NATPE Budapest Draws More Attendance and Interest This Year
The NATPE brand went thru some turbulent times last year as the organization has to file for Article 11. The subsequent tender for the NATPE assets was won by Brunico Communications who will make their “debut” as organizers of the NATPE Budapest market on June 19-22.
In this interview, Russell Goldstein, CEO of Brunico Communications, talks about the challenges and opportunities that the NATPE brand will open up for his companies. He also talks about NATPE Budapest’s “restart” as a bigger and more comprehensive event which is already attracting more attendance and interest than last year.
In this interview, Russell Goldstein, CEO of Brunico Communications, talks about the challenges and opportunities that the NATPE brand will open up for his companies. He also talks about NATPE Budapest’s “restart” as a bigger and more comprehensive event which is already attracting more attendance and interest than last year.
Russell Goldstein, CEO Brunico Communications
Russell, in January 2023 Brunico acquired the NATPE assets. What made you bid for NATPE’s assets and what are your plans for the brand?
For the last 60 years, NATPE has been operating some of the most important and respected content markets in the world including the Miami and Budapest events. As a world leader in the B2B event space with our widely acclaimed content markets and conferences like Realscreen Summit, Kidscreen Summit and Banff World Media Festival, we feel strongly that Brunico has the resources and experience to build on this legacy and help these crucial industry events reach their full potential.
There has been a noticeable surge in organizing in-person TV industry events post-COVID, with both established markets returning but also new ones popping out. To what do you attribute this? Are markets still crucial for the business in the digital age?
If the experience of the pandemic has demonstrated anything, it is the imperative of face-to-face meetings to conduct business effectively. Partnerships are central to the global content economy and rely on high-functioning relationships to work well. So yes, I think markets will continue to be crucial for business moving forward, because as helpful as Zoom calls can be on a day-to-day basis, there’s no good substitute for the kind of relationship building opportunities afforded by attending markets.
The disruptive nature of the pandemic appears to have driven the introduction of some new events, and this has been confusing for many clients who are not interested in choosing between markets. We believe that offering a proven market with a decades-long track record of success makes that choice much easier.
NATPE Budapest is returning in June 19-22, 2023. What are your plans for the market which has established itself as the go-to event in Central and Eastern Europe? What will be some of the elements that other events won’t be able to replicate?
The key to a successful market is high-quality buyer attendance, and for over 30 years NATPE Budapest has attracted the top acquisitions executives in the CEE region in the greatest volume. This is why the major US studios choose to showcase their latest programming at NATPE Budapest each year. In 2022, there were nearly 400 buyers in attendance and we expect that to grow now that travel restrictions have been fully lifted. In addition, Brunico has implemented additional rigor to the buyer qualification process to ensure that our list of buyers is superior in both quality and quantity. And we’ve made NATPE Budapest free to attend for buyers, which is drawing even more attendance and interest.
We will also be launching our Co-Pro Connections program, which matches established international producers bringing high-quality projects to the market with our regional buyers. Today’s ultra-competitive environment demands early access to new and diverse stories with local appeal, and we’re excited to deliver these kinds of opportunities that will make NATPE Budapest a one-stop shopping experience.
And to top it all off, we’re bringing back the much-loved Boat Cruise party on the Danube, a longstanding NATPE Budapest tradition from years past.
We can say that CEE is a new market for your company. In your opinion, what makes the region stick out among other territories? What makes it attractive to the international players?
The CEE region possesses such a positive dynamic relative to many other parts of the world which makes it attractive for international investment. The region’s economy is growing steadily, there’s low unemployment and it boasts a broad set of digital and OTT offerings for consumers in addition to a more stable traditional television market than what you would typically find in other developed regions. As a seller of content, this provides a rich mix of buyers for originals and library content as well as an excellent opportunity to adapt and extend global franchises and formats. This is the message we are receiving already from our international partners and the dynamic we are expecting to see unfold at NATPE Budapest this year.
What are your first impressions after talking to clients who are curious about the future of NATPE Budapest following the change of ownership?
We’re so pleased with the warm welcome we’ve received to date. The level of respect and loyalty for the NATPE brand in the region is apparent. Clients have expressed relief that we’ve been able to step in seamlessly to preserve this important marketplace, and the fact that we are ready to invest in order to make the event even better has been well-received. It feels good to partner with a region that wants us to succeed.
There has been some confusion among people from the region due to the fact that there is another event in Budapest in June. What would you like to say to people who are having a hard time choosing “the right market”?
It’s difficult to understand the merits of an alternative event in the same timeframe and location, but with no clear point of differentiation. NATPE Budapest is back and we are ready once again to deliver the definitive market in the region with the highest-quality and largest contingent of buyers.
The sign-up process for NATPE Budapest 2023 started in early March. What numbers can you already report? What type of companies and people would like to attend the event?
