LONDON—IBC has announced its speaker lineup and main tech themes for the 2023 IBC Show, Sept. 15-18 at the RAI Amsterdam.
During an online press event, organizers announced the show’s three fundamental pillars: Transformative Tech, Shifting Business Models and People and Purpose, themes that will be reflected in presentations, demonstrations and panel sessions across the IBC Conference, show floor theatres, and the IBC Changemakers Programme.
IBC CEO Michael Crimp noted the success of the 2022 event, the first one held since 2019 because of the worldwide Covid pandemic. That event attracted 37,071 attendees and 1,023 exhibitors from 170 countries. After the show, IBC conducted surveys and focus groups with attendees and exhibitors and one common thread was evident from the survey results.
“People came out of the pandemic really valuing large scale events,” Crimp said. “Three quarters of the people involved in the surveys, and focus groups see trade shows as the most important platform for sourcing new technologies and products.”
Inherent with live events is the networking, Crimp added. “Overall, research showed that the IBC community wanted engagement,” he said. “Networking, especially structured networking was cited by 80% of the attendees who are looking for new connections and new audiences.
“Most reassuringly for us, they said that IBC has a very strong track record in this area and they were confident that we could keep this going,” he added.
The 2023 IBC Conference, which is a paid part of the event, will be held Sept. 15-16. It will offer the usual standard Delegate Pass, which includes entrance to all the event's presentations, and a new Premium Pass that provides access to additional content plus exclusive networking in the Premium Lounge, where the IBC Innovations Awards will also take place.
“We'll be talking about transformative tech and shifting business models—anything from the emergence of FAST channels to how to stand out when you're launching your new streaming platform to the kind of emergence and acceleration of AI,” said Steve Connolly, director at IBC.
Two weeks ago, IBC previewed the numbers for the 2023 show, announcing that it had already passed the 40,000 square meters mark in terms of exhibition space, up from the final figure of 37,000 (sqm) for the 2022 event.
Since the beginning of May, more than 80 exhibiting companies have signed contracts with IBC, bringing the current total booking stands at this year’s show to over 1,000, including 100-plus new exhibitors. Panasonic and Samsung are among the most recent companies to announce plans to exhibit.
“Registrations are ramping up and hotel, flight and Eurostar train bookings are starting to get very busy,” Connolly added.
The conference will kick off with an address by "Media Universe Cartographer" Evan Shapiro, a renowned industry influencer who maps M&E trends and future developments. Shapiro will lead a session entitled "Plotting the effects of disruption: Charting the new media ecosystem.".
Other confirmed headline IBC Conference speakers include:
- Aditi Pandey, Head of Vendor Management & Partnerships at NRK
- Allu Venkatesh (Allu Bobby), Actor, Film Producer and Entrepreneur at aha, Just Tickets
- Anthony Guarino, Executive Vice President, Global Production & Studio Technology at Paramount
- Bill Baggelaar, Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President, Technology Development at Sony Pictures Entertainment
- Kishore AK, President Technology and Chief Technology Officer at Zee
- Leah Hooper Rosa, Senior Vice President, EMEA Streaming and Global Integration Lead at Warner Bros. Discovery
- Michael Wise, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Universal Pictures
- Natalya Tatarchuk, Distinguished Technical Fellow and Chief Architect, Vice President, Wētā Tools at Unity Technologies
- Phil Wiser, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Paramount Global
- Richard Berger, Chief Executive Officer at MovieLabs
- Ralph Lee, Chief Executive Officer at BBC Studios Productions
- Valerio Motti, Vice President FAST Channels at Fremantle
In the show-floor venues—which include the Showcase Theatre in Hall 12, the Innovation Stage in Hall in Hall 3 and two theaters in the Content Everywhere area in Hall 5—there will be an array of exhibitor and sponsor content that will include speeches, panels and demos, with many relating to the first two content pillars.
Showcase Theatre sponsors include Accenture, AWS, Google, Microsoft, and Zixi, while LTN and Tencent are each sponsoring one of the Content Everywhere theatres. In addition to hosting thought leadership sessions, the Innovation Stage will showcase the results of the IBC Accelerator Media Innovation Programme, which brings together pioneering media companies and leading-edge technology partners as they collaborate to solve real-world challenges and drive advances across a range of areas.
Highlighting the People and Purpose content pillar in 2023 will be the free IBC Changemakers Programme, which returns to the Forum on Sept. 17-18. These sessions will address topics such as gender equality in broadcasting, advancing sustainability, and inclusive tech. Groups involved in Changemakers include RISE, Soho Media Club, Women in Immersive Tech, and Albert. The IBC Social Impact Awards will also be part of the Changemakers Programme.
Akwasi Ansah, Founder and Creative Director, Omroep ZWART—the first intrinsically inclusive TV broadcasting station in The Netherlands—will give the keynote for the Changemakers sessions, sharing his personal story and vision for a digital-first landscape that is equitable, inclusive and accessible. Other Changemakers speakers include:
- Alexandra Hussenot, Chief Executive Officer, Immersionn, and UK Lead at Women in Immersive Technologies
- Jabbar Sardar, Global HR Director at BBC Studios
- Paul Pastor, Chief Business Officer and Co-Founderat Quickplay
- Sasha Scott, Head of Transformation Services at EBU
In the run-up to the show, IBC will also offer the "Changemakers Podcast" series, focusing on media culture. Hosted by journalist Nadira Tudor, the podcasts will consist of a series of interviews that initiate essential conversations and spread awareness about critical cultural developments in technology and M&E. Guests include:
- Asif Sadiq, Chief Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer at Warner Bros. Discovery
- Kamal Ahmed, Editor-in-Chief and Co-founder at The News Movement
- Lisa Kelly, Head of Content Innovation & Development at BBC Children in Need
- Victoria Murovana, Chief Editor/Kids Content Producer at UA:PBC Suspilne, Ukraine.
Although the 2022 event was deemed a success, it ended on a sour note with massive delays at Schipol Airport as attendees headed home, causing many to miss flights and deal with lost or delayed luggage. The fiasco—which was the result of a work slowdown by airport employees as well as Schipol's inflexible leave policies— resulted in the eventual resignation of the airport's CEO.
Crimp seemed optimistic that Schipol has their act together this year.
"It seems that they are coming back on their feet. It seems like it's gonna be OK, but I'm waiting for them to tell us to tell us that. So from IBC's point of view, we're pushing them hard," Crimp said.
"They have a long track record of being a great airport, very accessible to the venue. It wasn't a small thing that happened last year—it was pretty terrible," he added. "But I think they have a lot of confidence that the investments that they've made, and the changes they've made, including the new CEO, have put them back on on their feet."
Register for the 2023 IBC Show here: https://show.ibc.org/
