One of Santa Monica’s premier entertainment events, the American Film Market, will no longer be held in the city after organizers announced this year’s program will move to Las Vegas.
While officials didn’t specifically criticize Santa Monica when making the announcement, AFM moved to a new location last year prompting complaints from some attendees.
The Festival began in 1981 with 34 sales companies and hundreds of buyers descending on Los Angeles. It moved to Santa Monica in 1991 and was held at the Loews Hotel up until 2023.
The Loews closed that year and while it has been sold, rebranded and remodeled, it has yet to reopen. Instead, the 2023 AFM was moved to the nearby Le Meridien Delfina but attendees were critical of the new venue.
The Independent Film and Television Alliance, who operate the festival, praised the ease of access to Las Vegas and its adjacent entertainment options.
“Las Vegas presents easy travel options, including domestic and international flights from over 160 locations, and its close proximity to Los Angeles, with over 35 daily flights, expands the options and allows AFM participants easy stopovers,” said the announcement. “Furthermore, Las Vegas offers a wealth of dining, sleeping, entertaining, and shopping opportunities, providing added value for AFM participants.”
Historically, the event books out about 30 movie theaters in the area to screen more than 400 movies on about 700 screens.
AFM describes itself as more than just a place to buy and sell. In their materials they say it is the destination for all players in the industry to meet face-to-face, do business, and have thoughtful conversations about new films and the ever changing marketplace. The event incorporated on-demand video several years ago and moved to an online-only model during the pandemic.
The 2024 event will be held from Nov. 5 – 10 at the Palms Casino Resort. Officials said the decision to move came after launching a multi-city search and careful consideration of their needs.
“After extensive research, discussions with the Board and invaluable feedback from stakeholders, this move underscores our determination to evolving AFM to meet today’s industry needs,” said Clay Epstein, IFTA Chairperson and President of Film Mode Entertainment. “The strength of the AFM lies in its ability to create community and present a sophisticated platform for all our participants’ activities in one convenient location. The Palms enables us to do all of that and beyond.”
AFM specifically said the newly renovated rooms, dedicated conference space and an on-site multiplex were reasons for choosing the Palms.
“This move to Las Vegas is generating support and enthusiasm from colleagues around the world and we are excited to welcome everyone to AFM 2024 in November,” said Epstein.
When AFM signed a six-year renewal in 2011 to stay in Santa Monica, its value to the community was estimated at $100 million over the total time frame.
Santa Monica Travel and Tourism CEO Misti Kerns said the loss was serious.
“At its peak, the estimated economic value of AFM to Santa Monica’s local economy was typically around $20 million,” she said. “However, in the last two years since the pandemic, the economic impact of AFM was still ramping up and those numbers were down slightly. With the move of this festival out of our city, we expect our hotels, restaurants and retail partners will feel the loss of this spend in what is typically our off season.”
However, she said the city’s reputation would draw other events down the line perhaps even reacquiring the AFM event.
Credit: Matthew Hall
“For more than 30 years we’ve been honored to welcome the American Film Market to Santa Monica,” she said. “We are proud of our beach side city’s legacy as a top destination for creative meetings and events. With an impressive line-up of world-class hotel product, an abundance of restaurants renowned for their chef talent and luxury shopping experiences all steps from a magnificent stretch of the Pacific Ocean, we are confident in the experience Santa Monica delivers for those looking to host a truly one-of-a-kind event.
While we are deeply disappointed to see this event relocate next year, we wish success to AFM. As always, our doors remain open to all entities who seek to host an event in Santa Monica, unparalleled with its creative community, spirit of hospitality and beachfront location in an urban metropolis. We look forward to the future and the possibility of once again welcoming AFM in the future.”
Jean Prewitt, IFTA President & CEO commented: “AFM was created by the Independents and remains the Independents’ market. The industry has called for a fresh look at how the market can better serve a rapidly changing business. The Board has made a monumental decision that allows us to better serve these needs. We look forward to introducing everyone to the new AFM venue and its offerings.”
In the past couple of years the city has become home to other events, like the Frieze art festival and a planned return of Cirque du Soleil. It also attracted one-time events, particularly on the Pier. However it also lost the Los Angeles Marathon who moved their finish line from DTSM to Century City in 2021.
The precarious nature of the city’s event business prompted several councilmembers to call for an analysis of the city’s events business.
“And so the idea is to address some of the impediments to whether it’s bringing the events directly to Santa Monica, or having events that are being held in nearby venues and making sure that folks who are attending those events come to Santa Monica, to stay in our hotels to eat at our restaurants to enjoy our shore,” said councilwoman Gleam Davis last year.
Council is still waiting on a report back from staff on ways to make the city more attractive to events.
matt@smdp.com