American Film Market

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Parent Category: Expos and Conventions

Category: Previews

Published on Tuesday, 10 November 2009 00:35

Written by L E Shannon

The 30th American Film Market (AFM) is being held in Santa Monica, California from November 4 through 11, 2009. This is the largest gathering of film industry professionals in North America.

AFM announced the screening of 445 motion pictures in 27 languages, including 73 world premieres and 311 market premieres, to be shown at various cinemas in Santa Monica and at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel (101 Wilshire Boulevard) and the Le Merigot Hotel, (1740 Ocean Avenue) in Santa Monica.

Films making their world and/or market premieres include Get Low, starring Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek and Robert Duvall (K5 International); Unthinkable, starring Samuel L. Jackson (Sierra Pictures); Harry Brown, starring Michael Caine and Emily Mortimer (HanWay Films); Within The Whirlwind, directed by Marleen Gorris and starring Emily Watson (Telepool GmbH); Coach, starring Hugh Dancy, Liane Balaban and Mamie Gummer (Lightning Entertainment); The Last Flight, starring Marion Cotillard and Guillaume Canet (Gaumont); Snowmen, starring Ray Liotta, Christopher Lloyd, Bobby Coleman and Doug E. Doug (MPower Pictures); Mother and Child, starring Naomi Watts, Annette Bening, Samuel L. Jackson and Kerry Washington (WestEnd Films); Storm Warriors, starring Aaron Kwok, Ekin Cheng, Nicholas Tse, Charlene Choi and Simon Yam (Universe Films); and The Meaning of the 21st Century, narrated by Michael Douglas (Worldwide Film Entertainment).

The AFM will showcase panels on film financing opportunities, local and international distribution trends, marketing strategies and digital technologies. The sessions will include film executives, producers, writers, directors, distributors, financiers and attorneys. The conferences are at the Fairmont and Le Merigot Hotels.

Conferences include the double-session AFM Finance Conference;  Hong Kong: Your Ideal Co-production Partner and Gateway to the China Market; Film or Digital...That’s the Question; as well as DIY distribution, a pitch session, and other topics of great concern to the independent filmmaker.

About the AFM
The business of independent motion picture production and distribution - a truly collaborative process - reaches its peak every year at the AFM when more than 8,000 industry leaders converge in Santa Monica for eight days of deal-making, screenings, seminars, premieres, networking and parties. Participants come from over 70 countries and include acquisition and development executives, agents, attorneys, directors, distributors, festival directors, financiers, film commissioners, producers, writers, the world’s press and all those who provide services to the motion picture industry.

Founded in 1981, the AFM has become the premiere global marketplace where Hollywood’s decision-makers and trendsetters all gather under one roof. Unlike a film festival, the AFM is a marketplace where production and distribution deals are closed. In just eight days, more than $800 million in deals will be sealed — on both completed films and those that haven’t started shooting yet—making AFM the must-attend industry event.

The AFM is produced by the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA), the trade association representing the world’s producers and distributors of independent motion pictures and television programs.

More information can be found at www.ifta-online.org or www.AmericanFilmMarket.com
 

12th Annual Chocolate Show in New York

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Parent Category: Expos and Conventions

Category: Previews

Published on Monday, 26 October 2009 22:27

Written by Lynne E Shannon

The three-day festival devoted entirely to chocolate--The 12th Annual Chocolate Show -- is guaranteed to give eager appetites a head start on the season of holiday merrymaking at the Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 West 18th Street, New York City, from October 30th to November 1st, 2009. 

Among the exhibitors will be several Italian chocolatiers, including deBondt and Guido Gobino, national purveyors such as award-winning Jer's Handmade Chocolates, and several local favorites from the New York-New Jersey area, including Palmer's, Madécasse, and the recently opened Lily O'Brien's Chocolate Cafe in Bryant Park.

Quady Winery, which specializes in dessert wines, will also be on hand again to display and offer tastings of delightful wines that go well with chocolate - or any time.

Top chefs and chocolatiers will prepare fabulous chocolate recipes and dazzling masterpieces so you can learn directly from the Chocolate Masters and taste their creations.

Among them are:

Frank Maldonado of Sazon, showing Roast Pork in Milk Chocolate and Merlot Sauce with White Chocolate Gnocchi with Tomato Confit

Francine Segan of Savory Chocolate, fixing Savory Pasta with Plums and Chocolate

Andrea Schrenk of the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute, whipping up Spiced White Chocolate Pumpkin Crème on Chocolate Walnut Sablee garnished with a Chocolate Cranberry Rum Ball

Many chefs have books that will be available for purchase and will also hold book signings, including Max Brenner, Laurie Buckle, Chocolate Queen, Karen DeMasco, Francois Payard, Francine Segan, Jacques Torres and Lee Zalben.

The Chocolate Beauty Pavilion is a showcase of chocolate within the beauty industry, how it can used not in your mouth but on your body. There are booths or displays that offer information on the alternate uses for chocolate. Trained Beauty Chocolatiers will show extensive lines of Chocolate Soaps, Lotions, Scrubs, Lip Glosses and Cocoa Butters. Visitors can sign up for a private chocolate treatment, such asc hocolate massages, cocoa bean nail polish manicures and cocoa hair treatments. Test samples, smell products, and learn about where products can be purchased.

