-By Sarah Sluis

This year’s ShoWest/NATO Marketing Achievement Award winners used their promotions to unite small towns and bring together the micro-communities of New York City. The events drew people to movie theatres not just to catch whatever was playing at eight o’clock, but to socialize, support charities, be entertained, and learn or taste something new.

Especially in small towns like Hannibal, Missouri, whose theatre won for its grand-opening event, cinemas not only show tentpoles, but are themselves tentpoles and gathering places for a community. They help support small businesses and restaurants, and those businesses in turn are willing to help out with promotions. Theatres also used their promotions to raise money for good causes. They helped out a wide range of charities—from schoolchildren in Afghanistan to beekeepers in Sonoma County, Calif. Even on-site, theatre managers organized screenings for foster children and disadvantaged kids, and provided opportunities to adopt stray animals. And who knew movie theatres could double as a site for stargazing or a place to look at a hive of bees?

With their creativity and compassion, this year’s winners—some seasoned veterans, and others first-time honorees—have earned well-deserved applause. The awards will be presented at the March 17 breakfast event in the Paris Champagne Ballroom at ShoWest.

Garet A. Sechrist: Best Overall Promotion & Showmanship (1-399 Screens)
In Gulf Shores, Alabama, Harry Potter fans had a chance to pretend they were wizards themselves with the “Hunt for the Horcruxes” scavenger hunt leading up to the premiere of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The event won Garet Sechrist “Best Overall Promotion & Showmanship” for the Cobb Pinnacle 14 Theatre. Listening to promotions on the radio, participants hunted down six clues, and those that were successful were entered in a drawing for one of five keys.

The night of the premiere, each keyholder had a chance to unlock a chest, and won donated prizes worth $1,700 to $15,000. With Butterbeer brewing and costumed wizards, the mood was festive—and frenzied. More than 2,000 people showed up, cramming into the lobby and spilling into the hallways and outside. Besides the opening-night event, Sechrist held a marathon screening of the first three movies (with the studio’s permission) and donated the proceeds to muscular dystrophy research via the MDA. The week leading up to the event included a block party and an appearance by the mayor.

Staged in a resort town that grows from 1,700 to 300,000 in the summer, Sechrist’s promotion brought in both locals and vacationers. Until next summer, the three-time winner will have to stave off the questions he receives each week from customers asking about his next big promotion.

David Wallace: Best Overall Promotion & Showmanship (400+ Screens)
The idea was simple: a 40-foot long, ten-foot high dinosaur within the lobby of the Regal Augusta 10 in Augusta, Maine, for the promotion of Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. Created out of papier-mâché, the dinosaur was impressive enough that one woman thought it was on loan from a museum.

“Everyone that walked through our lobby doors could not help but smile when they were greeted by the huge dinosaur,” notes David Wallace, who architected the installation with a friendly look to appeal to children and families. “Many children came over to hug it or just to touch it.”

Impressive enough to win the “Best Overall Promotion & Showmanship” award, the dinosaur became “the talk of the town” and many people brought cameras to take their pictures in front of the giant creation. Though originally only a dinosaur was planned, Wallace’s team ended up creating pterodactyls, an ice bridge, and an acorn character above the concession area.

Because the installation took place during the theatre’s “Stars of Hope” campaign, Wallace decided to display the purple stars that represented donations on the dinosaur. The charity helps provide transportation from the local Boys & Girls Club to the movie theatre for summer morning movies, giving these kids an opportunity to attend the theatre they might not ordinarily have.

Wallace loves being a part of the film business for the past 15 years. “This is a place where memories are made and where scenes are never forgotten,” the three-time winner enthuses. He hopes his creation has added to the magical film experience, and counts his success with “an extra smile or memory.”

Leslie Snyder: The "Heart" of Showmanship Award (1-399 Screens)
A 208-seat theatre serving a community of 1,200, the Aurora Theatre 2000 in Alberta, Canada, designed a philanthropy campaign that reached out to local schools and churches to donate “Pennies for Peace.” After seeing the Canadian film 50 Dead Men Walking at ShowCanada, Leslie Snyder felt moved and wanted to promote the movie, despite the fact that artier, edgier fare is less popular in the community. The movie’s violent depictions of the IRA in the 1980s contrasted strongly with a book she had just read, Three Cups of Tea, which talks about building schools for children in Afghanistan and Pakistan. She decided to make a campaign that would “splice” these ideas together, with the stated theme of “promoting world peace by highlighting a film about conflict.”

