Event Preview: NATPE

NATPE is returning to Miami’s Fontainebleau from January 27 to 29, with the theme of this year’s conference being "No Barriers. New Business."

“This reflects NATPE’s commitment to creating the first and most important must-attend market of the year for the linear and digital content communities, and increasingly, for advertisers and brands,” says Rod Perth, the president and CEO of NATPE.

Digital is a key component of the event, and is incorporated into the market floor and conference sessions. “Digital content and digital platforms are in the middle of the action,” Perth says. “Last year, 41 percent of speakers were from the digital space; this year, 49 percent of the speakers are from the digital space.”

Participation from the advertising sector continues to increase, and 25 percent of the NATPE speakers this year are from the advertising and brand community. “Advertisers realize they can no longer be adjacent to the discussions around programming…. They need to be immersed in those conversations, and NATPE is a place where those conversations can happen,” says Perth.

The conference sessions are structured similarly to last year, with two new tracks. "Storytellers Who Have Shaped Pop Culture" features, among others, director and producer James L. Brooks in conversation with writer and producer Phil Rosenthal (Everybody Loves Raymond); Terence Winter, the executive producer of Boardwalk Empire; and Marta Kauffman, the writer and creator of Friends. Speakers in the "Game Changers" track include Lionsgate’s Jim Packer and Discovery’s Sean Atkins. The "Masters of Marketing" sessions will see executives from Amazon, Macy’s, Expedia, Turner Broadcasting and Hulu take the stage. Grupo Televisa’s Emilio Azcárraga is part of the "Global Navigators" lineup; World Screen’s Anna Carugati will lead the conversation. Carugati is also moderating "Global Navigators: Found in Translation" with Electus’ Ben Silverman and Latin WE’s Luis Balaguer. The "Platforms Accelerated" track includes executives from Aereo, Yahoo! and Roku.

New this year is "Access to Insight: 30 Minutes at C-Level." This series of closed-door sessions features master classes with executives such as David McKillop, the executive VP and general manager of A&E; Howard T. Owens, the president of National Geographic Channel; and Michael Garcia and Ryan Likes of Televisa USA.

Attendance figures are on the up across the board. The amount of U.S. and international buyers registered for the event is pacing well ahead of last year, with record numbers for buyers overall. Typically, the breakdown is around 65 to 70 percent domestic and 30 percent international. “We’re having significant growth with European countries, which I believe is the beginning of a trend,” says Perth. “We are also very happy with the amount of participation from the station groups. We have 28 stations groups participating for 2014 thanks to our Station Group Incentive program.”

Given all this increased attendance, NATPE has made several efforts to clear up the cluster of past markets that left many stuck in long lines at the elevators. “We have made it a priority to provide a variety of exhibiting options to accommodate every need, including booths on the market floor, private suites in the towers, meeting tables and meeting rooms for screenings and meetings,” explains Perth. “This has not only proven to be very helpful to exhibitors of all sizes, from all over the world, but also helps to spread exhibitors out throughout the resort.”

NATPE is confirmed to return to Miami in 2015, but plans for the following years are still being determined. “We need to be nimble, we need to listen to our customers and we need to be relevant to their business,” says Perth. “The diversity of our board is a perfect example of our commitment to being the bridge that brings linear and digital together and helps them find their way to each other by building a sense of community.

“For exhibitors and buyers, our hope is that they walk away feeling that NATPE helped facilitate new business opportunities, whether the deals themselves get done at the Fontainebleau or whether it served as the starting point for a conversation that leads to a deal down the road. The NATPE experience is all about our customers and ensuring a positive return on their investment.”