The 13th Annual Kidscreen Summit drew a crowd of nearly 1,600 kids entertainment professionals to New York earlier this month for four days of intense networking and professional learning. Despite the challenge of a global recession and its impact on many international markets, the event maintained its overall attendance level this year, and also achieved significant growth on several important fronts.
More than 350 kids television buyers attended the event, along with 917 content producers and distributors, with both groups growing by 15% compared to Kidscreen Summit 2011. The event attracted 40% more attendees from Asia this year, with the most significant growth coming from China (up 60%) and Japan (up 50%). In fact, China sent its first-ever official delegation to Kidscreen Summit 2012, as did Chile.
This year’s Summit also welcomed more European attendees in general—with France (+20%), Spain (+30%) and Italy (+40%) all better represented than in 2011. And North American participation was up as well, with 20% more delegates from the US and 10% more from Canada.
Companion event iKids, which took place on February 6, attracted 30% more delegates this year with an expanded multi-track program featuring a rich lineup of presentations and panel discussions designed to explore the intersection of mobile content, social media and web entertainment in the kids space.
The year’s most critical event for the global kids entertainment industry, Kidscreen Summit ran over four days again in response to direct feedback from delegates wanting to achieve a better balance between critical business meetings and the Summit’s outstanding conference program of more than 40 keynotes, panel discussions, presentations, debates and networking sessions—all featuring the industry’s most respected thought-leaders and pioneers.
Kidscreen Summit’s unique positioning as a conference-cum-market lets its attendees customize their event experience to suit their goals and priorities. Featuring the year’s best networking opportunities and conference program, the Summit is the perfect place to learn about the latest trends, issues and opportunities and connect with the industry’s top decision-makers.