IBC 2021 will seek to bring back the old normal with a face-to-face event with no masks and no capacity limitations

The management team of IBC Show 2021 has reported in a virtual event all the news of the new edition of the fair, which will be held from 3 to 6 December in Amsterdam.

Michael Crimp, CEO of IBC, stressed that his goal from the outset has been to offer an event that is as safe as it is valuable for attendees and exhibitors.

All those industry members who want to stop by the Amsterdam RAI, Crimp remarked, will find a safe environment with the usual broadcast industry representation. In addition, travel is guaranteed: thanks to the Dutch government’s new policy, secure access to events such as IBC is provided without the need for quarantines of any kind.

Once inside the halls, people will be able to experience the old normal. There will be no need to wear masks inside the halls, no daily PCR, and no capacity limitations inside each of the booths; pending industry support, the experience will be business as usual, although disinfection and cleanliness of all environments will be reinforced. Still, the IBC CEO has invited the entire community to respect the sensitivities of each attendee.

This sanitary decision respects 100% the indications of the Dutch government. However, this forecast could change depending on the evolution of the health epidemic.

Face-to-face… but also hybrid format

Justifying the decision not only on the global healthcare reality, but also on elements such as “climate change”, Crimp assured that the fair will offer a completely satisfactory hybrid experience. Thus, everyone will be able to find access to exhibitors’ virtual booths as well as arrange meetings. Likewise, a large part of the training and industrial events will be available via streaming.

In no case has the digital part been planned as a mere replacement for the on-site part, as the organization is deeply confident that, on this occasion, the event will be a reality.

360º programming

Next, IBC director Imran Sroya provided the first details of the IBC 2021 program, free and open for the first time, which will feature an important selection of executives from companies such as OBS, HBO Max, Starz, WarnerMedia, Netflix, Discovery and Unity. With these first confirmations, it is intended to send a message to the industry that the event continues to move forward with the support of the major players in the broadcast world.

Throughout the conferences, beyond addressing success stories, the latest industry trends, exemplified in terms such as cloud, UHD or 5G, will be discussed in depth by companies such as Akamai, BBC, Comcast, IBM, MediaKind, NHK, RAI, TV2 or Vidmond. The IBC 2021 innovation acceleration program, which will also have its own exhibition area, thus bringing together the projects of Al Jazeera, BBC, ITV and Sky, and making them tangible in the Amsterdam RAI.

Finally, Steve Connolly, IBC sales manager, has highlighted some of the 700 companies that have already confirmed their presence for IBC 2021: Blackmagic, Canon, EVS, Grass Valley, Lawo, MediaKind, Sennheiser, Shure, Synamedia or Vizrt will attend the event with booths.