Executives from Netflix, Warner Bros, Cisco, Ericsson, Buzzfeed, Canal+, NBCU, Amazon, Google, Sony Pictures and Spotify are just some of the 55,000 professionals meeting to lead and learn at IBC2016.
This September, the international electronic media industry convenes in Amsterdam for six days of state-of-the-nation debate, challenging and informative technology demonstrations and opportunities for lively and rewarding networking. Executives from Netflix, Warner Bros, Cisco, Ericsson, Buzzfeed, Canal+, NBCU, Amazon, Google, Sony Pictures and Spotify are just some of the 55,000 professionals meeting to lead and learn at IBC2016.
On the agenda: How IP is reshaping the economics of media production; where the world’s biggest advertising agencies are placing their client’s money; how best to reach milliennial audiences; monetising virtual reality; and strategies to stay two steps ahead of continual market disruption. WPP’s Sir Martin Sorrell, one of the world’s most influential and successful business leaders, sets the tone by addressing IBC2016’s theme ‘Transformation in the Digital Era: Leadership, Strategy and Creativity in Media’ in the newest conference stream Audiences and Advertising. That statement, and Sorrell’s presence, underlines the fact that IBC is the place where the strategic thinkers come to exchange ideas. Guaranteed to provoke further discussion are keynotes from Erik Huggers, President and CEO at Vevo; Dominique Delport, Global Managing Director/Chairman, Havas Media Group/Vivendi Content and Dr Manuel Cubero, who heads up Vodafones Kable Deutschland AG business.
The IBC Conference tracks alongside the comprehensive exhibition which features the world’s major media technology brands and all emerging, innovative developers too. There are 15 halls, curated by theme for ease of navigation, plus outdoor exhibits, making 2016 by far the biggest IBC in terms of floor space.
An integral part of the IBC experience are the feature areas, special zones designed to help visitors gain a deeper understanding of innovation and to quiz the people driving it. The IBC Technology in Action Theatre, for example, hosts a series of case studies at the leading edge of technology, including the cloud and IP as well as production, post and delivery. Often presented by users, this is a prime opportunity to gain insider knowledge. No-one wants to miss the IBC Future Zone where prototypes and theories leap from academic and broadcast labs into potential reality.
The researchers working on them come too, so not only can you see and test what they are thinking, you can influence the direction of their work. Unafraid to tackle the status quo, IBC invites sponsors to outsource their R&D to talented designers, coders and entrepreneurs at IBC Hackfest, a weekend of convention-defying brainstorming that could witness the next big thing.
Nowhere is the interface between art and science more dramatically illustrated than at the IBC Big Screen Experience, a series of sessions benchmarking the future of cinema. Ang Lee, Oscar winning director of Life of Pi, headlines this IBC stream, treating visitors to a sneak peak of his extraordinary new feature which is filmed with pioneering ultra-high frame rates to achieve a look which can only be described as cinematic reality.
A highlight of every IBC are the IBC Innovation Awards which uniquely recognise the expertise and sheer endeavor that teams of vendors, service suppliers and media organisations make to achieve breakthroughs. This years finalists include Endemol Shine, ESPN and Tencent. Every IBC visitor is welcome to attend the inspiring Sunday night ceremony – just one among dozens of attractions that make IBC2016 the place to share business with people from all corners of the industry.
