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For the 30,000 preparing to attend IBC in a few weeks, how many will end their visit with real tangible solutions that they can take back and actually implement? How many more will be left even more confused by the dizzying array of *potential* fixes to their own production and broadcast headaches?
For me, IBC (and other shows like it) should be taking a long hard look at how they can help the industry more. The way they should evolve is to offer a vehicle to showcase solutions that are fully tested, proven to work and perhaps most importantly, demonstrate how they actually deliver positive results.
IBC prides itself on being very technical and innovative, perhaps even more so than it's much larger rival, NAB. There's a very experimental feel to what you see, with exhibitors and conference speakers painting grand visions of the future, rather than telling you about what's necessarily available and working now. The ability to show technical solutions working in real life situations is crucial to both technology vendors (to sell) and media owners (to find useful solutions).
This year's line up is no different, with session themes employing lofty rhetoric: Taking the Pulse', Embracing Change' and Preparing for the Future'. IBC clearly positions itself as the gateway to the future for broadcasters and producers, but unless you're a CTO charged with finding the latest innovations for your billion dollar media empire, how much value does the typical non-technical production and broadcast exec get from attending?
As an exhibitor, I've seen first-hand the visitors' wide-eyed bemusement as they walk the floors and listen to sessions; trying to decide what will work and what they can afford. Of course, attending a show like IBC is specifically designed to help people learn, discover and experience new tech, practices and ideas, but it could also offer a chance to hear about what is working today.
Cloud is a good case in point.
At Aframe we've seen a dramatic shift in attitudes to the idea of the cloud over the last five years. Clients are better educated than ever before, they are keener to embrace change and they recognise the value that cloud technology can bring to their businesses. And while it's great to see that IBC have launched a dedicated place for cloud discussions, the Cloud Solutions seminars are too hidden away, too sheltered within the exhibition.
Aframe will again be represented in Amsterdam in one of just three cloud sessions in the main conference in Can broadcasters get real benefit from Cloud Computing?'. If cloud is the biggest technological wave to hit the industry since file based workflows, why isn't it front and centre in the main conference?
Events like IBC have, in part at least, helped to educate and inspire our clients, but we also know from experience that no money changes hands until they have clearly seen the benefits for themselves. There's a detailed review of our system: our security protocols; actual time and cost saving potential; the power of our transcoding software and so on. Either they read about successful case studies, they exchange experiences with peers in their sector, or they test and trial the system in depth in real world situations to ensure it works. I don't hear of many clients learning about a technical solution at IBC and returning home with a fully-fledged solution in their luggage. I think it's about time we looked at ways to rectify this.
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