For EARS on Helsinki 2016, we introduce four cross-over topics that come together in industry-specific talks and sessions. This is what we’ll be looking at in August:

CURATED CONTENT

To curate means to make selections, and as the amount of content balloons by the day, curators become more vital. But who makes the selections, how, and why? Social media megastars and multichannel personal brands, who do not represent traditional institutions or play by their rules, top traditional brands off the charts. What does this mean when marketing virtually anything?

Interested? See EARS on Helsinki speaker Ivy Wong.

FUNDING

Major investments into games, movies, music and tv are coming from the Asian market. How are decisions on investments made? On the other hand, funding is not only about the money – it is also about authority. Satisfying given needs is a profound logic in securing funding in the traditional sense and crowdfunding, as well. How does money affect the story, the style, the sentiment?

Interested? Check out EARS on Helsinki speakers Terry Ding and Timo Argillander.

LIVE EVENTS GO DIGITAL

Organizing events is creating futures: this is the field, where relevance to the audience is defined months and months in advance. As social media creates new audiences and distributors, and holograms, virtual reality and 360 degree productions disrupt the traditional logic of attending events, how is planning and executing events affected? What are the next big things in digital events made possible by up and coming technologies?

Interested? We present EARS on Helsinki speaker Sohail Arora.

PRODUCTISIZE!

When it comes to making it in the Asian market, products and licensing are the money shot! In the world of products and licensing, ecosystems created by characters multiply the reach of individual productions. How does a single character migrate between literature, cinema, music, or games? How do they cross cultural barriers? And when does good brand management mean to step away from the products?

Interested? Look up EARS on Helsinki speakers Tianyi Pan, Isabelle Glachant and Toni-Matti Karjalainen.

We are super excited to welcome you all back to Helsinki in 2016. The 9th edition of EARS – Europe-Asia Roundtable Sessions – will take over the city 25-28 August with the leading creative industry professionals from Asia. Expect 4 days of talks, roundtables, shows, parties and the fantastic people from all around the world.

We have now a limited amount of super early bird tickets now available. Head to the shop to get yours before they run out. See you soon!

In Asia urbanization and the growing online population are driving the demand for culture and entertainment and generating new innovation. But what are the trends emerging in the market and affecting the creative economy? Folks, it’s time to put your EARS glasses on and take a look.

THE WORLD OF ENDORSEMENTS

In this jet age of modern marketing communication, people tend to ignore all commercials and advertisements while flipping through magazines and newspapers or viewing TV. Still the glamour of a celebrity seldom goes unnoticed. Celebrity endorsement is a way to partner up mixing different fields and products such as music and fashion to reach wider audiences.

EARS on Helsinki 2015 seeks answers to these questions on brand and celebrity endorsements: How do the partnership look like in Asia? How do pop stars utilize fashion? How do fashion brands spread their message through endorsements? How does it compare with the practices in the West?

VIRTUAL REALITY 

Virtual reality technology is about to break into the consumer realm in the very near future. VR can be referred to as computer-simulated life, in other words, an environment that simulates physical presence in places in the real world and lets the user interact in that world. Virtual reality artificially creates sensory experiences, which can include sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. VR headsets are moving fast into the consumer market and present a new challenge but also opportunities for media, and the whole creative industry.

EARS on Helsinki 2015 seeks answers to these questions on virtual reality: What are the opportunities and challenges presented for media companies and creative industry professionals? What kind of content should be produced for virtual reality? What will be the popular use for VR?

MILLENIALS AS SOCIAL CONSUMERS

A different world, a different worldview. Millennials have grown up with rapid change, resulting in a different set of priorities and expectations owned by the previous generations. Especially the retail space has been reshaped by millennials’ affinity for technology. With on-the-go product information, peer reviews and price comparisons at their fingertips, Millennials turn to brands that offer just what they need at that exact moment. With drastic economic growth and impact of social media, the generation gap is even wider in Asia than in Europe.

EARS on Helsinki 2015 seeks answers to these questions on millenials: What are the generation of millenials interested in? Do the interests in Asia differ from the West? How does online content affect millenials’ consuming habits?

EARS on trends is an article series presenting the latest developments from Asia’s creative industries. A deeper dive into the trends will be taken at the next EARS event. 

In Asia urbanization and the growing online population are driving the demand for culture and entertainment and generating new innovation. But what are the trends emerging in the market and affecting the creative economy? Folks, it’s time to put your EARS glasses on and take a look.

NICHE CONTENT

Making local, non-English language feature film content travel in the international marketplace remains a constant challenge in all corners of the globe. Genre cinema is the rare exception in the landscape. Fantasy, science fiction, horror and action films might often be perceived as niche product on their domestic turf. Yet the genre product has a loyal and global fanbase for which language barriers are almost non-existent and the local flavour is rather a blessing than a curse.

The global appeal of genre cinema is also making it more and more attractive from the coproduction perspective. Coproductions on the genre front could well provide an easy access to the market in different European territories for Asian production companies, producers and talent and vice versa. Another advantage is easier access to distribution channels. With specialized genre distributors active in almost every territory, genre product is often superior to local mainstream product when trying to secure distribution in the international marketplace.

EARS on Helsinki 2015 seeks answers to these questions on niche content in Asia: What are the major pitfalls of pan-continental genre coproduction and how can they be avoided? Regarding content, what are the local restrictions and/or standard requirements that need to be taken into account when looking for cofinancing/coproduction partners? Can niche product be the content elevating the film industry from local to global?

SOCIAL SOUNDTRACK

Social soundtrack refers to the current consumption habits of live events. With the growing use of online channels, in addition to on-spot, live content is increasingly being consumed and commented on remotely online. Streaming of live events gives possibilities to consumers to interact for example with overseas festivals but also provide opportunities for events themselves. Festivals are no longer “just” live festivals but can increasingly reach overseas audiences. One example is Modern Sky Festival Helsinki, which is streamed to China from Helsinki in August. Increased visibility raises interest in Chinese brands – which for example at Modern Sky are taking part in the event through sponsorships. Streaming of live-events is a global trend but in Asia it is the social media channels and ways of marketing that commonly differ.

EARS on Helsinki 2015 seeks answers to these questions on live event consumption in Asia: How are live-events consumed on social media in Asia? What are the channels being used? What approaches should be taken in marketing? What possibilities are there for international partnerships in live event consumption?

THE VENUE BOOM OF PERFORMING ART

In the past years Asia has witnessed the rise of numerous new performing arts venues and cultural hubs. Some of the biggest include West Kowloon Cultural District Authority and Taipei Performing arts Center, the first becoming one of the world’s biggest cultural hubs at its completion in 2017. Asia’s performing arts scene has seen increased funding and investment into the facilities but it’s not only new venues that have emerged. The rise of consumption power and leisure time in the emerging markets, have spurred new audiences interested in international productions especially in theatre and dance.

EARS on Helsinki 2015 seeks answers to these questions on performing arts venues in Asia: What are the basic missions, activities and strategies to reach audiences? Are there new working or business models to be found, or is it all about finding your audience? How do cities support their performing arts venues, are they a part of the cities’ cultural strategies?

EARS on trends is an article series presenting the latest developments from Asia’s creative industries. A deeper dive into the trends will be taken at the next EARS event.