2016 will see the thirteenth edition of DigiTraining Plus, the course on digital cinema addressing cinema exhibitors as well as professional and institutional players in the sector, which has been organized by MEDIA Salles with the support of the European Union and the Italian Government ever since 2004, when there were only just over 30 digital screens in Europe.

The thirteenth edition is to be held in Italy
The course will be held from 29 June to 3 July in Italy and will benefit from the collaboration of the Regional Government of Sicily and the Sicilian branch of the Italian cinema exhibitors' association.

Advances in technology and changes in business: this is why unbiased information is crucial, especially for an independent exhibitor
This message, launched by a participant at the 2015 course, summarizes the approach and spirit of DigiTraining Plus 2016, which will focus on three areas.

Theatre Management: decisions on investments
Now with the digital conversion nearly complete, new decisions must be made.
Manufacturers are keen to sell products, such as new sound systems and new projection technologies, with features that may include HDR, larger color gamut and higher light levels for 3D. Marketplace dynamics are reverting to those of the earlier days in cinema, where sellers drove innovation. However, today technology is advancing at a much faster pace, and the cinema market is now highly leveraged. This might represent a threat for small/medium sized exhibitors if they are ill informed when making new investments. One of the aims of DigiTraining Plus 2016 is to provide the necessary information to offset risks for independent cinemas.

Programming content
From the point of view of enhancing the diversity and quality of the cinema offer, digitization offers many possibilities for 'specialty programming', such as cinema on demand, new forms of event-cinema and integration of added content.
However, those who believe that flexibility and variety of programming are the automatic results of installing a digital projector may find themselves disappointed. In fact digitization compels exhibitors to rethink programming.
DigiTraining Plus 2016 will represent a platform for comparing views and sharing experiences on the opportunities offered by a more flexible way of programming. All this not only in view of targeting potential audiences more efficiently, but also of consolidating the role of the cinemas as centres of culture and social aggregation as well as factors for developing tourism in their own territories.

Digital technologies for a new way of approaching audiences and catering for their specific needs
The use of the social media for marketing and for audience building will be one of the key points in the 2016 programme.
Participants will learn how to improve their communication skills, thanks to the presentation of best practices. They will also become familiar with the most innovative systems for facilitating access to the cinema for those who have hearing or visual difficulties, with the aim of offering a cinema without barriers thanks to technological innovation.
Elisabetta Brunella

COURSE PROGRAMME (updated as at 25 May 2016) DigiTraining Plus 2016: What do you do with digital now you've got it? 29 June - 3 July 2016, Taormina, Sicily (Italy)
Wednesday 29 June	Thursday 30 June	Friday 1 July	Saturday 2 July	Sunday 3 July
Arrival of participants in Taormina	Congress Centre - Taormina Session open to audiovisual professionals and cinema schools from the host Region (Sicily) Digitization in Europe and worldwide: facts, figures, challenges, by Elisabetta Brunella, Secretary General of MEDIA Salles New prospects and new challenges of the next phase of digitization, by Michael Karagosian (MKPE)	Congress Centre - Taormina Group work on the impact of digital technology in cinema management New developments in the delivery of digital content A special Q&A session of the future of the cinemas, by David Hancock, IHS - UK	Group transfer from the Hotel by rented bus to Catania Visits to the Cinestar cinema: presentation of their strategy and approach to programming and audience building. Visit to the King Cinema, one of the historical cinemas offering quality programming in Catania. Visit to the historical centre of Catania with a focus on the shooting locations chosen by Visconti and Zeffirelli.	Evaluation of the course and brainstorming on new training activities to meet the needs of the European cinema exhibitors in future years. End of course Departure
	Free time (including lunch)	Free time (including lunch)	Free time (including lunch)
Congress Centre - Taormina   Registration and welcome coffee   Welcome speeches from organizers and partners   Presentation of the course contents   Participants introduce themselves   The cinema market in Sicily and the role of the public institutions for the digitization of the cinema chain   Screening of films produced in Sicily	Cinemas as tools for the promotion of tourism and development of the territory. Sharing of the best practices starting from the cases of Wadowice (PL) and Mallorca (E), by Marta Materska-Samek and Pedro Barbadillo.   How to use social media to enhance the cinema experience and to build new audiences, by Petr Vitek, Aero Kino - CZ         Screening of films produced in Sicily	Added content: a round table on the opportunities offered to cinema programming   Group work: comparing audience building initiatives in the various types of cinemas, introduced by Peter Bosma, researcher - NL                     Screening of films produced in Sicily	Group transfer from Catania to Taormina Digital technology at the service of a better quality for cinema-going, by Peter Buckingham, Sampomedia - UK
Opening dinner	Free evening in Taormina including dinner	Free evening in Taormina including dinner	Participation to the Nastri d'Argento ceremony - closing dinner

Who is who at DigiTraining Plus 2016

Pedro Barbadillo, CineCiutat / CineArte	Peter Bosma, Independent Programmer, researcher, lecturer Film Studies	Peter Buckingham, Sampomedia
David Hancock, Research Director IHS Technology	Marta Materska-Samek, independent researcher, project analyst and EU funds expert	Petr Vítek, Director Pro-DIGI o.s.