GSCA International Conference and Trade Show

The next GSCA International Conference moves from its usual May slot to September 2027. On its 2027 conference page, the association says its Programming Committee is still choosing dates, location and venue, and that these will be announced soon. Registration, fees and hotel details have not been published.

The GSCA Board's stated priorities for the programme are dome and flat-screen presentations, new films and content, professional development, networking and theatre participation. Members who want a say in the programme can join one of the GSCA committees (Distributors, Innovations, Marketing, Programming); this requires an active membership. If you run a giant-screen or dome venue, keep autumn 2027 free and watch the GSCA site for the venue announcement.

Giant-screen cinema — IMAX-format theatres, domes and planetarium screens, many run by museums and science centres — operates differently from commercial exhibition. Programmes are built around documentary and educational titles with long runs, and the distributors are specialists. GSCA's conference is where that community meets.

The 2026 edition in Los Angeles brought together filmmakers, distributors, exhibitors and technology partners for screenings, looks at films in production and projects in development, professional development, innovation sessions and networking.

For a giant-screen or dome venue, the previews are the core: this is where you see the upcoming slate from distributors such as MacGillivray Freeman Films and SK Films before you commit. The GSCA Achievement Awards include categories for theatres themselves — Best Film Launch by a Theater and the Big Idea Award for marketing — alongside the IMAX Hall of Fame, voted by the IMAX theater network.

For a mainstream multiplex with a single premium large format screen, it is less relevant; CinemaCon and CineEurope cover PLF from a commercial angle. Dates and location for the next edition had not been announced as of 26 September 2026.