In its mission to ‘define the future of storytelling’, SMPTE is liaising with international broadcast and media technology suppliers association IABM on an agreement to share knowledge and expertise across their collective membership. In the first stage of the agreement, members of each organisation are now able to take advantage of the other’s training courses at discounted rates.

‘A knowledge exchange with IABM makes a great deal of sense for both of our organisations,’ says SMPTE Executive Director, Barbara Lange. ‘IABM’s strength is in business knowledge and research, while SMPTE brings expertise in standards-based technologies – a synergy that will add great value for our respective communities.’

The collaboration will also give certain SMPTE members access to executive-level IABM Business Intelligence via an exclusive portal and webinars, and IABM members  access to SMPTE webcasts. SMPTE and IABM will also continue to explore further areas of collaboration to benefit their members. IABM’s training offering includes a wide range of on-site standard and bespoke courses, as well as a number of e-learning courses covering the latest technologies. The full course offering is available via the IABM website. SMPTE’s comprehensive training offering includes both instructor-supported and self-learning virtual courses as well as webcasts and podcasts through its well-established online platform. The full list of SMPTE Education offerings is available at the SMPTE website.

‘I’m delighted to be working with SMPTE to enable relevant sharing of knowledge and expertise across our combined membership,’ says IABM CEO, Peter White. ‘Collaboration is not just the latest buzzword – it underpins the future success of both the supply and buying sides of the broadcast and media industries. We see media companies increasingly coming together to form alliances in the search for digital speed, scale, and geographical reach, and the same thing is happening on the supply side.

‘With the pace of transformation in our industry only continuing to accelerate, it makes great sense for two of the industry’s top organisations to work together in a partnership to deliver a richer experience for SMPTE and IABM members and help them stay at the leading edge of our rapidly changing business,’ he adds. ‘This agreement is something of a milestone; it marks the beginning of an ongoing collaboration across a number of activities and the start of what we envisage to be a long-term partnership.’