This popular event allows visitors to discover all there is to know about, taste, and explore in the world of chocolate. The Chocolate Show surprises and delights chocolate lovers of all ages with:

* Demonstrations by top pastry chefs and chocolate makers, in two theaters

* Chocolate Tastings

* Over 65 top chocolate brands & booths

* Holiday gifts of all sizes for everyone on your list

* Chocolate activities for children and adults

* Barnes & Noble cookbook store with author signings

* Haute Couture dresses and accessories made with chocolate.

The Chocolate Show travels to many other locations around the world; here are some of the dates and cities where it will be held:

Tokyo, Japan (with Isetan, Kyoto, Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Sendai, Shizuoka):
January 27- February 27, 2010
Shanghai, China:
January 15-17, 2010
Shanghai:
January 21-24, 2010
Cairo, Egypt:
April 1-4, 2010
Madrid, Spain:
April 9-11, 2010
Moscow, Russia:
Fall 2010

The 12th Annual Chocolate Show
October 30th to November 1st, 2009
Metropolitan Pavilion
125 West 18th Street
New York City

 For more info go to: www.chocolateshow.com

The 94th International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show

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Parent Category: Expos and Conventions

Category: Previews

Published on Sunday, 25 October 2009 17:29

Written by fftraveler staff

The 94th annual International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show® (IH/M&RS) takes at New York City's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, November 7-10, 2009. It features the latest products from more than 1,000 exhibitors, timely seminars focused on such topics as the economy and social networking, and opportunities to gather with 35,000 industry professionals and industry leaders.

With the economy at the forefront of discussions among industry professionals, this year's IH/M&RS serves a more important role than ever. Owners, operators, influencers and high profile industry leaders will share insight, discover the latest products and make decisions that will help them sustain through tough economic times and position them for success in an economic upturn.

Exhibitors including food and beverage, furnishings, technology, equipment, linens, amenities, tableware, cleaning and more showcase their latest technologies, products and services to the industry's most influential buyers, including lodging and restaurant owners and operators, purchasing companies, owner groups, design firms, catering and specialty food-service establishments, equipment dealerships, casinos, resorts and more.

The Hospitality Leadership Forum returns on Saturday, November 7, presenting more than 20 seminars geared towards senior level hospitality managers. Topics to be addressed during this full-day conference include 2010 occupancy forecasts, purchasing strategies, navigating a challenging economy, social networking implementation, customer service and more. Educational sessions will continue on Sunday, November 8, and Monday, November 9, with topics ranging from benchmarking your property's eco-system to bouncing back from a down economy. A complete list of programs will be available online, at www.ihmrs.com, beginning in September. 

In cooperation with The M. Tucker Company, the IH/M&RS will feature an all-new 8,000-square-foot addition dedicated to the very latest in food, equipment and supply trends. This special focus area on the Show floor also will include celebrity book signings, chef Q&A's, cooking demos and seminars addressing such topics as viral marketing, menu trends, sustainability and more. Exhibitors within The New York Marketplace include APW/Wyott, Cardinal, Carlisle, Cres Cor, Captive Aire Systems, Day & Nite, GAF Seelig, Lakeside, Manitowoc, Oneida, RPI Industries, Scandia Fish, Unified Brands and others. Additional information is available online, at www.ihmrs.com/nymarketplace. 

The Salon of Culinary Art will return with more than 300 extraordinary "food as art " displays. Presented by the Société Culinaire Philanthropique, the 141st annual Salon will feature elaborate buffet tables, decorated fish and poultry, pastry work and other creatively prepared foods.

The Gold Key Awards for Excellence in Hospitality Design will return to honor outstanding designers in eight categories - Restaurants/Casual Dining, Restaurants/Fine Dining, Lounge/Bar, Best Hotel Design, Guest Room, Suites, Lobby/Reception Area and Spa. Highlighting the 29th annual event will be the presentation of the "Designer of the Year "Award by Gold Key Awards sponsors Interior Design and Hotels magazines, as well as the Icon of Industry Award, presented by NEWH, Inc., the Hospitality Industry Network. Gold Key Award grand prize winners and finalists will be honored during a breakfast ceremony at the Mandarin Oriental New York on Monday, November 9, 2009, from 7:30 - 9:30 am. The event serves as a scholarship fundraiser for NEWH. Tickets are $75.00 each, and available online at www.ihmrs.com/goldkey/breakfast.html.

The best new products on the Show floor, as determined by a panel of editors from the leading hospitality trade publications, will be honored with Editors' Choice Awards. Presented in the areas of décor, essentials, luxury, restaurant (including flavors) and technology - as well as an eco-friendly equivalent to each of these categories - products are selected based on innovative design, how it answers a particular industry need, creative use of material or construction, and development or use of a new technology. In addition, the "Kenneth F. Hine Best of Show " Award will spotlight the top new product on the Show floor. Winners of this coveted recognition will be announced during the Opening Ceremony at 9:45 am, on Sunday, November 8, 2009.

The IH/M&RS is owned by the New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association, the Hotel Association of New York City, and the American Hotel & Lodging Association, and is managed by GLM®, a dmg world media business.

DATES & HOURS 
Saturday, November 7 
9:00am - 5:00pm (Hospitality Leadership Forum) 
Sunday, November 8 
10:00am - 5:00pm 
Monday, November 9 
10:00am - 5:00pm 
Tuesday, November 10 
10:00am - 4:00pm

For further information, please visit www.ihmrs.com