Jenny Priestley, TVBEurope
Make sure you have two pairs of shoes so you can wear them on alternate days. You’re either going to be doing a lot of walking or standing, so it will help your feet. Also, plenty of lip balm and hand cream—the aircon will get you in the end.
Gay Bell, CEO, Platform Communications
For those who have been to IBC many times, it is so easy to slip into the same old routine, visiting the people you know, spending time in the areas you are familiar with, even eating in the same restaurants. I recommend making IBC2026 the start of a new set of experiences. The media and entertainment space is constantly changing, and with visitors from more than 170 countries, 1,250-plus exhibitors and 14 halls to explore, the biggest opportunities may sit outside your usual comfort zone.
Make Hall 14 a priority. Future Tech is 30 per cent larger for 2026, and the new Future Tech Ignite activity offers an easy way to discover start-ups, emerging technologies and ideas across AI, the creator economy, sustainability, cybersecurity and future skills. Seek out the Accelerator Zone too. The live proof-of-concept demonstrations show innovation in action, with major broadcasters, content owners, technology providers, researchers and start-ups tackling real-world challenges.
Stepping out of your comfort zone does not need to be dramatic; at IBC, it can start with one new hall, one unexpected demo or one brave question.
Claudia Barbiero, PTZOptics
After 15 years of attending IBC, my best advice is to arrive with a plan, but leave room for discovery. The scale of IBC can be overwhelming, so review the conference program, show floor agenda and exhibitor list before you go. Map your must-see sessions, demonstrations and meetings by hall to avoid spending time zigzagging across the RAI. But allow time for spontaneous conversations! IBC brings vendors, subject matter experts, partners and professionals together in one place, so making those unexpected exchanges can be incredibly valuable. We are there to answer your questions and learn about your business, challenges and needs too.
Becky Taylor, Page Melia PR
Plan your meetings wisely! View the floorplans either online or via the IBC App before confirming your meetings to ensure that you are not walking back and forth between halls all day. Your feet will thank you.
Buy a keg of beer at the Beach, it’ll save you time queuing and industry chums patiently waiting in line for a beer will appreciate the opportunity to join you.
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Fiona Blake, Page Melia PR
The Beach. One of the best places to network. If you’re not going for even just one drink, then you’re missing out.
Umbrella/Waterproof. If you think the weather in the UK is inconsistent, then you’ve not been to Amsterdam!
Lip balm. Never underestimate the pain of chapped lips due to air con/dehydration.
Jay Tyler, freelance
My IBC tip after more trade shows than I care to count: take care of your feet! Wear the most comfortable shoes you own, and if you have room, pack a second pair. One pair for pounding the halls of the RAI and another for everything before and after the show.
Between miles of convention-centre aisles, Amsterdam’s streets, dinners and the inevitable “one more beer” after the show, your feet take a beating. Happy feet = a much better IBC. See everyone in Amsterdam!
Sunny Branson, Wall Street Communications
Carry a light load! Trust me, it will get heavier and heavier as the day goes on.
Anne-Louise Buick, Platform Communications
Ensure your LinkedIn page is up to date and your virtual profile reflects and supports your current areas of focus. Virtual impressions are as important as in-person first impressions, given we all head to LinkedIn as part of our post-show follow-up.
Photograph your receipts as you go, and if you have an expenses app upload them in real time. It’s incredibly satisfying to be able to send in your expense report before you’re even home.
Hayley Brailey-Woolfson, TVBEurope
Don’t forget your phone power bank!
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Jim Weber, Telos Alliance
My advice is to exercise as much curiosity as you can. Shows like IBC offer a tremendous opportunity to interact with customers, vendors, and partners in ways that aren’t possible through virtual or project-based interactions. While our natural inclination is to focus on communicating our products’ benefits and value (a valid endeavour of course), it is important to also take advantage of the sheer number of ideas floating around the show floor. Some of our group’s best ideation comes from one-off and happenstantial conversations with diverse folks with whom we might not otherwise interact.
Rose McCormick, SDVI
This tip is for the chronically jet-lagged: bike to and from the show. Amsterdam is built for cyclists, and your map app will tell you how to get where you’re going. The fresh air and exercise work wonders for getting you on a local schedule. And who wants to wait for an Uber anyway?
John Casey, Radio World
Don’t forget a small umbrella!
Kieran Kunhya, Open Broadcast Systems
A packet of stroopwafels is not a substitute for lunch!
Sadie Groom, Bubble
In the top right-hand corner of Hall 7, there is a great sandwich counter, which has a few high tables and is near the toilets!
If you are exhibiting, make sure your team is briefed to not be head down, shoulders crunched on their phones when there is no one on the stand, apart from being very unwelcoming, it’s bad for your posture
If you are exhibiting, ensure that your leads collection system has a way of marking how hot, warm or cold a lead is—there is nothing wrong with an old-fashioned notepad to record these somewhere, alongside the digital system
If you are visiting, only get your badge scanned for content or contact you really want post-show. Iif you get into the badge scanning Olympics, you will just end up deleting everything when you get back to an inbox of doom
Enjoy it! I have made some of my best friends through the show, there are much worse places to be working over the weekend.
Alison Pavitt, Blue Lucy
If you see that person—STOP! You won’t ‘catch them later’. You won’t ‘swing by their stand’. You’ll shout ‘Let’s catch up!’ across the aisle…and never see them again. They’ll vanish into Hall 8 like a broadcast ninja. So if you run into someone you actually want to talk to… stop. And anyway, we all know that the best meetings at IBC aren’t in your calendar—they’re in the aisles (and, to be fair, the bars).
Deborah Cross, Rise
From my personal experience, hands down, my top tip is to make sure you pack a packet of Vocalzone Throat Pastilles. They are amazing and will prevent you from sounding like Marge Simpson by day two!!
