[Nashua852]

Hi Mummies!

I've heard of mother and baby cinema mornings in other countries and would like to approach someone over here to set this up. I think it would be mutually beneficial for mums as well as whichever cinema establishment I/we approach. HK unfortunately does not always cater well to parents with young babies and I know of quite a few people who've felt extremely isolated after they've given birth -- an outlet like this would go a long way and gives us mums 'a break' whilst still taking care of the little uns and providing a way for new mothers to find support, breastfeed without feeling embarrassed as well as keep up with what's out there.

My questions are;

1. Do you think this is viable in HK?

2. It's a very price elastic idea and I know many mothers who would not mind in the slightest paying over market price for a ticket based on the fact that it buys you a guilt and stress free cinema experience. In terms of pricing what would you say is reasonable for both an establishment as well as the consumer?

3. What would you recommend in terms of a venue? I could always approach alternative venues with projector screens and the like. In terms of a cinema I was thinking IFC -- nappy changing readily available.

It is an idea I (as a mum to a 6 month old) am serious about perusing, any feedback or help would be greatly appreciated!! Please also feel free to PM me.

I've pretty much copied this post from geobaby as I want all sorts of perspectives on this matter. Any help would be duly appreciated


Thank You for your time.

Regards,

Nashua

[pixelelf]

It's great this post came about, I actually googled baby cinema in hk earlier this week!

In answer to your questions:
1. Do you think this is viable in HK?
Yes! Im not sure what the statistics are, but it will definitely be an outlet to meet other mommies and also be in touch with the world.

2. Pricing: Im not sure what is the going rate for movie goers now, I dun mind paying anything less than $150 (since dvd is about that rate? not sure too) It will be fantastic if there are family bundles or monthly passes at discounted rates during off peak hours for the stay at home moms.


3. Venues:
Other than shopping centres, what about parks (so that we can do picnics under the stars or sun), museums (great way to get some artsy or cultural outing as well) clubhouses of residential areas (these can be pretty cool for support networking for families living in the same area)

So yea, my 2 cents worth! Hope baby cinema comes soon!

[JoTs]

I went to one of these with my son when we lived in London... it was great!

But I am not sure how popular it would be here as so many mothers work and also the amount of helpers. Technically mothers can go to the cinema when they want as they can leave their little-ones with their helpers...

I don't have a helper and would love to have this as I have a 3 month old... but just want to be realistic for you...

[Nashua852]

Thank You for your feedback!

I hope we can wrangle this for Hong Kong too pixelelf!

JoTs - Regarding your concern over how popular an idea it will be -- so far of all the mums I've spoken to everyone seems very enthusiastic about the idea. In terms of being able to fill seats I don't think it would be a problem at all if any of the mum and baby groups I go to are anything to go by. Mums come out to meet other mums then. Plus HK is going through a baby boom at the moment (it certainly seems that way anyway) and there are lots of new mums who would love to do something with their babies before maternity leave runs out! Plus this needn't be a weekly event. I was thinking more along the lines of bi-monthly.

Would you be able to tell me a bit more about the one you went to in London? I would love to do as much research as I can before setting up any meetings.

In particular what kind of movies were they playing, were they latest one's? If so, did they have an age limit? How was the sound level and lighting?

[joshsmum]

Hi,

I'd be interested and I think it could be viable in Hong Kong. I'd love to see it up and running and would definately come.

I'm going to London tomorrow and I was looking on Odeon's website the other day to see if there was a mums and bubs viewing over there (I'm dying to see the Sex And the City Movie). Here's a link to the website - it mentions about sound level etc.

http://www.odeon.co.uk/fanatic/newbies/

Belinda

[kellyst]

someone got this going last year here. could be good for reference

Cry baby movie sessions?

[Nashua852]

Hi Belinda and Kellyst

Both your links have been very helpful, thank you so much.

I do want to be as assertive as I can and go through their marketing people as opposed to the customer relations if I can. I'm considering putting a proposal together with room for letters/comments from cinema going new mothers.

Thank you all for the support so far!

[JoTs]

Nashua852

I didn't mean to sound negative about your idea - just wanted to put another view across.

The one I went to in London did show the latest films, not children's films at all - definitely aimed at the mum's as the children were too young to understand - I remember seeing Brokeback Mountain and Memoires of a Geisha. It was just once a week on a Thursday morning if I remember rightly. They published the list of films in advance, a different one each week.

You bought a ticket but it gave you two seats so that you could have an extra seat for your little one, most people put them in their carseats next to them. There was an age limit - the child had to be under 1 year old. But most children were younger, not crawling. I guess otherwise it would be difficult to entertain them throughout the film. Some Mum's rushed in to the front to grab the front row so that they could lay out a blanket on the floor for their little one to lie on. But I only went when my son was under 6 months, so he mainly just slept in the carseat next to me.

Hope that helps.