TORONTO — The Banff World Media Festival today announced this year’s virtual edition will take place from June 14 to July 16 featuring a new purpose-built, proprietary online platform that will connect the global media industry to spark new projects and support business development.
The new online meeting and content environment is designed specifically for the entertainment industry and will provide more formats to connect participants one on one and in groups. The new platform will launch in April with exclusive sneak peeks in the months preceding, says Banff’s press release announcing the dates.
As part of a new initiative called Marketplace Week, from June 14 to 18, the show’s new online platform will offer participants real-time networking, meetings and pitching opportunities, as well as deliver the festival’s signature Summit Series keynotes and high-level industry panels.
The online delegate lounge environments will feature exhibitors and a communal space where individuals can connect for scheduled meetings, special curated events and networking. Companies and delegations will gather in virtual pavilions featuring multiple message spaces, and every delegate will have their own customized private video conferencing room. The online platform will also offer integrated messaging and scheduling tools to make the virtual meeting and pitching experience easy, says the release.
The Rockie Awards International Program Competition has been confirmed for June 15.
The virtual festival will continue from June 21 to July 16, with the program including the premiere of a curated series of live and interactive topical panel discussions, celebrity Master Classes, In Conversations, as well as an array of programmed and networking formats.
In addition, Banff Marketplace pass holders will have access to exclusive meeting opportunities including the festival’s Speed Meetings, 30 Minutes With buyer mandates, and group sessions offering access to high-level showrunners, directors and senior executives from the world’s networks, streamers and media companies.
“Great content and successful business ventures are fueled by meaningful personal connections. Banff has always been about bringing people together, and this year’s Festival will do that on a grand virtual scale,” said Jenn Kuzmyk, executive director of Banff World Media Festival, in the press release. “We believe our industry must recognize and act on its role in the movements for social, political, and environmental progress. This year’s Festival content will continue to drive conversation and action, highlighting the power that the entertainment industry has to change minds, change policy, and create opportunities for those who have historically been underrepresented.”
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