The resulting “Pennies for Peace” campaign won Snyder the “Heart” of Showmanship Award. Thermometers were placed in schools and churches to be filled with pennies. So many people donated, teachers had to tape thermometers together to hold all the coins. Snyder led presentations on the subject, reached out to other local theatres and libraries, and staged a parade and a “Guitar Camp” convention. In total, the campaign raised over $4,000. Snyder loves that her industry gives her opportunities to “promote a wider vision beyond the communities that we live in, and allow business owners to take a part in shaping the hearts and minds of the world.”

Kim Staalesen: The "Heart" of Showmanship Award (400+ Screens)
For the movie Hotel for Dogs, the team at Regal Wilton Mall 8 in Sarasota Springs, NY, recreated the hotel for dogs in their lobby, with each room occupied by a picture of a dog in need of adoption. The event earned Kim Staalsen the “Heart” of Showmanship Award. Created out of old standees, each room had a picture of a dog available for adoption at a local Saratoga County animal shelter. Staalsen held two adoption clinics for the dogs, with the latter taking place on opening weekend. Besides adopting dogs, patrons could also compete in carnival games to raise money for the shelter—which totaled $1,653.25.

Staalesen, who herself has adopted two dogs and a cat from the shelter, was thrilled to be able to support the shelter. The partnership between the shelter and the theatre worked out so well, they now have a permanent display board in the lobby showing dogs available for adoption.

Benn Hadland: Best In-Theatre Display for a Specialty Film
A self-professed “avid fan of rock music,” Benn Hadland jumped at the opportunity to create a project around the music documentary It Might Get Loud. “The trick was to get people excited about music through the use of display—in other words, be loud visually.” The team at Edwards University Town Center 6 in Irvine, Calif., displayed dramatic art throughout the theatre—like a huge electric guitar made out of soda bottles and a Roy Lichtenstein-inspired guitar. People traveled as far as Riverside and San Diego to see the movie and presentation, the strength of which won Hadland the “Best In-Theatre Display for a Specialty Film” award. The project also benefited the Second Harvest food bank and included a Goodwill clothing drive. Hadland plans to pursue his Master’s in Film and then dive back into the business.

Scott Timko: Best In-Theatre Display for a Major Release
Life-size Transformers, five and eleven feet tall, were the centerpiece of the lobby display for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen in the Airport Stadium 12 in Santa Rosa, Calif. General manager Scott Timko won “Best In-Theatre Display” for the project, his second marketing award in a row, but he attributes the success of the promotion to a “good supporting cast,” and knowing how to utilize the strengths of all his employees. The workers bonded over an all-night papier-mâché party, “staying up until five a.m. drinking energy drinks.”

When planning a charitable tie-in to the promotion weekend, they turned to an unlikely group. In a reference to the Transformers’ main character, Bumblebee, they partnered up with the Sonoma Country Beekeepers Association. The Association brought (contained) beehives to the lobby, teaching kids how to spot the queen and providing information about the problems of dwindling bee populations. Carnival games with donated prizes from the studios raised $600 for the Association, and for the theatre, the events gave a bump to the movie’s opening-weekend box office.

Ayah Hasan: Best Use of Media & Events for a Specialty Film
To promote Adam, a complicated romance between an amateur astronomer with Asperger’s syndrome and his neighbor, Regal Ballantyne Village district promotions coordinator Ayah Hasan reached out to the scientific and Asperger’s communities in Charlotte, NC, bringing both together for a special night. During the event, the Charlotte Astronomy Club set up telescopes on the theatre balcony for viewing. After the screening, a panel of psychological, medical and teaching experts talked about Asperger’s syndrome. A prize wheel, information from local societies such as Autism Speaks, the Autism Society and The Schiele Museum (which has a planetarium), food and a quiz provided additional diversions. To cap it all off, the team created a giant telescope in the middle of the lobby, as well as two life-size recreations of scenes in the movie’s trailer.

