At the end of its annual IBC press conference, Panasonic surprised all in attendance by stating that 2005 would be their last time exhibiting at IBC2005.
This news followed the decision months earlier made by Snell & Wilcox to also pull out of the show. Many were left wondering whether this was the beginning of a trend to move away from Amsterdam as the key European show for new broadcast technology.
Both companies have stated that their decisions, arrived at separately, were not based on financial issues but on a desire to reallocate resources.
Could other companies be soon to follow? While many companies were well aware of the high costs of exhibiting in Amsterdam, many still felt it very necessary to exhibit at the show. Several companies, both large and small, agreed that hosting an exhibit stand, whatever the price, is simply the cost of doing business.
At the start of the conference this year, IBC announced that it had considered moving the show to another location, citing the limited number and high cost of hotel rooms in Amsterdam. Officials said they looked at other locations in Germany and Spain, but had signed an agreement with the city of Amsterdam — where it’s been since 1992 — to return in 2006 and 2007.
