IBC organizers Tuesday hailed this year’s industry gathering at the RAI Convention Center in Amsterdam a success and announced an attendance figure of 48,164 as of the close of the show Monday evening.
With the report of these preliminary numbers, IBC2010 already has become the second-best attended IBC, falling short of the all-time record set in 2008 by some 1100 attendees. For an industry that’s been hit as hard by the recession as the broadcast community, the resurgence in attendance was a welcome sign.
In announcing the figure, IBC CEO Michael Crimp sought to temper enthusiasm over the attendance figure at a Tuesday press conference. “We believe that IBC is about the quality and the experience as much as it is about the number of people,” Crimp said.
From the perspective of how much exhibit space was needed, IBC2010 turned in an impressive performance, said John Holton, chairman of the IBC exhibition committee. In total, this year’s exhibits covered 463,000sq ft, he said. “I think that is a remarkable achievement when you take into account the severe financial downturn we are all suffering,” he said.
However, sheer numbers do not tell the entire story, Crimp said. IBC is about delivering a high quality of experience to attendees and exhibitors alike, he said.
IBC organizers attempt to create an experience unlike other industry gatherings in which attendees will see and experience technology that they will see nowhere else, said Phil White, IBC director of technology and events. White pointed to the screenings of the 3-D animated movie “Toy Story” in 7.1 surround sound, the box office smash “Avatar” in 3-D as well a special IBC screening of some of the latest Super Hi-Vision footage and technology from Japan’s national broadcaster NHK as examples.
The use of 3-D technology in live production, explained and demonstrated by leading 3-D production experts; the IBC Production Village, where the latest 3-D cameras and rigs were on display; and a special focus placed on the emerging use of DSLR cameras for acquisition were others, he said.
The IBC2010 conference track, too, proved to be a success, said show organizers. More than 300 speakers presented on a wide variety of topics at more than 60 sessions.
With this year’s attendance, Crimp noted that special care was taken to provide an accurate number; however, he pointed out that the figure made public at the press conference was preliminary and excluded new IBC2010 arrivals on the last day of the show. He anticipated that number to be relatively small.
