Film Market to Boost Downtown Economy

By Ed Moosbrugger

Feb. 7 -- The local visitor industry is gearing up again to capitalize on the American Film Market, an international trade show that will be held this month in Santa Monica for the 14th consecutive year.

The annual event for the independent film industry attracts about 7,000 people from some 70 countries for an eight-day run that pumps millions of dollars into the Santa Monica economy.

The AFM is headquartered at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, and a lot of the activity occurs in the Downtown area, where some 600 screenings of about 400 films for potential buyers are held at the movie theaters. Many delegates stay at Downtown hotels, eat at the restaurants and shop there.

The event, which will be held from February 25 through March 3, will coincide with the Academy Awards for the first time this year.

AFM doesn’t plan any special events to tie in with the awards, but “we’ll probably see more media at AFM” because more will be in town for the awards, said Jonathan Wolf, managing director of AFM and executive vice president of Westwood-based AFMA, the trade group that puts on the trade show.

Wolf urged any restaurants that will be offering an Academy Awards viewing experience to notify the Santa Monica Convention & Visitors Bureau so that the information can be passed along to AFM attendees.

Santa Monica will get a double bonus this year from AFM. The market will come to town twice as it makes the transition to hold the trade show in November (November 3 to 10 this year).

There are no signs that having the event twice this year has affected the February market, Wolf said.

“Right now we are trending up,” with the number of exhibitors up more than 5 percent, Wolf said in mid-January. But it is too early to tell what total registrations will be.

“Clearly it (the November market) hasn’t had a negative effect,” Wolf said. “It hasn’t cannibalized February.”

Meanwhile, the convention bureau is helping businesses capitalize on the AFM.

“We’re working with all the merchant districts to provide an incentive program,” said Debbie Lee, director of communications for the bureau. That could take the form of a savings booklet to offer discounts or gifts with purchase to delegates, many of whom will be in town twice this year.

The bureau also offers AFM placards that can be displayed by businesses to show they welcome AFM delegates.

“Santa Monica is especially fortunate to have AFM booked twice this year to help our economy on our road to recovery,” said Misti Kerns, president/CEO of the convention bureau. “The revenues AFM brings each year contribute to the success of smaller businesses that rely heavily on tourism dollars during our off season.”

Santa Monica is hoping AFM will renew its commitment to the city beyond 2004, but negotiations haven’t been completed with local hotels.

“Our goal is to stay in Santa Monica,” Wolf said, but he noted that the price of hotel rooms is an important factor for delegates because lodging is usually their biggest expense in attending the AFM.

“We have a great relationship with Loews, but to stay in Santa Monica we have to reach agreements with 17 other hotels,” Wolf said. “We are well into that process.”

One thing that makes Santa Monica so attractive to AFM is the wealth of hotel rooms, restaurants, shops and movie screens within a very compact area, Wolf said.

Meanwhile, AFM will again offer free public screenings of more than 50 independent films to members of entertainment industry organizations, film students and people who live or work in Santa Monica. For information, go to www.americanfilmmarket.com and click on Premiere Screenings.

SANTA MONICA’S tourism industry could receive a boost when a big international travel industry show comes to the Los Angeles Convention Center April 24 to 28.

About 5,500 people from more than 65 countries are expected for the International Pow Wow produced by the Travel Industry Association of America.

The Santa Monica Convention & Visitors Bureau will have a triple booth at the event as it works to book future business for Santa Monica.

Santa Monica businesses that seek to capitalize on tourism should try to be on their best behavior during that time because it’s likely that some travel writers will be visiting the area.