The Sachtler Academy presented itself for the first time to a highly enthusiastic Arab audience at the recent CABSAT convention in Dubai. Visitors to CABSAT were particularly interested in the academy’s concept and workshop program. The academy, popular in the media branch especially for its professional lighting and camera operation workshops, is set to intensify its engagement in the Middle East.

The Sachtler Academy presented itself and its program for the first time in the Arab world from 6 – 8 March, 2007. The proposal to hold creative, multi-faceted workshops in the Middle East made an impressive impact at CABSAT. The program pamphlet in Arab and the new image film also attracted a lot of attention from visitors to the convention. Marion Ahrensfeld, responsible at the Academy, comments: “Up to now, we haven’t seen these kinds of workshops in the Arab world, so our program will soon be able to fill this niche in the market. The response from visitors to the convention has strengthened our resolve to become more active here and we will definitely be increasing our engagement in the Middle East.”

Cooperation with a future
Marion Ahrensfeld took advantage of the convention to further develop old contacts and establish new ones. Talks with studio operators and dealers at CABSAT showed that there is great interest to work together with the Sachtler Academy, with some visitors actively offering to make their venues available for workshops. “Our Arab friends hold a similar view of the developments in the branch as we do: These days, professionals who want to stay ahead have to keep on top of continually-developing technical and technological innovations, as well as remaining in close contact with colleagues in order to share experiences. That’s why workshops at the Sachtler Academy are such a good platform,” she adds.

Homepage with Arabic contentThe highly positive response from Arab professionals had another favorable result: visitors to the Sachtler Academy Homepage www.sachtler-academy.com will soon be in able to find the workshop program in Arabic. At present, a questionnaire is being designed that will ask media professionals to propose seminars and content for the program.