BROADCAST & FILM AFRICA: Nairobi to host first regional broadcast and film industry conference and exhibition

Nairobi to host first regional broadcast and film industry conference and exhibition 

The first African Broadcast, Film and Convergence  Conference will be held in Nairobi over 23-25 September 2008 at Kenyatta International Conference Centre, KICC and will bring together senior broadcast executives, producers of film, radio and television, advertising agency executives, regulators and policy-makers, sound and technical engineers, among other professionals in the broadcast industry, as well as research organisations and top media representatives.

The conference will look at how traditional radio and television will  be able to face off increased competition from pay-TV operators; and with the proliferation of numerous radio and television channels, explore ways of how best programming can be received by audiences for satellite and IP-TV, to PCs as well as on mobile phones, a situation that is rapidly fragmenting the traditional market. The conference will look into ways African broadcasters can sustain their audiences and attract new advertising.

Broadcast and film professionals will brainstorm on various areas including production, marketing and convergence; ways of accessing international rights on events, including sports and football; they will look into how to collaborate with the movie giants such as Hollywood and Bollywood; will discuss ways of achieving better standards in radio, television and film productions and how best to market and distribute programmes. Transition to digital broadcasting technology will be another subject that will engage delegates, with a view to opening up space for enabling African productions to be viewed more widely, including on prime time on European and  American television.

Policy matters that touch on regulatory, anti-piracy and copyright will be discussed openly, with a view to mapping up way forward as  Africa’s broadcast and film sector undergoes one of the most intensive periods of change since inception. As the first of its kind, the conference aims to help all those in the industry chart a clear way forward in the next five years.

The conference will bring together formidable professionals from the broadcast and film industry and beyond, as speakers and panel discussants, on matters affecting the industry on a day to day basis. Delegates will be able to brainstorm together with the discussants, sharering experiences and exchanging ideas on ways of improving the industry in Africa. Some of the speakers and panelists who have confirmed their attendance include Eben Grayling, CEO Multichoice Africa; Ms. Elizabeth Lwanga, Country Director, UNDP; Julian McIntyre, CEO GTV;  Salim Amin, CEO Mohamed Amin Foundation; Angelo Kinyua, Kenya’s own film maker and CEO, Big Ideas Entertainment; South African film producer Jeremy Nathan of DV 8; Martin Mhando, Zanzibar International Film Festival; Bjon Maes of Africalia; Redeemer Kwame of Ghana Television; and Richard Bell of African Telecommunications Media and Technology Fund.

Training and capacity building will be on top of the conference agenda and many institutions of learning, including colleges and universities handling electronics media and film training, will be represented in the conference.

The conference programme will be directed by two leading lights in Africa’s broadcast industry – Oscar Beauttah, a doyen among African broadcasters and founder of the African Broadcasting Network, and Russell Southwood, publisher of the African Broadcast, Film and Convergence e-letter and a leading analyst of the broadcast market. Oscar is the Conference Chairman and Russell is the Programme Director.

The conference will be supported with a specialised exhibition by leading manufacturers on the latest broadcast and film equipment for live broadcasts, film and television production, editing facilities for radio, television and film material, live transmission facilities, news gathering tools and studio equipment.

The conference will be held under the auspices of Kenya’s Ministry of Information and Communication and organized by AITEC Africa, supported by Balancing Act of UK, the African Broadcasting Network and the Kenya Film Commission. It will be officially  opened by Kenya’s Minister for Information and Communication, Hon Samuel Poghisio.

For more information please email: info@aitecafrica.com or telephone +44 1480 880774.