EIT Culture & Creativity is Europe’s knowledge and innovation community for the cultural and creative sectors. The organisation aims to help transform great ideas into successful businesses by connecting industry, entrepreneurs, researchers, universities and investors.
Having previously partnered with IBC Show, this year EIT Culture & Creativity has been appointed as the show’s European Innovation Partner. Together, the two organisations aim to create clearer pathways from proof-of-concept to deployment across the global media and entertainment (M&E) ecosystem—starting with IBC’s Accelerator Programme.
“IBC brings together the organisations that shape the future of the media industry, from broadcasters and technology providers to entrepreneurs, researchers and investors. Few events create the same opportunity to connect innovation with the people who can adopt it, invest in it and help it scale,” Anette Schaefer, CEO of EIT Culture & Creativity, tells TVBEurope.
“For EIT Culture & Creativity, that makes IBC much more than a showcase. It is a place to build relationships that accelerate commercialisation, encourage cross-sector collaboration and help innovative European companies reach the market. Those connections are essential if Europe is to translate its creativity and research excellence into stronger businesses and long-term competitiveness.”
REGISTER FOR IBC2026
IBC2026 marks EIT Culture & Creativity’s most significant presence at the show to date. As Innovation Partner for Future Tech Ignite and the IBC Accelerator, the organisation will have a major presence in Hall 14, including an EIT Culture & Creativity pavilion featuring around 15 exhibition spaces for start-ups and scale-ups supported through its programmes, alongside strategic partners from across Europe’s creative community.
“We’ll also contribute a programme of discussions on the Future Tech Ignite Stage, exploring topics such as competitiveness, artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship, commercialisation, skills and the future of media innovation,” adds Schaefer. “Our aim is to create opportunities for collaboration and help connect the organisations shaping Europe’s next generation of media businesses.”
Visitors to the pavilion will be able to meet entrepreneurs developing innovative solutions for the audiovisual sector, hear from industry leaders and (academic) researchers, and explore how collaboration can accelerate innovation and commercial growth.
“We’ll be discussing some of the biggest issues facing the industry today, including AI, intellectual property, trusted media, investment, skills and competitiveness. Above all, we want visitors to leave with new ideas, new connections and a better understanding of how Europe’s media industry can work together to build globally competitive businesses.”
Asked what she’s most looking forward to at this year’s show, Schaefer says it’s all about the conversations. “Europe has exceptional creativity, talent and technological expertise, but we need to do more to connect those strengths and help them scale,” she adds. “IBC brings together exactly the mix of organisations needed to make that happen. When those communities meet, new ideas become partnerships, and partnerships become real innovation. If we can leave IBC having created new collaborations that continue long after the show closes, that will be a real measure of success.”
