Midem deadline fast approaching

If you're thinking about attending Midem in Cannes this year, don't wait too long to decide. The Early Bird deadline is on December 21. The price of €805 represents a 25% discount over the walk-in rate. I also did a quick check with hotels and airlines. Most of the hotels in the inner "banana" (the area closest to the Palais in Cannes) are booked. However there are still rooms available in the "residences" outside town at reasonable prices. Shuttle buses are available to reach these. Some cheap flights can still be booked (although I only checked the European airlines flying to Nice airport).

Good luck - and maybe see you down there. For more info and bookings, visit Midem.com.

Discount flights to Nice for Midem

Until this year, Midem delegate discounts were applicable only to Air France flights. The good news is that they now also apply to those of other Skyteam Alliance airlines, including Aeroflot, CSA Czech Airlines, Aeromexico, Alitalia, Korean Air and Continental Airlines. If you haven't got your ticket yet, visit the Skyteam website and use Code 0026S. For Air France, you have to fill out and present a form available from the transport section of midem.com.

Getting to Cannes from Milan

We often get requests about getting to Cannes from the Italian city of Milan, and the answer we often give is the train. Trenitalia runs three daily trains to Nice at 11.10 am, 13.10 and 15.10 that take roughly five hours to cover the 334 kilometers. From there, it's another 20-30 minutes to Cannes itself by train. Trenitalia rates start at about €15, although you can reasonably expect to pay more. This is an EC train so you have to reserve. I tried the booking engine online and couldn't get a final price. Try for yourself at their Smart Price promo.

The other option is by plane, of course. Air France flies direct, and several others fly with one stopover. The cheapest price I could find with a quick search was €178 return with Swiss (a 3-hour journey) or €311 direct return with Air France (1-hour journey).

If you have any better ideas for this trip, why not drop a message below?

MIDEM: Don't miss the early bird rate

In the run-up to Christmas, it's easy to miss out on important deadlines. You still have two weeks (until December 19) to sign up for Midem at the early bird rate of €780, a saving of over 25%.

I see there is an interesting Cuban presence this year. The conferences include an debate on the influence of brands on the music biz, how/if digital and online are changing A&R and Impala discussions about the future for indies.

For details, visit Midem.

MIPCOM early bird deadline: Sept 7

If you're considering attending MIPCOM this year, don't forget to sign up in time for the Early Bird rate. September 7 is the last day you can benefit from savings of €300 on the walk-in rate. Just under 12,000 people from over 1,500 companies attended last year.

MIPCOM 2006 will again feature the Mobile TV Awards (deadline: Sept. 4) that "recognise outstanding achievement in mobile film and video content as well as honouring innovation in new Mobile TV formats".

This year will also for the first time feature a special section for cinema producers attending the event. For details of this and more, visit MIPCOM.com.

UPDATE: Young producers from Berlin might be interested in the following:

TV: Send in Cannes entries now: “How to Mip” makes it to round four
(Entry deadline: August 25th, 2006 for MIPCOM; October 9th – 13th, 2006; Cannes)
Now through August 25th, young television producers from Berlin-Brandenburg can enter Medienboard’s “How to Mip” contest. The submission of a brief outline of a proposed TV project and a short company description are enough to send young TV professionals to the international television trade fair MIPCOM (October 9th – 13th, 2006) in Cannes. Register with b.reuter@medienboard.de.