Retailers return to EMA convention

Target, Costco, Best Buy will visit digitally oriented show

By Jennifer Netherby -- Video Business, 6/29/2007

JUNE 29 | Target, Costco and Best Buy are coming back to this year’s Home Media Expo after sitting out last year’s convention, the Entertainment Merchants Assn. said.

The retailers join a range of other chains confirmed to attend this year, including Amazon.com, Big Lots, Borders, Circuit City, Fry’s, Hastings Entertainment, Redbox, Sears, Trans World and Virgin.

Blockbuster, Movie Gallery and Best Buy are all expected to have some representation at the show but aren’t expected to hold many meetings, sources said. Wal-Mart, the largest DVD retailer with a 40% share of the market, will not be attending.

All the major studios except Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (formerly Buena Vista Worldwide Home Entertainment) plan to hold meetings with retailers at the show, which runs July 17-19 at the Venetian Hotel Casino in Las Vegas.

Disney is no longer a member of EMA and isn’t taking part in the show, but it will hold meetings off site in Las Vegas.

This year’s Home Media Expo will take a decidedly digital focus.

The opening session will feature a focus group of power users who regularly download entertainment and buy DVDs; consumer Web sites Home Theatre Forum and Digital Bits have both been invited to take part in the convention; and panels will feature digital download companies and movie download kiosk companies discussing the future of video.

Author and journalist Leo Laporte, who writes on technology topics, will moderate the “Power Play” panel of super users.

This is the first convention planned since the Video Software Dealers Assn. merged with videogame trade group Interactive Entertainment Merchants Assn. The groups joined shortly before last year’s Home Media Expo, but most of the show had been planned before the merger.

EMA decided not to add a videogame focus this year because the Entertainment Software Assn. is holding its E3 trade event in Santa Monica, Calif., days before, EMA president Bo Andersen said. Instead, EMA will hold a smaller event for game publishers and game retailers in late summer.

Many of the tech-related panels at last year’s Home Media Expo filled up with retailers. This year, EMA has more tech company involvement.

“The retailers that I run into are trying to take a hard look at where this is all going to move and where they can go to meet demand,” Andersen said.

On the “Digital Universe: Is the Sky Falling or Pennies From Heaven” panel, executives from Movielink, AT&T and ExtendMedia will talk about the digital future. Execs from Sonic Solutions, Polar Frog Digital, MOD Systems and Amazon’s CustomFlix will talk about download kiosks and manufactured DVD-on-demand in a separate panel.

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