According to Lise Corriveau, Telefilm Canada’s manager, festivals & markets, there are five ways for Canadian participants to maximize their MIPTV sales experience.

1. Have a prepared pitch package ready for your product.

2. Know which territories you want to target.

3. Use the Reed MIDEM database available online to delegates to do your research.

4. Book your meetings now, not on-site, as people’s agendas will already be full.

5. Use your free time at the market to walk the floor and get a feel of what product is out there.

Among the new or nearly new companies joining the Canada Pavilion are Alberta-based Anaid Productions, Saskatchewan-based Angel Entertainment, B.C.-based Cypress Park Productions, Nova Scotia-based Collideascope Digital Productions, Ontario-based Conceptual Films/Docutainment Plus Productions, Nobel Street International and Tricon Films & Television and Quebec-based I Cinéma Télévision and Productions Riche Lieu.

Tricon, which was founded in March 2000 as a production company and started its own distribution division just before attending last year’s MIPTV, will be pushing more sales of its Life Network dating show Matchmaker, says Carrie Hall, director of international distribution.

So far, the show about people setting up their friends on blind dates has sold to a Netherlands network that broadcasts to 30 countries, one-off markets including Israel and one-off U.S. cities including New York.

‘We really want to sell to a big U.S. broadcaster,’ Hall says of goals at the upcoming MIPTV. ‘It will be much easier this year under Telefilm. It’s all about continuing relationships. It’s all about standing out. We have meetings from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and then dinners over four days.’

Matchmaker has 91 episodes in the can and is going into production with another 13 half-hours. Tricon will also be pushing sales of its Life series Moving Stories and will be looking to secure presales or format sales on other reality-style shows such as Cougar Tour (13 x 30 minutes; older women from North America dating younger men in Europe), Gold Diggers (13 x 30 minutes; a docu-series about women pursuing wealthy men) and Roy Meets Girl (13 x 30 minutes; a sex lifestyle ‘streeter’ series).

‘People aren’t paying what they once were, even for a show that has done so well in Canada,’ says Hall. ‘We just need to touch as many markets as possible. We’re quite confident going into MIP. It’s only a problem if your expectations are too high.’