The conference opened with a closed meeting of the UNIC Women’s Cinema Leadership Programme. Moderated by Monica Chadha, Senior Advisor, Creative Industries, Mocha 8 Ltd, the session featured an inspiring talk by Julien Marcel, Founder and CEO, Cine Group & President, KLS VIP.
At the official start, attendees were welcomed by Laura Houlgatte, CEO, UNIC who then moderated the opening Keynote Debate, which brought together Paul Higginson, Executive Vice President, EMEA, Universal Pictures International, and Christof Papousek, Managing Director & CFO, Cineplexx. Together, they explored the latest trends, opportunities and challenges shaping cinema exhibition and distribution.
The programme continued with the panel debate “From Momentum to Growth”, moderated by Elise Brandt, Owner and CEO, Kuusan Kino Ky. The session featured a discussion with Mary Kouinoglou, Senior Vice President, Theatrical, EMEA Licensees, Sony Pictures, Eric Meyniel, Chief Box-office Officer, Kinepolis, Lucie Morvan, Director of Operations, Member of the Management Board, Yorck Kinogruppe, and Otto Turton, Chief Commercial Officer, Vue International. The panellists explored what recent successes can teach us about audiences, content, and the cinema experience, and what the industry should be doing today to turn current momentum into long-term growth.
A dedicated Quickfire Session followed, with Johanna Tircazes, Support & Development Manager, La French Touch, presenting on Trends in Cultural & Creative Economies.
The Focus Session “Good for you? Cinema and Well-being” turned attention to the health benefits of the big screen. Patrick von Sychowski, International Editor-in-Chief, Cine Group, set the scene and moderated a discussion featuring Eva Demeter, Director, TISZAPART Cinema, and Paul Giggal, CEO, MediCinema, exploring the emotional and mental benefits audiences associate with the shared theatrical experience.
A series of Quickfire Sessions rounded off the day.
- Quickfire Session I – Trends in Cultural & Creative Economies - with Johanna Tircazes, Support & Development Manager, La French Touch
- Quickfire Session II – UNIC People Programme - Diversity & Inclusion, was introduced by Kamil Jarończyk, Policy and Communications Officer, UNIC, followed by a presentation from Sam Clements, Director of Marketing, Picturehouse Cinemas.
- Quickfire Session III – AI & Cinemas, with guidelines presented by Christian Chtuka, AI Governance & Cybersecurity, DG IUST, European Parliament.
- Quickfire Session IV – UNIC Women’s Cinema Leadership Programme, moderated by Laure Galtier, Head of Projects & Events, UNIC, included contributions from Aileen Thomas, Managing Director, Thomas Filmtheater / Cineplex Bayreuth, and Silje Utkilen, Managing Director, Hamar Kino.
After the closing remarks by Jaime Tarrazón, President, UNIC, attendees gathered for a convivial drinks’ reception and dinner, rounding off a first day of learning and connections.
Day two was divided into Marketing Lab and Technology Lab.
The Marketing lab was opened by UNIC CEO and emceed by Erin Von Hoetzendorff, Vice President, Membership and Global Affairs, Cinema United. The lab was conducted with support from Laure Galtier, Kamil Jarończyk, and Chiara Cuneo, UNIC, the morning opened with Quickfire Session I – “Cineplex RFM Analysis Model on Understanding Customer Loyalty”, presented by Thomas Limmer, Digital Director, Cineplex.
This was followed by a series of presentations and interactive sessions led by UNIC Partners:
- Rentrak – Nancy Tartaglione “Innovative ways to grow attendance and future KPIs”
- The Boxoffice Company – Laureen Philippe & Graeme Watt “Your Next Customer Asked an AI First”
- Gruvi – Oanh Nguyenova & Navrin Secker “Gen Z Is Showing Up. So Must We”
Next came Quickfire Session II – Simplyia Case Study with Grégory Schuber, CEO & Co-Founder, Simplyia.
The panel “The Potential of Creator-Led Films in Cinemas”, moderated by Marija Samardžić, Program Editor / Marketing Manager, Pančevo Cultural Centre, featured Charlotte Jones, Associate Director - Cinema, Omdia, Sophie Ménard, Head of Marketing and Publicity, Piece of Magic Entertainment, and Etienne Rouillon, Director, MK2.alt, exploring why creator content is attracting crowds and its long-term potential for cinemas.