To win her award for “Best Use of Media & Events,” Hasan (who won last year) reached out to newspapers, radio and television. During a Fox News segment, the anchor donned a spacesuit that appeared in several of the station’s promos. NPR and university newspapers helped reach out to the specialty film market. One newspaper held a contest asking “What’s the farthest you’ve gone for love?” Hasan loves being parts of the “evolving” industry—though she doesn’t see it as a business. “I feel like it is a place where I belong, where I fit in, a home away from home… I’ve realized that it is a place that fosters creativity and higher-order thinking. I am very grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this family.”

Scott Rosemann: Best Use of Media & Events for a Major Release
Julie & Julia was such a good fit for Chelsea Clearview Cinemas’ audience in New York City, exhibitor relations at Sony actually reached out to the theatre first. Scott Rosemann agreed that the movie was a “Chelsea picture,” and his team planned a series of “sophisticated and upscale events and promotions that highlighted the many endearing aspects of womanhood, friendship and food.” The events paid off: The opening weekend of $102,900 put them at number three in the country and twice the amount of their direct competition. The promotions gave the movie staying power, too: In its third week, Clearview’s screenings of Julie & Julia were number two in the country.

During the New York Women in Film & Television award night, the theatre heavily promoted the movie with prominent standees and one-sheets in the gift bags. New York magazine hosted an advance screening, which included cocktails and gourmet food. During the first two weeks of the movie’s run, a restaurant down the street, East of Eighth, put Julia Child’s boeuf bourguignon on the menu for the first two weeks of its run—selling out of the dish every night. Staff wore Julie & Julia aprons throughout the release, and the lobby was filled with food displays and products to sample. The theatre partnered up with Pop Bag to distribute over 2,000 gift bags featuring tons of samples from companies eager to get the word out on their product—including lots of gourmet foodie goodies.

Rosemann, who has 25 years of experience and is accepting his third award, offers a tip for hosting events and promoting films: “Create and maintain many marketing platforms and layer marketing efforts using each event to promote upcoming events.” And yes, that includes Facebook and Twitter! With his well-thought-out events and winning box office, Rosemann reached his goal: “to have our guests comment ‘That was a wonderful night out!’”

Christopher Tickner: Best Community Event (1-399 Screens)
When B&B Theatres premiered their first all-digital theatre, the Main Street Cinema 8 in Hannibal, Missouri, they wanted to live up to their slogan: “Bringing Hollywood to your hometown since 1924.” A red carpet gala, complete with managers posing as paparazzi, kicked off the opening. Over 350 people attended, raising over $7,000 for downtown development. The event was attended by the community, including the mayor, the Bills and Bagby families, and managers from all the B&B theatres—three kinds of “families,” both real and created.

With all the managers in town, they canvassed the local business areas to promote the opening. Business owners, eager to bring people into the downtown area, have bought discounted tickets to give to customers and support the theatre, which has doubled the performance of the old one. The allure of all-digital and 3D has brought in people from surrounding areas, revitalizing the downtown Hannibal area, the boyhood home of Mark Twain with the apt nickname “America’s Hometown.” Fairly new to the theatre business, first-time winner Christopher Tickner is eager to make his first trip to ShoWest—a convention he calls the “Valhalla for movie nerds.”

Cheryl Basallo: Best Community Event (400+ Screens)
Besides featuring an array of canines, Hotel for Dogs includes two characters who are foster children. Cheryl Basallo, along with her lead assistant manager, Gerry Conforti, arranged for a special holiday screening of the movie for local foster children at the Regal Park Place in Pinellas Park, Florida. After the movie, the kids were escorted into an elevator, and when it opened they walked down a red carpet to a party room with pizza and ice cream cake.

Each child received five presents from Toys for Tots, which donated all the gifts. “One little girl received a Hannah Montana jewelry box,” Basallo recalls. “She started crying, saying that she has asked Santa for this jewelry box. We had no idea. Just maybe, Santa really does exist.” Basallo, who started her theatre career working the concession stand during the opening weekend of E.T., knew she wanted to be in the movie business from the start, but this project was particularly rewarding. Her team “never realized the joy and happiness we would feel helping these charities, especially the foster children.”