MEDIA Salles, the cinema exhibition initiative of the European Union's MEDIA Programme, has launched a training strand for exhibitors with particular attention to the main trends shaping today's cinema industry and to the demands of audiences of European films.

The first of the courses in the series "European Cinema Exhibition - A New Approach" will be held next June in collaboration with the Danish exhibitors association Danske Biografer (DB), and the European Film College (EFC), in Ebeltoft, Denmark.

MEDIA Salles' secretary general Elisabetta Brunella told Screendaily that the main will be complemented by a "travelling" version which would be adapted to the specific needs of exhibitors in different parts of Europe.

She explained that the course will address such issues as analysing the ways of varying the programme of films on offer and meeting the demands of different types of audiences, marketing strategies, cinema management, and digital cinema.