IBC Details Showcase, Future Plans

IBC today announced that its inaugural IBC Showcase will run Sept. 8-11 and continue as a once a week event throughout 2020.

“These are challenging times for us all and now, more than ever, IBC has a duty to empower our customers to engage with their audiences and help them make sales, create thought leadership and drive brand positioning,” said Michael Crimp, chief executive of IBC. “Our strategy to make IBC a 365 day a year experience has been accelerated by COVID-19 and we are set on continuing to support the industry through continuous innovation.

“I believe we are in a unique position to lead the way with a new hybrid approach to engagement; combining targeted online activity with live events, when we can, and giving our customers access to the 150,000 strong global IBC community that we have built and nurtured for over 50 years. I am excited about our Showcase offering, and committed to helping the business survival of our customers.”

Centering on the theme “Empowering Content Everywhere,” the IBC Showcase is a one-stop-shop for innovation, featuring three programs: Content Program, Exhibitor Showcase and Industry News. The virtual live and on-demand offering supports some of the industry’s leading technology companies and will act as a catalyst for conversations between vendors and customers.

With three main streams, the Content Program includes an Exhibitor Program that brings together eight of the industry’s leading technology innovators: Dell, Equinix, Firstlight, Imagine, Intel, Microsoft, Red Bee and Synamedia which will host discussions and debate throughout the week.

“IBC Show plays a key role in bringing together the global media and entertainment community, providing a forum for us to connect with customers and partners. In the absence of a physical event this year, the IBC Exhibitor Showcase will be invaluable to us as a platform to share our latest innovations and engage with the wider industry,” said Christelle Gental, Synamedia VP of Marketing. “We are excited to be running a session together with Ampere Analysis and FIFA on the afternoon of Tuesday, Sept. 8, around the theme Outsmarting the Pirates: An Intelligence-led Approach.”

There has been strong demand for ongoing programs in the IBC Showcase extension. Comcast, Fastly and Vast Data are already confirmed to run virtual exhibitor sessions in the coming weeks.

IBC is facilitating further debate and proof of innovation for some of the industry’s hottest topics with the popular IBC2020 Accelerators program, bringing together 62 organizations, including 35 champions and 27 vendor participants. Comprising eight fast-track, proof of concept projects, the program addresses complex media and entertainment industry challenges across business and technology.

“The industry is poised for a paradigm shift in the way we approach the business of content creation and delivery. IBC2020 Accelerators is invaluable in developing a shared understanding of how we can collectively drive innovation that unlocks creativity and removes the barriers to delivering services that are both highly agile and compelling,” added Mark Smith, IBC innovation lead.

Also part of the Content Program is a stream dedicated to supporting IBC Show’s owners. IBC is run by the industry, for the industry and owned by six leading international bodies — BTS, IABM, IET, Royal Television Society, SCTE and SMPTE — which represent both exhibitors and visitors. Their showcase sessions will deliver content for everyone involved in content creation, management and delivery.

IBC Showcase attendees will also gain free access to more than 1,000 exhibitors via The Exhibitor Showcase, among them 24i, Adobe, Arista, ARRI, AWS, Blackmagic Design, Canon, Dolby, Crystal Vision, EVS, Genelec, Grass Valley, Google, Intelsat, LiveU, MediaKind, Net Insight, Nevion, Quantum, Rhode & Schwarz, Shotoku Broadcast Systems, Signiant, Sony, Synamedia, Tag Video Systems, Telstra, Verizon Media and Vlocity.

The showcase offers a chance to walk through product demonstrations and workflow tours; learn about cutting-edge technology and tools designed to help create and deliver the best content; and access content from industry leaders about the future direction of the media and entertainment sector. Registration details for the IBC Exhibitor Showcase are available here.

Looking ahead to the future, IBC announces that IBC Show 2021 is now open for business and has seen strong early demand for stand bookings. A new self-serve rebooking system has been launched — more details are available here.

Steve Connolly, IBC director-exhibition, said: “The enthusiasm from our exhibitor customers to work with IBC in 2021 is really encouraging. Bookings for our Amsterdam event are strong and our customers are also embracing the opportunities we are creating with our new virtual platforms. The future of events is hybrid and IBC intends to be ahead of the game in giving our customers what they need to achieve significant ROI and grow their businesses.”