AFCI Week, March 27 - 30, 2023 **Tentative Schedule!** Please note refinement of the schedule is underway - days and sessions will be finalized by mid February
This multi-day, exclusive event open to AFCI Members, Affiliates, Partners and sponsors includes networking opportunities with entertainment industry decision makers, educational sessions featuring thought leaders developing technologies and solutions addressing modern production challenges and prime opportunities for lead generation.
AFCI Week includes multi receptions, Professional Development days, The Physical Production Power Brunch presented in partnership with The Hollywood Reporter, the Location Lounge and plenty of face-to-face time with industry execs and fellow members.
For information on the AFCI Week schedule, sessions and speakers, please see below. Information will be added as it becomes available.
For more information on the daily schedule, please see below. We'll be updating the schedule as speakers, activities and events are confirmed.
Location
AFCI is pleased to return to the Sofitel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills for the second consecutive year. The Sofitel is located at the corner of La Cienega and Beverly Boulevards and will be the prime site for the AFCI Week program. A room block extending from March 25 through April 2, 2022 has been established for all AFCI members.
Booking details
Please contact Marj Galas: marj.galas@afci.org for booking details.
Sponsorship opportunities
Please contact Marj Galas: marj.galas@afci.org for booking details.
Location
AFCI is pleased to return to the Sofitel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills for the second consecutive year. The Sofitel is located at the corner of La Cienega and Beverly Boulevards and will be the prime site for the AFCI Week program. A room block extending from March 25 through April 2, 2022 has been established for all AFCI members.
Booking details
Please contact Marj Galas: marj.galas@afci.org for booking details. As you plan your travel arrangements, be sure to allow time to feel refreshed and invigorated for Monday, March 27th's agenda. Registration will begin at 11:00am PT with a noontime start and sponsored lunch.
Sponsorship opportunities
Please contact Marj Galas: marj.galas@afci.org for booking details.
TENTATIVE EVENT SCHEDULE Updates are underway - some activities may shift days.
DAY One
Professional Development Day
Professional Development Day
11:00am - 5:00pm
Lunch Sponsor: Amazon Studios
Industry Networking Reception
6:30pm - 8:30pm
Monday, March 27, 2023
Professional Development Day
The first day of AFCI Week is focused on Professional Development. The day will provide an intensive focus on topics affecting all AFCI members – please see our session and speaker sections for updates. Lunch is included in this day.
Industry Networking Reception
The Industry Networking Reception will provide an opportunity for AFCI members to meet and mingle with invited members of the production industry. Guests will enjoy appetizers and an open, beer/wine bar in a beautiful outdoor setting.prov
Topics and Sessions
Coming Soon
Coming Soon
Speakers
Coming Soon
Coming Soon
DAY TWO
An Executive's View & Member Lounge
9:00AM - 5:00PM
Lunch Sponsor: Monarch Private Capital
TUESDAY, March 28, 2023
An Executive’s View & Member Lounge
The day will be a mix of panels with executives, Q & A and sufficient time in between to mingle in the members lounge. Contact information for all speakers will be shared with the attendees.
Additional details about this day’s format are coming soon!
Topics and Sessions
Coming Soon
Coming Soon
Speakers
Coming Soon
Coming Soon
DAY THREE
8:30AM - 11:00AM: Physical Production Power Brunch
11:30AM - 2:00PM: Members Lounge Open
2:30PM - 5:00PM - Location Lounge & Panel Sessions
WEDNESDAY, March 29, 2023
Physical Production Power Brunch
Presented in partnership with The Hollywood Reporter, this event places members and sponsors alongside senior physical production executives from studios, mini-majors, OTT companies and major production companies across both film and television. A seated affair designed to enable meaningful engagement and the creation of new relationships, the event begins with an hour of networking prior to a formal, sit down breakfast and brief panel.
Location Lounge
Designed as an informal expo, AFCI members and event sponsors will have a designated stations throughout the room regions who would like to be grouped together.) Attendees will consist of a curated group of independent and commercial producers, line producers, game developers, locations managers and other industry professionals. Members are invited to share a list of individuals they would like to invite as well.
