IBC Show Sees Under-35 Attendance Increase by 10% in 2019

With a total attendance figure of 56,390, IBC2019 welcomed a record number of attendees. The number of attendees under the age of 35 increased by 10% year-on-year and, with a rise in C-level attendees.

IBC continues to be the place where ideas are shared and relationships are formed, with IBC helping to set the agenda with the addition of a host of new features and initiatives, including the first-ever Esports Showcase, the launch of the Next Gen Hub, the introduction of the Social Impact Awards and Young Pioneer Award, and the showcase of IBC’s first three media innovation accelerator projects, the Media-Telecom Catalysts.

Leading actor, director, and producer Andy Serkis delivered the Convention Keynote to a capacity crowd, and Dutch football legends Ruud Gullit and Robin van Persie were at the show to speak about their latest TV projects. Conference delegates also heard from Keynote speakers including Cecile Frot Coutaz (YouTube), Shalini Govil Pai (Android TV), and Max Amordeluso (Amazon Alexa).

“Across the Exhibition, Conference and Feature areas, IBC2019 has been a hive of networking, deal-making, product launches, learning and the sharing of ideas,” said IBC Chief Executive Michael Crimp. “It has been a celebration of the industry’s creativity and drivers of change while also helping to identify and address key challenges.

“We are delighted to see audience growth in our key target areas, particularly welcoming more young people, senior-level executives and overseas visitors. While this gives us a focus to build on next year, our metrics for success also include crucial elements like quality of experience, audience engagement, and IBC’s influence on the industry, and our conversations with exhibitors and attendees tells us that these have all improved on 2018.

“IBC continues to succeed because we work hard to present the most knowledgeable speakers, the most topical sessions and the technology of tomorrow, providing a global meeting point that enables industry professionals to get together and share vital information about all aspects of media, entertainment, and technology,” said IBC Director Imran Sroya.

In a show full of moments, a major highlight was the first-ever IBC Esports Showcase live tournament, which demonstrated how entertaining esports can be and why it is such a fast-growing and important sector for those involved in the media and broadcast industry. Two professional teams from ESL’s network of National Championships across Europe went head-to-head in classic FPS multiplayer Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO).

This year’s recipient of IBC’s highest award, the International Honor for Excellence, brought some Hollywood stardust to the RAI as Serkis accepted the award for his outstanding contribution to the industry and his work in the field of motion capture.

New awards were also introduced: the Social Impact Awards, which recognized diversity and inclusivity, environmental impact, and ethical leadership and the Young Pioneer Award, which was awarded to Vera Bichler, Austrian broadcaster ORF’s first female football director.

At IBC2019, the results of three IBC’s media-telecom catalyst programs were presented – a 5G-enabled tourism experience, AI indexing for regulatory content management, and mobile newsgathering using AI-powered compression – showing how collaboration across the media and telecoms communities can transform both businesses and consumer experiences.

The Big Screen which was equipped with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos delivered a stunning program of events and screenings Presentations included an exclusive cinematic screening of Game of Thrones’ Season 8 battle episode ‘The Long Night’ with a discussion of the craft and technology behind the show; the stories behind the edit and the music of the Elton John biopic, Rocket Man; and an inspiring BBC Studios Natural History showcase.

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