Adapt or be history - Tom McGann Memorial Summit sends out stark warning

Digital disruption takes center stage at biennial broadcast and media industry skills conference

Organized by IABM in partnership with the ABU (Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union) and AIBD (Asia Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development), the second Tom McGann Memorial Summit was held in Kuala Lumpur on the 5th and 6th of March 2017.

Under the banner Engineering the Future', the Tom McGann Memorial Summit brings together pan-regional representatives from broadcasters, suppliers, academic institutions and training operators to identify ways to tackle skills shortages in the broadcast and media industry. Together, the expert participants analyze the requirements for engineering and technical talent in the future and determine how that talent can best be attracted, developed and retained to the benefit of all. This approach reflects the path into the industry taken by Tom McGann, for whom the summit is named, who began his career as an apprentice and rose to become one of the most influential figures in the broadcast supply industry worldwide, as well as chairing IABM for more than 20 years.

The first Tom McGann Summit, held in Geneva in 2015, highlighted that the biggest issue was attracting new talent into the industry. The Kuala Lumpur Summit concluded that the challenge is now not a general skills shortage but an industry that is facing digital disruption. The answer lies in how the industry manages and develops skills during digital transformation.

The Conference Chair, Dr Ahmad Zaki, Group General Manager, Engineering at Media Prima, summed up the conclusions of the summit in a simple but compelling way: We face unprecedented disruption from OTT and new web players. This is about digital disruption, and our focus should not just be on current skills but survival. If we do not adapt, and develop the right skills, leaner and more efficient players from the world of IT and IP will displace us.

Andrew Jones, IABM Head of Training who was jointly responsible for organizing the summit, added, Our industry has gone through a massive change since the last summit in 2015, and it was instructive that all the participants at this year's event recognized the new challenges that we face. Everyone left the summit with a clear picture of what needs to be done - and soon - to ensure that we continue to survive and thrive.

Never has continued professional development been so important for engineers and technicians. As well as enabling companies to keep pace with the digital transformation, it is also a key factor in retaining skilled staff. These are the reasons why IABM continues to invest heavily in developing training programs to enable everyone in the industry to grow their skills and stay ahead, Jones concluded.

LINK:	http://www.theiabm.org/news/member-news/blogart4887...
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