“We felt it was time to freshen it,” NATPE Content First President and CEO Rod Perth told FNE. “It’s a strategic move. This market had a terrific run for 20 years, which is a long time.”

The move to the Hilton Prague Hotel also enables the organizers to house everything under one roof, which wasn’t possible in the Budapest location. “Buyers won’t be leaving the property. That’s a huge leap forward,” Perth said. “There are also beautiful screening facilities.” Studios were unable to find sufficient space and visitors were housed in hotels blocks away from the Budapest market. The move to Prague would also provide space for a new conference component that was added last year, although Perth added that a decision on that had not yet been announced.

The change in location and name will not affect the focus of the market. Perth said the name change not only reflected the way citizens of Central and Eastern Europe felt about themselves, but was also designed to be less limiting in terms of its scope. “It should sound more international,” he said.

“We’re in Europe for the long run because we believe in the growth of the region,” Perth said, despite the difficulties of the last few years, adding that reaction to the move “has been absolutely wonderful.”

NATPE||Europe will take place 23-26 June 2014.