Alberto Alonso, director of Feria de Valladolid, analyzes the evolution of a key event for the audiovisual industry and explains how trust and real value turn every meeting into a future shoot.
By Ehab Soltan
HoyLunes – In the audiovisual industry calendar, certain dates are marked in red, but few spark the anticipation of Shooting Locations Marketplace. Far from conventional forums, this market has been designed with the precision of a watchmaker to sit face-to-face those who dream up a story with those who hold the power and infrastructure to bring it to life on the ground.
Organized by Feria de Valladolid and Spain Film Commission, the gathering celebrates its sixth edition, having consolidated its position as a direct bridge between territories, production companies, service providers, and location managers from 27 countries.
However, beyond attendance figures, the true impact of the market lies in the human and technical experience: the opportunity for a key professional to speak face-to-face with local institutions, evaluate the viability of a project, and verify in situ whether what the photography promises holds up in practice.
At the heart of this dynamic is the figure of the location manager. A professional who demands rigor, logistics, flexibility, and clear answers before committing to a major production.
At the helm of this initiative is Alberto Alonso, director of Feria de Valladolid, who has led the market’s expansion into an unmissable fixture on the global agenda. In this conversation with HoyLunes, Alonso reflects on the project’s evolution, the lessons learned over these six years, and the importance of continuing to provide tangible value in a constantly changing sector.
One of the features that sets us apart is that we give special prominence to the role of the location manager. Our primary challenge remains bringing real value to those who participate.
Alberto Alonso, Director of Feria de Valladolid
Shooting Locations Marketplace is bringing together professionals from 27 countries this year. What need in the international audiovisual sector does this gathering aim to address, and what sets it apart from other professional events?
Shooting Locations Marketplace was born with the premise of offering territories, location managers, production companies, and auxiliary service companies a working forum where supply and demand come into direct contact; allowing them to meet with decision-makers on where to film, and enabling the latter to expand their catalog of options, learn the details of each destination, and so on.
One of the characteristics of Shooting Locations Marketplace that differentiates it from other events is precisely that it gives special prominence to the figure of the location manager, which was a novel approach when we started this journey six years ago. Another aspect that identifies us is the ability to generate real business opportunities, both within the marketplace—which is generating 1,500 meetings this year—and through the spontaneous meetings that take place throughout these days.
Finally, I would highlight the importance for location managers of experiencing the settings firsthand, and that is where the fam trips taking place in the days following the fair come into play. This year, they will head to destinations such as Turkey, Estonia, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Castilla y León, and the Canary Islands.
Since its inception, how has Shooting Locations Marketplace evolved, and what lessons have been most important in consolidating its international dimension?
The evolution over these years has been both quantitative and qualitative. On the one hand, participation and the number of represented countries have increased; this year’s map features 27 countries from Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Professionals recognize Shooting as an essential date on the annual calendar. Furthermore, we have incorporated new profiles alongside the location manager, such as producers, creatives, or financial managers, because all of them play a relevant role in decision-making.
Looking ahead to upcoming editions, what objectives has the organization set so that Shooting Locations Marketplace remains a relevant meeting point for audiovisual industry professionals?
The primary challenge is to continue bringing value to those who participate. That is the raison d’être of Shooting Locations Marketplace. To achieve this, we will continue working along the lines that define the project, maintaining its essence and its capacity to meet the expectations of participants.
It is a significant challenge because the feedback we receive from participants highlights the quality of the attending profiles, their real decision-making power, the fam trips, and, in 93 percent of cases, the originality of the approach, highlighting the value of the location manager.
I would like to mention that in building this project, Feria de Valladolid counts on the collaboration of other institutions and bodies such as Spain Film Commission, the City Council of Valladolid, the Regional Government of Castilla y León, international professional organizations, and specialized media.
When Conversation Turns into a Shoot
Alberto Alonso‘s perspective makes it clear that the success of Shooting Locations Marketplace is not measured in square meters of exhibition space, but in the depth of the bonds it builds.
A great shoot rarely stems from an advertising brochure; it is born from rigor, technical solvency, and the certainty transmitted across a workbench. By placing the location manager at the center of the ecosystem and complementing negotiation with on-the-ground experience (fam trips), the event has redefined the standard for audiovisual markets.
Six years after its debut, the purpose outlined by Alberto Alonso functions as a declaration of excellence: evolving without losing the agility or real value demanded by the industry’s top creators.
Because in the end, the true weight of a professional forum does not lie in how many people walk through its doors, but in how many stories manage to get off the ground thanks to it.
