Traditionally, the many venues of the L.A. Screenings have been great places for international content buyers to collect gadgets and souvenirs from the studios. Indeed, how often have VideoAge‘s observers seen disheveled buyers disembarking from the buses returning them to their hotels after all-day screenings with their eyes still flickering from the long seclusion in the dark screening rooms whilst clinging to their goody bags?
Some studios send valuable presents directly to the hotel rooms of a select number of buyers, while VideoAge has sent two editions of its L.A. Screenings issues to all buyers in their hotel rooms courtesy of the hotels’ bell captains and concierges.
In 2012, Sony Pictures introduced warm-up blankets in the swag bags after VideoAge reported that buyers were literally freezing in the sub-zero temperatures that the screening rooms are kept at in order to keep buyers awake. In 2015, NBCUniversal also adopted the practice of including blankets in their goody bags. Various gadgets can be seen in the above photo collection.
In 2018, when NATPE joined Events TM’s Isabella Marquez in organizing events for the Indies portion of the L.A. Screenings (which precedes the studio screenings), a nametag was introduced to facilitate introductions and meetings.
Finally, a mention has to be made of the valuable pens with lighted tips (to facilitate note-taking in the dark screening rooms) that are never missing in any goody bags. These, however, are typically handed out at breakfast time, before buyers head off to the screening rooms, while most other presents and souvenirs are given at the end of the screenings day.
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