Being there in person matters a lot to us: it’s where trends are spotted first, where deals and partnerships are born, and where the real pulse of the industry — from new financing models to emerging formats — can actually be read, well beyond what makes it into a press release.
As The Animation Journal, following this circuit closely is at the core of what we do. We’re proud to serve as Media Partner for a number of these key events, and that role allows us to report firsthand on what’s new, share our exclusive insights with you, and keep our international readers up to date on the trends and novelties defining animation today. In this article, we outline where we will be this Fall, and why each stop matters.
To discover upcoming European animated TV series projects for the next two years, Cartoon Forum takes place in Toulouse from September 14 to 17 and centers on pitches from European producers. Next, for anyone wanting to dig deeper into the Eastern European market, there’s Young Horizon Industry in Warsaw, from September 28 to 30, which — alongside pitches — offers a rich conference program, much of it focused on cross-media topics, and is a great networking opportunity. Still in Eastern Europe, we also follow another leading industry event, the CEE Animation Forum, which focuses mainly on industry insights and pitches for new projects and takes place from November 10 to 12 in Pilsen, Czech Republic.
In October, the world’s entertainment industry heads to Cannes for MIPJR and MIPCOM. (MIP Markets – MIPCOM, MIPJUNIOR, MIP CANCUN & MIP LONDON) MIPJR, in particular, is undergoing a period of deep transformation amid the broader crisis in kids’ entertainment, and MIPCOM must also reckon with major shifts in how content is consumed. Thanks to their ability to reinvent themselves, both remain central events for the industry. On the subject of change and how to equip yourself to deal with it, I wanted to flag the educational initiativeInternational Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (International Emmy Awards): an in-depth course for industry professionals focused specifically on kids’ entertainment. I’ll have the pleasure of contributing to this initiative with a session on the role of transmedia storytelling in redefining how content is produced and created today. For more information on this initiative and how to register, visit https://www.iemmys.tv/263-kids-entertainment/
On the children’s content side, Amsterdam hosts Cinekid for Professionals from October 13 to 15: an international industry gathering built around the Cinekid Festival, where producers, broadcasters, and financiers get an early look at new children’s media projects and trends, alongside a busy Industry Forum and strong networking opportunities — a natural first stop before the Cannes markets later in the month.
Rome then takes center stage with MIA Market — Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo — running October 19 to 23: one of the key European markets for co-production, financing, and distribution across film, series, and animation. This year’s edition highlights our industry with the new Animation Series Gap Financing Market, alongside our established Co-Production Market & Pitching Forum, making it a must-stop for anyone tracking European animation financing.
In the same week, in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, the new edition of the Sharjah Animation & Comics Conference returns from October 22 to 25: an event that keeps getting richer year after year in terms of exclusive insights and is well worth following for its fresh take on the animation industry and content more broadly, with top-tier international guests and speakers. At The Animation Journal, we are working on something special for this event. Stay tuned!
Every October, there is an event for anyone closely following Japanese content and IP: TIFFCOM, the sector’s leading market, held from October 28 to 30 in Tokyo.
From November 4 to 6, Madrid hosts Cartoon Springboard, a pitching and training event dedicated to young European animation talent, where students and recent graduates present their projects to a panel of industry experts and receive direct feedback on how to make their projects market-ready. It’s a valuable stop for spotting tomorrow’s animation voices and understanding what’s next for the industry’s talent pipeline.
From November 24 to 26 in Brussels, Belgium, Cartoon Business takes place — an event of insights and discussions on key animation topics, including franchise development, the global anime phenomenon, and much more.
We’re then back in Shanghai in November for the Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair, running November 13 to 15 — a key event for anyone developing IP tied to publishing and for anyone looking for publishing partners and new book-based content in the APAC region.
Another event not to miss in this region is the Asia TV Forum, from December 1 to 4 in Singapore. This is particularly interesting for us because it brings together a rich program of insights on new audiovisual trends shaping content development and how audiences of every age engage with it.
See you out there!
This is an overview of what we’ll be following over the coming months, and we’re already putting together our own agenda to cover as many of these events as possible on the ground. As Media Partners for several of them, we’ll publish insights, interviews, and on-site coverage as events unfold, along with special initiatives (to be announced soon) to create new networking opportunities for our readers and partners.
It’s this close, continuous presence across the international circuit that lets The Animation Journal stay on top of what’s genuinely new in the industry, rather than reporting on it after the fact.
For any further information, to set up a call, or to meet us at any of these events, drop us a line at info@animationjournal.news.
