At its close at 4pm on Tuesday, IBC claimed its 50,462 visitors to be a new record and to represent a four per cent attendance increase over 2010.
But while exhibitors, exhibits, technology, demonstrations and visitors filled all of its halls, those involved in the audio aspects of broadcast were reduced to a footnote in the show's official report...
‘We continue to push the boundaries of IBC, bringing in thought leaders from new media, advertising and cutting-edge technology,’ said IBC CEO, Michael Crimp. ‘But – while it is exciting to welcome to IBC luminaries like Hiroshi Yoshioka, Executive Deputy President of Sony Corporation, Joanna Shields, VP & MD EMEA of Facebook and director James Cameron – the real value lies in the interaction between every one of the visitors who come here to investigate new technology and new working practices, to share knowledge and to sign deals.’
The 13 halls and more than 1,300 exhibitors also set a record in terms of display space, and deals worth US$20m or more were reportedly signed during the four days the show spent at the Amsterdam Rai.
From an audio point-of-view, however, the official IBC report reserved mention until its last paragraph: In addition to the formal conference, IBC presented a number of free workshops and discussions to add value to everyone’s visit. As well as the ever-popular What Caught My Eye the programme also included sessions on apps and gizmos, audio loudness and making money from content archives. Both the European Digital Cinema Forum and SCTE presented open meetings in association with IBC.
Very well established and very well run, IBC has long had a fragile relationship with the audio aspects of broadcasting and, more recently, new media – with audio regularly regarded as the poor relation.
This does not deprive IBC from a key role in hosting audio equipment introductions, providing a platform for business announcements and face-to-face networking – as it should. But with a single hall devoted to audio, it is an ongoing struggle to gain comparable recognition to broadcast’s other disciplines.
Inside that hall, however, audio exhibitors were undaunted by their host’s relative lack of attention…
From his regular pole position near the main entrance, HHB MD Ian Jones found plenty of audio interest from exhibitor and visitor alike: ‘It was the biggest IBC ever for us,’ he said. ‘We were displaying more companies’ products – including TC Electronic, Wohler, Mogami and PreSonus – and had more announcements to make than ever before. We also had record attendance at our press conference, and saw good media attendance from the US to Japan.
‘We put more effort into our presence at IBC than any other show, and I feel that audio does deserve greater recognition,’ he continues. ‘The number of audio exhibitors has grown substantially over the years, and it is a highly relevant show for audio in broadcast.’
And Jones is not alone in finding IBC valuable to audio…
‘For me, IBC is the best exhibition that we attend in terms of quality and quantity of customers, and the 2011 show seemed to be even more successful for us than for previous years,’ said Sonifex MD, Marcus Brooke. ‘We had a lot of interest on the stand for our new equipment releases and also had demos of the DaySequerra range of loudness meters and monitors – we’ve started to distribute DaySequerra products, which use the DTS Neural loudness model to drive the loudness control, with superb results in the UK.
‘IBC was a busy and productive time for us. For me, the broadcast industry seems buoyant and we’ve had a record year – hopefully this can continue past the UK hosted Olympics next year. That said, the exhibition floor looked quieter on the Friday and Saturday but picked up no end on Sunday and Monday, so we ended up with 25 per cent more sales leads than for last year, a significant increase.’
Among IBC’s non-audio highlights, NHK put on a Super Hi-Vision demonstration (offering 16x HD resolution and described by Ian Jones as ‘simply stunning’) and there was work shown from the world’s R&D labs.
‘Everyone knows that the industry is changing,’ Crimp said. ‘Audiences are being pulled in different directions, by immersive experiences like 3D and by multi-platform content as consumers use tablets and smartphones even while they are watching television. Media companies need to be agile to remain commercially viable, so they need to make intelligent use of technology.’
The official IBC line recognises ‘widespread concern’ over the need to bring new talent into broadcasting and claims that IBC plays its part… through the Rising Stars Programme which gives students and early entrants into the industry an opportunity to visit the event, take part in special debates as well as tour the exhibition, and even present their own work in a special showcase.
Acknowledging broadcast’s reliance on ‘skill and talent’ without reference to the developments and innovation in audio work is disappointing – if not insulting – to the talent and effort made by audio folk. Surely this warrants more recognition from such an influential show.
More: www.ibc.org