Additionally, panels will be presented during this time in the Members Lounge, including:
Speakers
Coming Soon
Coming Soon
DAY FOUR
THURSDAY, March 30, 2023
Los Angeles Tour Day
Enjoy this fun opportunity to connect with fellow AFCI members as you are transported to several local sites of interest in the host city of Los Angeles. Specific destinations will be announced soon.
Price
Early bird rate: $2,000 individual (all member levels) until Feb. 28
Regular individual March 1 on: $2,200.00
*Additional member: $1,500.00 early bird rate until Feb 28
Regular additional member: $1,700 March 1st on
*If you require an invoice, please contact marj.galas@afci.org
The registration cost of AFCI Week includes
- Participation in all AFCI Week activities
- Admissions into any special activities included during the week
- Breakfast and Lunch provided Day One, Lunch provided Day Two, Brunch provided Day Three
- Coffee, water and tea daily
- Disposable masks and hand sanitizer daily
*Only one registrant for an office may attend the Physical Production Power Brunch - additional staff are not able to participate in this event due to spacing limitations
The Sofitel Hotel has provided a special rate and room block for AFCI Members. To obtain this rate and secure your registration, please contact Marj Galas at marj.galas@afci.org for instructions.
In the event there are closures mandated by the Los Angeles County Health Department that prevent AFCI Week from occurring, members will receive a refund or credit of their purchase. Additionally, in the case of a Los Angeles County Health Department mandated closure, the Sofitel Hotel will reimburse any member with a room booked directly with them in AFCI's room block.
*AFCI is not responsible for participant's airfare or hotel bookings. AFCI recommends participants book flights and hotel rooms directly through the vendors as vendors, over third-party discount sites, are more apt to provide refunds/reimbursements if a cancelation should occur.
6/27/22: Professional Development Day Schedule
8:30am – Breakfast Sponsored by Amazon Public Policy
9:00am – Opening Remarks By Eve Honthaner, President, AFCI
9:15am – Keynote Speaker: Glenn Gainor, Head of Physical Production, Amazon Originals
9:45 – 11:00 The Future of Production in a Post-Pandemic World
What’s driving the industry now… is it technology, incentives, infrastructure or a combination of factors? How long will the current content boon continue? When will the need for more infrastructure and more qualified crews be satisfied – if ever? What’s on the horizon for virtual stages, new forms of distribution and the creation of new production hubs throughout the world? This panel of experts will explore the changing face of production as the world continues to evolve and we move from pandemic to endemic.
Moderator: Glenn Gainor, Head of Physical Production, Amazon
Panelists: Jay Roewe, SVP of Incentives & Production Planning, HBO * Joe Chianese, SVP, Production Incentives, Entertainment Partners * Noelle Green, Director, Production Management-Original Series, Netflix * Beth DePatie, VP of Production, UniFi Completion Guarantors
11:15am – 12:30pm: Creating Smoother Running Locations with Smarter Community Relations
This revealing session with community outreach experts and location professionals will explore innovative solutions for avoiding problems and keeping the peace when filming on location. Topics will include GIS mapping technology for community conflict anticipation and avoidance. Panelists will recommend specific action items for dealing with opposition in an age when everyone can garner attention with a single Tweet.
Moderator: TBA
Panelists: Guy Langham, Film Liaison, City of San Diego * Arturo Pina, Manager of Outreach and Education, FilmLA * Bill Bartels, Film Commissioner, Ventura County *
Time TBA: Safety on Location: Preventing a Disaster
As productions strive to create more elaborate and inventive stunts and effects while working under tight schedule and budget constraints, how can we maintain a safe set? This panel will focus on how to prevent serious accidents from occurring, prepare for natural disasters and keep your cast & crew safe.
Moderator: TBA
Panelists: Ramiro Rodriguez, Deputy Fire Marshal, Cal Fire * Larry Zanoff, Weapons Assistant Manager, Independent Studio Services *Corina Zurcher, Executive Director of Safety and Environmental Affairs, Warner Bros. Studios