What’s your typical IBC routine: what are you there to see/learn, who are you there to meet?
Pre-covid I would have attended IBC for a few reasons, we would normally have a crew of students working on IBCTV so I would check in with them and see how they were getting on. We also (and will be this year) send two prize-winning students through the IABM who have full conference access. Amongst seeing my students attend I also use IBC to gain insight into technology trends, have meetings with companies who are looking for graduates and scout out what technologies we may want to implement at the university. This is all vitality important to ensure our course content is as up to date as possible and our graduates are suitable for the range of roles available to them post studying at Solent.
What are you most looking forward to at IBC 2022?
I am really looking forward to my first face-to-face conference since 2019 as all of my previous attempts at attending have been scuppered by covid. It will also be my first opportunity to meet some of the international contacts I have made during the pandemic, such as the other Women in Streaming Media board members. The opportunity to have face-to face the-discussions will allow us to progress with our mission to get more women into the industry, and those already there, better represented. I am also really looking forward to hearing about the latest technology trends as I’m sure there will be some exciting announcements from the companies attending.
Why is IBC important to you/your organisation(s) in a professional capacity, and how does the show compare to others on the calendar?
It is important to me to maintain a strong connection with industry to ensure our teaching content is as up to date as possible and that our graduates are suitable for industry. It is also important to showcase where education sits in the development of future employees for the industry as technologists and engineers. The skills gap we currently have is very serious and attending IBC will give me the opportunity to address this face to face with other attendees and hopefully work on some solutions to resolve this issue.
