Spafax’s Al St. Germain was a featured speaker and session moderator at the 2010 Chinese Inflight Entertainment and Connectivity conference in Shanghai last month.  The conference was co-hosted by the Chinese Air Transport Association (CATA) and the World Airline Entertainment Association (WAEA), and was very well organized by GIS Events.  The three-day session featured speakers and contributors from nearly every Chinese carrier, along with numerous hardware, software and content providers.

Al’s presentation title raised a few eyebrows. Note the nifty Spafax logo right behind him! Photo credit: GIS Events

Al’s presentation, entitled “The Death of the Content Service Provider?” caused a bit of a stir when he was introduced. Why would a CSP executive make a presentation about the death of his business?  However, he made clear to the audience that a CSP’s death is only assured if it fails to adapt to the continually changing needs of the airline industry.  In simpler terms, CSP’s can’t just be about picking movies, tv shows and albums.  They also need to deliver revenue, create brand partnerships, and lead their clients through the evolving technologies in both IFE and the overall consumer world.

Al leads a discussion panel featuring Panasonic’s Steve Gladstone (L) and Images in Motion’s Pravin Jumabhoy (R), amongst others. Photo credit: Andy Lee, DZST Communications

This need is even more pronounced in China, where carriers are growing rapidly, and the rate of new technology adaptation is staggering. There was clearly a lot of enthusiasm at the show for new ways of connecting with customers through entertainment.  However, Al also learned from  the Chinese airline representatives on the panel he moderated that this enthusiasm is also accompanied by a strong focus on costs — a focus of airlines not just of airlines in China, but worldwide.

You can reach Al St-Germain, VP Spafax USA, at astgermain@spafax.com