The Motion Picture Theatre Association of Canada is reeling ’em in this year. Organizers are anticipating 43% more exhibitors, suppliers and distributors at ShowCanada ’96, running May 11-15 in Banff.

Among the 600 people expected to converge at the Banff Springs Hotel and Convention Centre are Dan Johnson, president of the Canadian Association of Film Distributors and Exporters, and representatives from distributors Malofilm Distribution, Alliance Releasing, Norstar Releasing and the nfb, as well as theater circuit reps from Cineplex Odeon, Famous Players, Landmark Cinemas, Empire Theatres, Stinson Theatres, the Ontario Theatre Group and regional and independent theater chains.

mptac, a non-profit association, is hosting the $350,000 national convention, which is funded entirely by sponsorship, says mptac executive director Dina Lebo.

Events will include Howard Lichtman, executive vp of Cineplex Odeon, helming ‘Is the Box Office Up or Down: the Roller Coaster Year 1995,’ while Newspaper Marketing Board president John Finneran and Peter Lesser, director of business development, will host ‘Motivating Movie Goers: Expanding the Movie Going Audience.’

‘The Revolution of the Communications Industry in Canada and How it Relates to Theatre Exhibition,’ a seminar moderated by Brian Balderson, president of the Motion Picture Theatre Association of Alberta, looks at what, if anything, remains constant in advertising and motion picture promotion.

Shelley Feldman, director of education for Snack Bar University, the national association of concessionaires, will be the keynote speaker for ‘Managing in the 21st Century,’ a seminar to help theater owners and managers deal with changing customer and corporate expectations.

Elsewhere, Colin Davis, vp and business manager of Kodak Canada, and David Cheng, vp and gm of Fuji Photo Film Canada will discuss the transition from acetate to the lighter, thinner polyester film base. Balderson says the new format will allow theaters to receive film on a bigger platter where only one splice of film will have to be made instead of five or six splices to join the smaller 20-minute reels.

The tougher film is creating problems in the booth, though, he adds, since, if there’s a problem, special equipment will be needed to turn the projector off or to cut the polyester film.

Other ShowCanada events include a presentation of the new shipping reel with 6,000 feet of film to replace the conventional 2,500-foot reel. The bigger cases also have compartments for digital sound disks and space for headers, trailers and commercials.