ANIMATIONWorld Magazine

Things were running hot and cold, figuratively and quite literally, at NATPE 07 held Jan. 15-18 at the Mandalay Bay Resort Convention Center in Las Vegas. Las Vegas was experiencing one of its worst cold spells with frozen ice on the desert iceplant and icicles hung from the rafters of many hotels. However, inside in the tower where many of the Latin American buyers and distributors preferred hospitality suites to the convention floor, a fire broke out on the fourth floor, forcing the evacuation of the participants for nearly three hours.

One exhibitor allowed a goodie bag to drift to close to a candle burning in the bathroom, which set off the sprinklers in part of that wing. It had to have been nerve-racking for the MTV Networks Latin America group just on the other side of the suite where the fire started. Roughly a year ago, the rain-soaked roof at MIP had come crashing down on the MTV Networks booth, destroying the booth and scattering buyers and sellers to makeshift rooms at hotels to try to conduct business. This time MTV/Nick came through unscathed and was able to get back in time for its scheduled cocktail party that evening.