New Motion Picture Association of America chairman and CEO Chris Dodd will help deliver the keynote address when the CinemaCon trade show (formerly ShoWest) kicks off on Tuesday, March 29 in Las Vegas.
Here's the joint announcement from the MPAA and the National Association of Theater Owners:
Senator Chris Dodd, MPAA Chairman & CEO, To Address Exhibition Industry at Inaugural CinemaCon 2011
Washington D.C. (March 21, 2011) — Senator Chris Dodd, MPAA Chairman & CEO, will join NATO President & CEO John Fithian to deliver State of the Industry addresses at the inaugural CinemaCon exhibition industry convention, Tuesday, March 29, 2011, it was announced today by John Fithian and CinemaCon Managing Director Mitch Neuhauser.
“I could not be more delighted that Senator Dodd has chosen to begin his tenure at the MPAA with an address to the exhibition industry at the very first CinemaCon,” said Fithian. “NATO and MPAA have a long history of working together in the best interests of the movie industry and Senator Dodd’s appearance at NATO’s official convention is a powerful symbol of that partnership.”
“Welcome to show business, Senator,” added Neuhauser. “And welcome to CinemaCon! CinemaCon 2011 is designed to honor the cinema industry’s past, while looking forward to its future, and as this is the very first CinemaCon, it will be great starting out with a strong new partner in the industry.”
Senator Dodd served in the United States Congress representing Connecticut for 36 years – six years in the House of Representatives and thirty years in the U.S. Senate. Senator Dodd was one of the most widely respected legislators during his years in Congress, earning the trust and admiration of both Democrats and Republicans. As a key participant in nearly every major national policy debate over the past three decades, Senator Dodd authored or co-authored major legislation in the areas of education, health, financial services, foreign policy, and election reform.
During his final term he was Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee and the author of the historic Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Dodd also served as Acting-Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee during the 2009 consideration of the Health Care Reform Act. He also was a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
