This was my first course led by the ICO. I went in with an open mind really and just wanted some tips and tricks and guidance I suppose in terms of how to make the best use of data in order to grow audiences.

The mixture of delegates on the course – exhibition / distribution / festivals ensured that there was a knowledge of why and how the three different “sectors” collect, gather and use data. Of course – it’s the exhibitor who has the most important and practical data to hand.

The main topics of discussion were: Getting the most out of box office systems: Why we gather data? Do we need to know everything? How is it collected? Gathering data – segmentation. Different ways of segmenting an audience? Benefits of segmenting and why. Membership and Loyalty Scheme: How a strong membership scheme strengthens the business model, what loyalty schemes offer, how they communicate and why they do it. GDPR: What is it, how it’ll affect the sector and what we need to do now! Audience behaviour: What we know about trends and where to find benchmarks and stats (free). Distributor marketing strategy:  How and the detail studios plan a marketing campaign for a film.  The Importance of having a strong CRM system. How to analyse data/analytics/insights from digital platforms – what do they mean and how can you ensure better ROI. Creating a digital dashboard: What do we need to know – how often, in what format and for what purpose?

As with most courses – the ‘out of class’ socialising and networking also played a part in why I enjoyed the course so much. I know that if I had an idea – I could run it through the group for comments and feedback – this is priceless and stops us working within a ‘bubble’ or within a specific region alone.