The Basics: American Film Market hosted the 41st edition of its annual trade show—which allows the global entertainment industry to gather and license the international rights for motion pictures—virtually from Nov. 9-13, 2020. Planned in just four months, the event drew participants from 78 countries (more countries than any AFM in the last decade) and 42 U.S. states, plus a record 562 exhibitors.
Steal-Worthy Innovations: One of the most notable features was the trade show’s unique networking pavilion, which allowed for both preplanned meetings and spontaneous face-to-face interactions. Here’s how it worked: From the conference’s 3D homepage, participants could click on a 10-story networking pavilion that was filled with 180 digital tables, most centered around different topics like horror movies or women in film. Meanwhile, the first-floor “lobby” had open tables where anyone could grab an open seat and spark up a conversation.
Guests could view profiles to see who was already at a table, to decide if they wanted to join a video call in progress. On the last night of the show, all 10 floors were taken over for a virtual happy hour; participants could pop into various tables to meet new people, or tell colleagues and new acquaintances where to meet them for a virtual drink.
“It’s not a physical event, but it’s giving you just as much of that face time—and is hopefully in some ways more efficient because you don’t have to wait for the elevator,” laughed Jonathan Wolf, AFM’s managing director. “It’s all about that opportunity to more efficiently connect.”
Photo: Courtesy of American Film Market
Lessons Learned: Wolf added that certain aspects of the virtual networking feature actually worked better than they would have in person—particularly for introverts or those looking for like-minded people. “Compare it to a networking reception with 500 people, where you don’t know anyone,” he pointed out. “You have a specific interest, and you might work the party for an hour and never find anybody to connect with on your interest. Now imagine that same party, but there's a little bubble over every conversation that’s telling you what they’re talking about. You can immediately say, ‘There's a group that's talking about something that interests me, and I'm going to be relevant to them.’”
BizBash's 10 Most Innovative Meetings 2021 is sponsored by Bevy, a community event engine fueling virtual, hybrid and in-person events.
