Content and technology merge in an IBC with 56,390 visitors

With a total attendance of 56,390 visitors, IBC 2019 welcomed a record number of next-generation attendees. The number of professionals under 35 years of age increased by 10% year-on-year, highlighting the generational change.

The global media, entertainment and technology industries have met for another year in Amsterdam in IBC 2019. The RAI Center in the Dutch city has had 15 pavilions where they have presented their latest proposals 1,600 exhibitors, of which 200 They came for the first time. Exhibition areas such as the Content Everywhere Hall have experienced strong momentum with numerous bridge companies between the IT, broadcast and content worlds.

The organization estimates that at IBC 2019, 150 products have been presented aimed at publishing, creation, monetization, consumption, management... embracing new platforms for publishing, creating disruptive content, diversifying income, engaging viewers, managing and automating complex workflows.

With a total assistance of 56,390 visitors, IBC 2019 hosted a record number of next-generation attendees. The number of professionals under 35 years of age increased by 10% year-on-year, highlighting the generational change.

IBC continues to be the place where cutting-edge ideas and innovations are shared and relationships are formed. To this end, this edition has incorporated new initiatives, including the first eSports Showcase, the launch of Next Gen Hub, the introduction of the Social Impact Awards and the Young Pioneer Award and the showcase of acceleration projects in the Media-Telecom Catalysts.

This initiative has given voice to three catalytic media and telecommunications programs: a 5G-enabled tourist experience, the indexing of artificial intelligence for regulatory content management; and mobile news capture through AI-powered compression.

The main actor, director and producer, Andy Serkis, gave an inspiring and insightful convention opening speech to a large audience, and legendary Dutch footballers Ruud Gullit and Robin van Persie were on the show to talk about their latest television projects. Conference delegates also heard from Cecile Frot Coutaz (YouTube), Shalini Govil Pai (Android TV) y Max Amordeluso (Amazon Alexa).

The executive director of IBC, Michael Crimp, assured that "through the exhibition, conference and presentation areas, IBC 2019 has been a hive of networks, agreements, product launches, learning and exchange of ideas. It has been a celebration of the industry's creativity and drivers of change, while helping to identify and address key challenges.

"We are delighted to see audience growth in our key areas, particularly welcoming more young people, senior executives and overseas visitors. While this allows us to focus on next year, our measures of success also include crucial elements such as quality of experience, audience engagement and IBC's influence on the industry, and our conversations with exhibitors and attendees tell us that all of this has improved on 2018."

The director of IBC, Imran Sroya, states, for its part, that “IBC continues to be successful because we work hard to present the most expert speakers, the most current sessions and the technology of tomorrow, providing a global meeting point that allows industry professionals to meet and share vital information on all aspects of media, entertainment and technology.”

A highlight has been the live tournament IBC eSports Showcase, which demonstrated how exciting and entertaining sports can be and why it is such an important, fast-growing sector for those involved in the media and broadcast industry. Two professional teams from the ESL National Championship network across Europe faced off in the classic Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO).

This year's recipient of IBC's highest award, the International Honour for Excellence, brought some Hollywood stardust to RAI as an actor, director and producer Andy Serkis accepted the award for his outstanding contribution to the industry and his pioneering work in the field of motion capture.