The event then spotlighted the UNIC/Coca-Cola Retail Award: 2026 Winners. The segment was presented by Stephanie Morgner, Senior Director, Away From Home Customers, Coca-Cola Europe, with contributions from Andreas Hufer, Head of Sales & Business Development, Member of the Management Board, Kinopolis Management Multiplex GmbH.
Before lunch, Boban Stefanović, President, Serbian Cinemas Network, presented theCollaborate to Innovate Project “European Cinema Pass Serbia”.
The afternoon continued with a second round of presentations and interactive sessions from UNIC Marketing Partners. Sessions included:
- Vista Group – Lauren Greene “Measuring What Moves Moviegoers: Should emphasis shift from engagement to attendance and spend?"
- Showtime Analytics – Richard Power “Smart AI, Safe Data: What Cinemas Need to Know”
- Compeso – Léon Brechlin “Cinema: The Story We Forgot to Tell”
The Marketing Lab concluded with the panel “The Collectible Obsession: From limited-edition concession merchandise to original cinema-branded goodies”, moderated by Marianne Tronet, Senior Marketing Manager, Everyman Media Group PLC. Panellists Nuno Aguiar, Director, NOS Cinemas, Frank Groot, Financial Director / Programmer, KINO Rotterdam, and Julie Quirke, Regional Director Europe, Zinc Group, explored the growing potential of cinema collectibles.
The Technology Lab included a series of technical updates, open debates, panels, presentations and group workshops from cinema technology experts. The lab was moderated by Sonia Ragone, Senior Industry Relations & Research Manager, UNIC. The day began with an Exhibitor-Only ‘Closed Session’, moderated by Mike Bradbury, Head of Cinema Technology, ODEON Cinemas Group.
This was followed by the panel “From Format to FOMO: How The Odyssey made IMAX 70mm an event”, in which Orianne Bastar, Cinema Technical Coordinator, British Film Institute, spoke with Jacques Durand, Director of Technical Strategy and Procurement, Pathé France, Nicolas Hamon, Head of Projection & Sound, Kinepolis, John Schreiner, Senior Vice President Theatre Development EMEA, IMAX, and Stijn Vanspauwen, Country Manager Box Office Sales & Marketing, Kinepolis.
A workshop session on Equipment Sustainability and Lifetime, produced by the European Digital Cinema Forum (EDCF), was led by Guillaume Branders, Executive Director, EDCF, and Ian Robbins, SVP, Global Operations and Strategic Planning, Cinema, Deluxe.
Julian Pinn, CEO of SAWA and sound expert, then moderated a panel on “Loudness in the Preshow”, featuring Faustine Nataf-Cantor, Deputy General Director, Mediavision, and Loys Philibert, CTO, ADDE.
The panel “Multiplication of Formats – Challenge or Opportunity?” brought together Marie-Laure Barrau-Sabatini, General Manager Northern Europe, Deluxe, Youry Bredewold, Head of Dolby Cinema Relations EMEAI, Dolby Laboratories, Laura Fumagalli, Exhibitor and Head of Marketing and Events, Arcadia Cinemas, Jan Harmsen, Head of Cinema Technology, Kinopolis Management Multiplex GmbH, and Karina Neill, Managing Director and VP of Sales EMEA, RealD, who examined whether the diversification of formats is creating sustainable value.
This was followed by the interactive session “Keeping it Cool: From HVAC Challenges to Intelligent Cinema Operations”, produced with the International Cinema Technology Association (ICTA). Moderated by Jan Runge, International Representative, ICTA, and Araceli Vaello, Vice President, Solutions, CinemaNext Group and International Director, ICTA, the session featured Francesco Robimarga, Senior Policy and Advocacy Officer, REHVA, Mike Bradbury (Odeon), Laura Fumagalli (Arcadia) and Marion Rosset, CEO of ADDE.
The day closed with a “Guide on Live Event Delivery for Cinema Operators”, presented by Cathy Huis in 't veld‑Esser, CTO, Gofilex and President of the EDCF.
Thank you to all our members, partners, speakers, sponsors, and attendees for an inspiring two days. We look forward to seeing you at future UNIC events, especially at CineEurope 2027 in Barcelona (21-24 June) and at the next edition of UNIC Cinema Days on 17-18 November 2027!