12 Basque companies are to take part in the MIPTV in Cannes with their own Basque Audiovisual stand
The Basque Audiovisual Cluster has managed to consolidate Basque Audiovisual as a reference brand for the sector’s foreign promotion
Bilbao, 4 March. A stand of almost 20 m2, located in the central pavilion of the Palais des Festivals, will house the twelve Basque companies present this year at the International Market for Audiovisual and Digital Content MIPTV under the Basque Audiovisual brand. This market is one of the most important in the world in this field and will be held from 30 March to 3 April in the French city of Cannes.
The Basque delegation will be made up of: 3Koma, Audiovisual 21, Baleuko, EiTB, Expressive, Jarkatza Media, K2000, Mediabost, Pausoka, Retelsat, Somuga and Western Films.
The aim of Eiken-Basque Audiovisual Cluster and of the Department of Culture of the Basque Government, which are promoting the initiative, is to aid the companies in their commercial dealings so that they can carry them out in improved conditions, as well as guarantee greater visibility for Basque Audiovisual and its products through the clearly differentiated Basque Audiovisual association.
“Having our own stand implies, above all, that the companies take centre stage. In former editions, we realised that we have a good brand and, due to the quality of the content offered by our companies, we attract great interest. This was the logical step following the successful evolution of Basque Audiovisual which was created only two years ago”, Itziar Mena, Eiken’s Director, explained.
Furthermore, on this occasion, and thanks to an agreement between the Basque and Galician audiovisual clusters, Basque and Galician companies have managed to join their respective space to generate attractive, commercial synergies. “The total space -Itziar Men pointed out- will cover almost 40 m2 and we are already working on the joint organisation of a networking programme with producers from other countries”.
Eiken-Basque Audiovisual Cluster wants to make it easier for a large number of companies, bodies and organisations related to the audiovisual sector to participate in MIPTV 2009, where they can display their products and make worthwhile contacts and, at the same time, strengthen the image of the Basque audiovisual sector through its own, differentiated space in Cannes.
Foreign promotion
One of Eiken’s objectives at the beginning of 2007 was to draw up a Multiannual Plan for Foreign Promotion based on the presentation of the sector under one brand. Basque Audiovisual has established itself as the Basque audiovisual sector’s brand on the international scene. In this respect, the surveys on companies carried out by Eiken reveal that the former identify with a simple brand which is clearly recognizable in any market and is the sign of the differentiation and quality of audiovisual products made in the Basque Country.
In general, companies see Basque Audiovisual as a support platform for those interested in the international market. The truth of the matter is that Basque Audiovisual is not only a brand but it is also a project involving a commercial online catalogue (www.basqueaudiovisual.com) and a team of consultants to aid businesses.
The MIPTV is clearly internationally oriented. Over 100 countries attended the last edition. The five days of the market include a great variety of activities: conferences, seminars, keynote speakers, cocktail events, projections, press conferences and award ceremonies. The French city turns into the European audiovisual capital for the duration of the market.