Digital Cinema, Net Tickets Stars Of ShoWest 2000

Exhibitors leaving ShoWest 2000 are grappling with two major issues that will affect their business for decades to come: how to move forward in a digital world and how to capitalize on new media to improve their bottom lines and calm Wall Street worries. While last year's ShoWest opened exhibitors' eyes to digital projection, the message at this year's convention was clear: New media has arrived. Digital cinema and the Internet took center stage as about 12,000 people (including those who came for the trade show) descended on ShoWest. The convention ran much more smoothly than in the past, as it was held for the first time in two hotels, Bally's and Paris, which alleviated telephone problems and averted the long lines for elevators that plagued the event in previous years. This year's convention was also a less eventful one, with no major mergers or personnel shake-ups. The biggest announcement came from six major theater chains (representing more than 12,000 screens), who said they are about to take their ticketing online with an unnamed new company. Source: The Hollywood Reporter