Mid-South Theatre Association
Over 45 years ago, the Tri-State Independent Theatre Owners Association (TSITOA) created a conference as a brainchild of the Tri State Theatre Supply Company and the Blank Family. The association began somewhat informally with independent theatre owners in the tri-state region of Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas. One of the founders, Skeeter Maxie, also served as the NATO state leader and the head of Mississippi NATO. Maxie used her influence to drive participation by the studios to provide content and trailers for the regional cinema owners. Originally, the group would meet at a Memphis hotel and share best practices and stories, creating a family-like atmosphere. They were Real People Serving Reel People and adopted that as their slogan. The culture of the event was that of wholesome non-corporate people working to bring the best of Hollywood to the citizens of their small towns.
Under the leadership of Dean Lincoln, John Hopkins and Cheri theatres, TSITOA made a dramatic change in 1998, moving the roots of the association to Tunica, Mississippi, where hotel rates were inexpensive, meeting spaces expanded, food and beverage options improved, and a tabletop trade presentation with 10 vendors. In 2001, the event became a full-fledged convention with extraordinary studio presentations, industry-led educational programming, certification packages, and plenty of entertainment. The Gold Strike Hotel provided room rates at under $50 per night, the registration fee was a low $75, trade show spaces were under $200, meeting spaces were provided at no expense along with fabulous food and beverage. Tri-State soon became renowned for its value proposition, as anyone could attend the 3-day event for under $500. Soon, there were over 275 attendees, golf outings, and a skeet shoot. (Tri State became the only trade event where buyers were invited to take shotguns out to a field with manufacturers and distribution agents.) With the guidance and sacrifices of Fred Blank and his associates at Tri State Theatre Supply, TSITOA delivered state of the art technical assets and equipment access. Mike Thompson and his team at Malco were the first to have digital projectors used to show Studio Trailers and marketing platforms. Tri State Theatre Supply became the anchor to host the event for over 45 years. The conference has always prided itself on innovation, creativity and leaders merging work with play.
Covid-19 mandated some changes in the ways and means of how TSITOA would operate. In 2021, the event moved back to Memphis using Malco’s Paradiso Grand Cinema & IMAX as its home. Film presentations were expanded. As theatre owners suffered greatly due to the pandemic, there has been no change in the family-welcoming attitude from the leadership team at Tri-State. There have never been membership fees to any attendees and even though there has been consolidation in cinema ownership and fewer attendees, TSITOA continues to provide the highest quality educational experiences at the lowest prices of any convention.
After careful consideration, in 2023 the TSITOA Board of Directors realized that Tri-State did not represent the entirety of the attendees and voted to wind down TSITOA and build a new trade association, the Mid-South Theatre Association (MSTA), with a broader mandate to (a) attract exhibitors from across a wider MidSouth region along with the vendors serving that region, (b) provide education for existing and aspiring theatre owners, managers, and staff as well as the next generation of exhibitors through educational scholarships for high school students working in exhibition, and (c) do this via an affordable, convivial, and collegial professional educational event with enhanced food & beverage, in-depth technical and operational seminars, and entertaining screenings of upcoming motion picture releases while retaining the intimacy and small-event feel and the region’s renowned gracious southern hospitality. The result is the annual MidSouth Theatre Convention which debuted in 2024.
While the Mid-South Theatre Convention is the new annual gathering conference for America’s motion picture exhibition industry, the culture has not changed. It continues to be the best regional meeting of the motion picture industry with Real People Serving Reel People. The event is generously supported in its entirety by Malco Theatres, Inc. and its employees and it is the place to meet other professionals in the exhibition space and to engage with national suppliers and manufacturers. If you want education, networking capabilities, and a little fun at an affordable price, the annual Mid-South Theatre Convention is the place to be.