The aircraft stood on its wingtip and the vast expanse of Europoort filled my window as we lined up for the final approach. A reassuring thump as the undercarriage locked into place and moments later our sleek Embraer jet was rolling to a halt on the Schiphol tarmac. Just 50 minutes up and down. Smooth, fast and safe – thank you, KLM.
I knew the IBC organisers had arranged for show passes to be collected at the airport. A brisk walk to the right arrivals hall and the first job was swiftly accomplished. In the run-up to the event, a colleague had published an article in which seasoned showgoers had given their top tips to ensure the weekend ran smoothly. I hadn’t read it. Instead, I asked myself the time-honoured question of fools everywhere – how hard could this really be?
I’d checked my route ahead of time so there was no need to trouble Google Maps. Besides, battery preservation was a priority; my phone would be getting quite the workout this weekend. The RAI should have been a 20 minute walk from my hotel. Half an hour later I realised I was heading in the wrong direction. Although I didn’t know it yet, this would prove to be a continuing theme.
Beforehand, I’d had no concept of the sheer scale of the RAI. Reality dawned as I arrived: the place is enormous. Passing through security, I began the search for my colleagues. I knew the hall to aim for but was, at that stage, unaware of what might euphemistically be termed the centre’s interesting navigational challenges. Some time later, I was relieved to hear my name being called. Someone had thankfully spotted me as I was halfway around my third or fourth circumnavigation of the cavernous room.
A whirlwind of back-to-back meetings ensued as we pounded the floors, making our way through the halls to witness some of the truly incredible innovations being debuted at the show. My difficulties with the aforementioned interesting navigational challenges were exacerbated by my lack of industry insight. I was looking for company names but stands were sometimes identified by product. If, for example, the Ford Motor Company used Mustang branding for its stand, tout le monde would recognise the work of the Blue Oval. However, production technology isn’t always as universally well-known. My limited product knowledge hampered me here.
Evening arrived, some kindly soul thrust a very welcome beer in my hand and I suddenly found myself aboard an open boat. The sights and sounds (and smells!) of the delightful Dutch capital unfolded as the barge sedately cruised the canals, carrying the lucky few to a charming converted tram hall. Here, I witnessed the unveiling of a truly incredible new solution, more of which will follow soon. As a newcomer to the media and entertainment business, I could not have been made to feel more welcome and wish to thank all involved profusely.
Saturday saw a return to the RAI and another maelstrom of meetings. Around the middle of the afternoon I began to relax, as I realised we were all in it together. I overheard someone say the organisers used an AI solution to allocate stand numbers. The remark may well have been tongue in cheek, but I found myself harbouring dark fantasies of finding my algorithmic adversary and exacting revenge à la astronaut Dave Bowman in the movie, 2001.
AI was very much a buzzword for the show. Everywhere I went, new and exciting ways were being found to exploit the technology. At times, it felt as though its only limitations were those imposed by the imagination of the designers. AI solutions are already having a demonstrable impact across the industry. As the technology is leveraged further, its effect is clearly going to be transformative.
Collaboration was another, given a huge boost by the growing adoption of cloud-based services. I lost count of the number of vendors I met who, recognising the massive potential in cloud computing, were creating solutions designed to streamline production workflows in ways that have never before been possible. Even to a layperson, it was very obvious that the opportunities afforded by these solutions are increasing exponentially, both creatively and commercially, Coming from an IT background, I have sometimes been surprised to find the media and entertainment business has quite a conservative approach to adopting technology. IBC showed very clearly that it can face the tech-driven future with confidence.
The day drew to an end and a palpable after-the-battle air settled across the RAI. We had made it through another day. Sunday’s pace was less frenetic, final meetings and promises to keep in touch.|
So how was it for a first-timer? I was lucky enough to see some frankly mindblowing technology and hear some thoroughly interesting insights into where things are going. I met some fascinating, inspirational and, above all, friendly and welcoming people. Thanks to all of them for their patience in the face of some fairly uninformed questions. My understanding is increasing – I’ll get there.
Enlightening, relentless, informative, exciting and, at times, chaotic, IBC2024 was quite the experience. IBC2025? Bring it on.
