IBC today announces that IBC2014 was the most successful show ever. It attracted a total of 55,092 attendees, which is an increase on 2013 of 4%. Attendees from more than 170 countries visited over 1,500 exhibitors occupying more than 50,000 square metres of display space through fourteen halls of the IBC Exhibition. The IBC Conference welcomed 280 speakers across a full programme of sessions in a new, more thematically aligned programme. These Sessions included keynotes from personalities as diverse as Professor Brian Cox and movie special effects guru Douglas Trumbull.IBC's goal is to deliver an event that is relevant to the community, said Michael Crimp, CEO of IBC. Getting the right attendance is more important than big numbers, but it is encouraging when we get both quality and quantity.
The opening keynote presentation of IBC2014 set the tone for a highly successful event. Broadcast television is highly relevant, said David Abraham, CEO of Channel 4 in the UK, but viewers want mobility and connectivity, and there is no reason why broadcasters should lose that relevance. On the show floor and in the conference sessions, the talk was about how broadcasting has now moved to content everywhere, and is rising to the technical, commercial and operational challenges.
The IBC2014 Conference also featured keynotes from Google Europe President, Matt Brittin; Tim Davie, CEO and Director Global, BBC Worldwide; Bruce Tuchman, President, AMC Global and Sundance Channel Global; Neelie Kroes, Vice-President of the European Commission; Sam Barnett, CEO, MBC Group and Charlie Vogt, CEO of Imagine Communications & Gates Air. These keynotes set the agenda for the day's sessions to lead debate across the innovation story of the industry.
IBC2014 saw the launch of IBC Content Everywhere Europe, the first in a series of events targeting the changing nature of media through new connectivity. The launch event was part of IBC2014, and visitors and exhibitors had the chance to build information and network with peers through IBC's unique Touch & Connect technology. IBC Content Everywhere Europe took place throughout all fourteen halls of IBC2014, with features dedicated to exploring the disrupting technology driving the market; IBC Content Everywhere Cloud Solutions Theatre, IBC Content Everywhere Workflow Solutions Theatre and the IBC Content Everywhere Hub Theatre which also featured editorially lead panel discussions.
Content from across the IBC Content Everywhere features, show floor and the conference could be viewed across six days as IBC TV was transformed into a rolling 24 hour news streaming service, with tailored versions for all popular smartphones and tablets as well as the web. Throughout IBC2014 the live service included a mix of interviews and coverage of major events, including the keynote speeches and many of the other presentations. After the event the content remains available online for viewing on demand at www.ibc.org/VOD Broadcasters who want to use footage in reports can edit their clips in the cloud before downloading the HD resolution video.
Within IBC there are a number of strands, enabling this cross-fertilisation of ideas. The IBC Leaders' Summit brought together more than 100 CEOs and senior executives for a closed door debate. This year they looked at the surge of digitally-enabled services, and how innovation in related industries is driving change in the world of media.
At the other end of the career spectrum, IBC was once more host to the Rising Stars. This programme gave over 150 young professional just entering the industry a chance to learn, to debate and to network, becoming part of the IBC community. This year's programme was led by entrepreneur presenter James Neufeld and featured a special appearance from Professor Brian Cox.
The technologies of tomorrow could be seen in the IBC Future Zone, where researchers shared their ideas in prototype. Cisco took the opportunity to showcase its vision of the connected world of the near future and NHK demonstrated its Super Hi-Vision 8k system, including new cameras light enough to be used on Steadicam.
The IBC Big Screen Experience offered a world first this year. For the first time anywhere, IBC visitors could watch full-length feature films The Life of Pi and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, both shown courtesy of 20th Century Fox in high brightness, 14 foot lambert (fL) 3D, thanks to the installation of the Christies 6-Primary (6P) laser colour system. The IBC Big Screen was also host to a number of other events, conference sessions and presentations, including live real-time colour grading in 4K and exceptional keynote address from Douglas Trumbull where he presented his hypervivid 10-minute short UTOFOG which is filmed at an extraordinary 4K 3D 120 frames a second.
The IBC2014 Awards Ceremony also used the full functionality of the IBC Big Screen. The Judges' Prize and International Honour for Excellence were presented to FIFA for its football coverage and the Special Award to the Vienna State Opera for its broadcast and online services, bringing opera and ballet to audiences worldwide live. The IBC Innovation Awards winners were also revealed and prizes were given for Best Conference Paper and for the Best Stand Designs for Shell Scheme, best small free design and best large free design stands.
Throughout the conference, exhibition, feature areas and events like the awards and the IBC Big Screen Experience, and excellent networking opportunities, IBC provides an excellent environment to share knowledge across the industry. IBC returns to Amsterdam next year: IBC Conference 10 - 14 September and IBC Exhibition 11 - 15 September 2015. Keep up to date with the latest news and announcements at www.ibc.org.
IBC's next event however will take place in Dubai in the New Year. IBC C
