Mancha, which has been supporting Conecta for the last four consecutive editions, confirming its commitment to the development of the audiovisual industry in the region.
Over the last four days, a total of 700 participants from 31 countries have attended the event with the aim of promoting co-production projects and international agreements. France and Canada, this year’s focus countries, featured in numerous sessions and networking activities that facilitated the creation of creative and commercial links between their production companies and talent with the rest of the European and American markets in attendance.
Géraldine Gonard, director of Conecta FICTION & ENTERTAINMENT, sums up this year’s edition: “The content industry is in a moment of profound transformation: economic challenges, technological evolution, and new consumer habits require us to rethink our strategies and adapt with agility. During these four days we have seen that, although the context is uncertain, it is also full of opportunities for those who know how to innovate and bet on quality and creativity. It is undeniable that if business models are changing, international events must also change, and the challenge is enormous for all of us”.
The organisers have provided the main figures for this ninth edition held in Cuenca, whose participation was split 70-30 between executives from Europe and America, respectively. As usual in professional meetings, the weight of national representation was very important, reaching 65%. The presence of European and American delegates was very balanced, with the French and Canadian nationalities being the most represented. Portugal, last year’s focus country, returned to Conecta with an outstanding number of companies and broadcasters, reconfirming the confidence of its industry in Conecta as a platform.
The Teatro Auditorio José Luis Perales and the Hospedería del Seminario, main venues of Conecta 9, hosted more than 2,000 meetings throughout the event. Its full programme included 17 panels, 9 keynotes, 7 pitching sessions, 4 Commissioners Uncovered meetings, 3 international content showcases and 3 series screenings. Another highlight was the Conecta CREATIVE LAB, held on Monday 16th, in which a hundred delegates debated the current and future challenges of the media landscape. The activity brought together two important events: the sixth edition of Conecta THINK TANK and a Trilateral Meeting, in which institutional representatives and production companies from Canada, France and Spain worked on the design of strategic alliances aimed at promoting collaboration and international co-production between the three countries.
Conecta FICTION FEST, the organisation’s new bet on activities open to the public, has been positively received by the city. During these days, numerous attendees have come to the Teatro Auditorio José Luis Perales to enjoy a careful selection of international series and a panel discussion featuring renowned Spanish authors, whose literary works have made the leap to the screen.
An intense inaugural day
Conecta FICTION & ENTERTAINMENT’s conference programme continues to offer sessions of special relevance this Thursday morning: the day begins with a new meeting of Los Desayunos de la Academia, organised in collaboration with the Spanish Academy of Television and Audiovisual Arts and Sciences. Under the title ‘Spanish Content Internationalization’, several spokespersons from national and international production companies and broadcasters such as NBCUniversal Telemundo, RTVE, Banijay Iberia and Mediaset España, among others, will present different success stories of Spanish content and formats that have been adapted in other international markets.
British expert Charlotte Berman will then give a keynote on best practices when designing marketing strategies to boost the success of reality programmes and turn them into mass phenomena. The day closes with two panels belonging to Conecta DIGITAL, the strand that brings together technology and digital content creation: a Conecta WOMEN meeting that gathers top female executives from Europe, the United States and Mexico to talk about digital leadership; and a showcase in which the Spanish production companies Phileas and Beta Entertainment Spain will introduce their original format ‘Dancing with robots’, a dance talent show between celebrities and AI-powered robots.