When we opened up our buyer registration site, we were overwhelmed with the response. Within the first ten days we signed up over 200 qualified buyers from linear TV channels, streaming platforms and distribution companies including AMC Networks, Antenna Group, MGM+, Paramount, TV2 and RTL to name a few. This is what tells us we’re on track to produce a great event. We couldn’t be more excited to put our stamp on the experience at this beloved market, while over-delivering on all of the value that our clients expect from a NATPE event. We are currently signing up buyers and exhibitors and will be opening up general registration further down the road.
For the last 60 years, NATPE has been operating some of the most important and respected content markets in the world including the Miami and Budapest events. As a world leader in the B2B event space with our widely acclaimed content markets and conferences like Realscreen Summit, Kidscreen Summit and Banff World Media Festival, we feel strongly that Brunico has the resources and experience to build on this legacy and help these crucial industry events reach their full potential.
There has been a noticeable surge in organizing in-person TV industry events post-COVID, with both established markets returning but also new ones popping out. To what do you attribute this? Are markets still crucial for the business in the digital age?
If the experience of the pandemic has demonstrated anything, it is the imperative of face-to-face meetings to conduct business effectively. Partnerships are central to the global content economy and rely on high-functioning relationships to work well. So yes, I think markets will continue to be crucial for business moving forward, because as helpful as Zoom calls can be on a day-to-day basis, there’s no good substitute for the kind of relationship building opportunities afforded by attending markets.
The disruptive nature of the pandemic appears to have driven the introduction of some new events, and this has been confusing for many clients who are not interested in choosing between markets. We believe that offering a proven market with a decades-long track record of success makes that choice much easier.
NATPE Budapest is returning in June 19-22, 2023. What are your plans for the market which has established itself as the go-to event in Central and Eastern Europe? What will be some of the elements that other events won’t be able to replicate?
The key to a successful market is high-quality buyer attendance, and for over 30 years NATPE Budapest has attracted the top acquisitions executives in the CEE region in the greatest volume. This is why the major US studios choose to showcase their latest programming at NATPE Budapest each year. In 2022, there were nearly 400 buyers in attendance and we expect that to grow now that travel restrictions have been fully lifted. In addition, Brunico has implemented additional rigor to the buyer qualification process to ensure that our list of buyers is superior in both quality and quantity. And we’ve made NATPE Budapest free to attend for buyers, which is drawing even more attendance and interest.
We will also be launching our Co-Pro Connections program, which matches established international producers bringing high-quality projects to the market with our regional buyers. Today’s ultra-competitive environment demands early access to new and diverse stories with local appeal, and we’re excited to deliver these kinds of opportunities that will make NATPE Budapest a one-stop shopping experience.
And to top it all off, we’re bringing back the much-loved Boat Cruise party on the Danube, a longstanding NATPE Budapest tradition from years past.
We can say that CEE is a new market for your company. In your opinion, what makes the region stick out among other territories? What makes it attractive to the international players?
The CEE region possesses such a positive dynamic relative to many other parts of the world which makes it attractive for international investment. The region’s economy is growing steadily, there’s low unemployment and it boasts a broad set of digital and OTT offerings for consumers in addition to a more stable traditional television market than what you would typically find in other developed regions. As a seller of content, this provides a rich mix of buyers for originals and library content as well as an excellent opportunity to adapt and extend global franchises and formats. This is the message we are receiving already from our international partners and the dynamic we are expecting to see unfold at NATPE Budapest this year.
What are your first impressions after talking to clients who are curious about the future of NATPE Budapest following the change of ownership?
We’re so pleased with the warm welcome we’ve received to date. The level of respect and loyalty for the NATPE brand in the region is apparent. Clients have expressed relief that we’ve been able to step in seamlessly to preserve this important marketplace, and the fact that we are ready to invest in order to make the event even better has been well-received. It feels good to partner with a region that wants us to succeed.
There has been some confusion among people from the region due to the fact that there is another event in Budapest in June. What would you like to say to people who are having a hard time choosing “the right market”?
It’s difficult to understand the merits of an alternative event in the same timeframe and location, but with no clear point of differentiation. NATPE Budapest is back and we are ready once again to deliver the definitive market in the region with the highest-quality and largest contingent of buyers.
The sign-up process for NATPE Budapest 2023 started in early March. What numbers can you already report? What type of companies and people would like to attend the event?
When we opened up our buyer registration site, we were overwhelmed with the response. Within the first ten days we signed up over 200 qualified buyers from linear TV channels, streaming platforms and distribution companies including AMC Networks, Antenna Group, MGM+, Paramount, TV2 and RTL to name a few. This is what tells us we’re on track to produce a great event. We couldn’t be more excited to put our stamp on the experience at this beloved market, while over-delivering on all of the value that our clients expect from a NATPE event. We are currently signing up buyers and exhibitors and will be opening up general registration further down the road.
