NICE Training Series

This session will provide a deep dive into Letterboxd, exploring how independent cinemas can use the site to enhance their programming and increase public engagement. Heather Noel of the Metro Cinema will lead the presentation, demonstrating how to find and connect with audience members, as well leverage features such as official lists and advanced film searches to support programming decisions. She will share her successful experiences in using Letterboxd at Metro Cinema.

This panel will delve into the realities of launching a new cinema. Industry veteran Katrina Chapman of Magic Lantern Theatres, who has extensive experience opening and closing venues, will join Walker MacDonald of the newly established Tivoli Cinema in Charlottetown, PEI, and Ty Hunter of the reopened Plaza in Shaunavon, SK. They will offer practical insights on various essential aspects, ranging from budgeting into the unknown and setting up studio agreements, to selecting appropriate seating. This session is valuable not only for those planning new venues but also for established cinemas looking to revisit core operational activities.

This panel dives into the world of dedicated art house cinemas in English-language Canada, venues that have built their identity around curated, adventurous programming. From planning their calendars months in advance to cultivating relationships with specialty distributors, Olivia Norquay of Dave Barber Cinematheque (Winnipeg, MB), Shaun Inouye of The Cinematheque (Vancouver, BC) and Robyn Citizen of TIFF Cinematheque will discuss how they develop loyal audiences of passionate filmgoers.

This panel will explore strategies for bringing more new audiences into your venue by inviting community members to program film series. Rachel Fox of the Rio (Vancouver, BC) and Serena Whitney of the Revue Cinema (Toronto, ON) will share their successful experiences with this model, discussing deal structures, marketing support and methods to cultivate repeat attendance from new audiences.

This how-to session will focus on effectively utilizing membership programs and re-marketing email tactics to enhance customer retention and track success. Led by Èva Morin of Cinéma du Parc, du Musée and Beaubien in Montréal, QC, and Sonya Yokota William of Late Spring Consulting and NICE, the presentation will cover strategies for leveraging membership programs, loyalty initiatives and email marketing to maximize return audiences and implement successful re-marketing campaigns.

Comscore (formerly Rentrak) is the central reporting tool for box office data, and every NICE member should be using it. Beyond industry transparency, it's a powerful tool for film programming and making important booking decisions. Cinema operators have the unique opportunity to explore the data set with an exhibitor login, but many exhibitors don't know how to best use its many reports and dashboards. Join Janice O'Bryan, SVP & Managing Director, Movies Domestic, and Chris Morgan, Vice President, Business Relations, for this presentation and live demo exploring a sample data set.

Independent exhibitors across Canada are dealing with familiar pressures: limited access to films, the dominance of major chains, and the recurring question of whether cinemas deserve public support at all. But none of this is new. For more than a century, Canadian exhibitors have wrestled with monopolistic booking practices, distributor leverage, censorship regimes, and the challenge of making the case that movie theatres are cultural institutions worth protecting. This webinar looks back at some of those earlier battles in Canadian exhibition history and considers what they can tell us about the challenges facing independent cinemas today.