IBC: change time

Although the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) has closed its 2022 edition with the visit of more than 37,000 professionals (19,000 less than in 2019), the continuing problems that the RAI Center and the city of Amsterdam itself present in hosting a fair of this magnitude are becoming more evident every day.

The unstoppable growth of IP technology compared to traditional SDI, remote production, cloud services and under a SaaS model and content monetization have marked the return of the sector to one of the two world reference fairs for the industry that was finally returning to normal.

But, precisely because, together with NAB in Las Vegas, IBC represents a unique meeting point for professionals, its organization made up of associations such as IABM, BTS, IET and SCTE cannot forget the pillars of its own founding in 1967: “by the industry for the industry.”

Isn't it time to consider changing headquarters once the current contract has concluded?

The chaotic distribution of the old exhibition center of the RAI Amsterdam Convention Center and the hotel oversaturation in the city, among many other shortcomings, should make us consider whether it is not time to consider a change of venue once the current contract has concluded.

Although all cities with strong exhibition activity on fair days disproportionately inflate prices in their hotels, it is not acceptable to pay in Amsterdam for a two-star hotel, with service and spaces that leave much to be desired, which in many other European capitals would cost a five-star hotel.

The chaos at the airport along with the strike on public transport has turned the presence in Amsterdam into hell.

Furthermore, this year, the poor quality of its services and the poor gastronomic offering of its restaurants has been combined with an unacceptable situation at Schipol airport with queues to pass a simple security check that in some cases reached four hours in the sun or rain and at best did not go under two hours. The chaos at the airport along with the strike on public transport has turned the presence of professionals in Amsterdam into hell.

RAI itself seemed to have forgotten how a fair of this level is organized.

The RAI venue itself seemed to have forgotten, due to the impasse of the pandemic, how a fair of this level is organized in terms of waiting times for accreditation (the first day reached the waiting hour at times), management of space reservations, or the services expected from a press room in order to facilitate the work of informants. Not to mention the discomfort in the industry due to the disastrous cancellation policy in the last edition where it was decided to suspend the celebration at the last minute without providing a crystal clear refund policy.

Without a doubt, it has been wonderful to meet again without a mask involved, but it is time to open some time for reflection.

Antonio Castillo

Director of Audiovisual Panorama
Academic of the Academy of Television and Audiovisual Sciences and Arts