You’ve spoken of IBC’s power to convene. What is it about the show that gives it that power?
One of IBC’s greatest strengths is that it brings together every part of the global media entertainment and technology ecosystem in one place. Broadcasters, sports organisations, tech providers, creators, and students all come to Amsterdam because they recognise that the industry’s biggest opportunities and challenges can no longer be solved in isolation.
That breadth of IBC’s truly international cross-industry participation creates conversations that simply don’t happen elsewhere. It’s also why IBC has evolved beyond being somewhere people come to discover new products. Increasingly—they come to exchange ideas, solve problems together and build relationships that continue long after the show has ended.
How does the show manage to remain fresh?
The industry doesn’t stand still, so neither can IBC. Every year we look carefully at how media and entertainment is evolving and ask how the show can better reflect the conversations our community needs to have.
This year, for example, we’re expanding Future Tech with the launch of Future Tech Ignite and Braindate, available through the new IBC Exchange Pass to encourage more meaningful knowledge sharing, while continuing to evolve the Conference programme around the issues shaping strategic decisions today. The themes may change from year to year, but the principle remains the same: helping the industry move from understanding change to responding to it.
At the same time, the continual mix of established global brands, first-time exhibitors, emerging technologies and new voices means every edition of IBC offers something genuinely different.
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What benefits has the partnership with EIT Culture and Creativity brought to IBC?
The partnership reflects a shared belief that innovation doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens when industry, academia, entrepreneurs and investors have opportunities to connect and collaborate around real challenges.
EIT Culture and Creativity has already strengthened the IBC Accelerator Media Innovation Programme as Innovation Partner in 2026, helping reinforce its focus on creating clearer pathways from proof-of-concept to practical deployment. We’ve recently announced that we’re extending that partnership into Future Tech Ignite, connecting IBC more closely with Europe’s creative innovation ecosystem and creating new opportunities for start-ups and entrepreneurs to engage directly with the wider media industry.
Ultimately, the partnership is about helping create an environment where promising ideas have a greater opportunity to become deployable industry solutions.
With the theme of Innovation in Action in mind, how can IBC help facilitate the technologies being showcased make it into the real world?
One of the biggest shifts we’ve seen over recent years is that organisations no longer come to IBC simply asking what’s possible. They want to know what works, what delivers value and how quickly it can be adopted.
That’s why programmes like the IBC Accelerator Programme have become so important. Rather than developing technology in isolation, leading media companies—often traditional ‘competitors’—collaborate around real operational challenges and develop proofs-of-concept together.
We’ve already seen that approach deliver lasting impact. Work around private 5G networking has progressed from Accelerator projects into major live broadcast deployments, including coverage of King Charles III’s Coronation and the Paris Olympic Games. That’s what Innovation in Action means to us: creating an environment where collaboration accelerates adoption.
What do you hope attendees and exhibitors will take away from IBC2026?
Above all, I hope people leave energised about the future of our industry. IBC is unique because it brings together every part of the global media and entertainment ecosystem in one place, creating opportunities that simply don’t happen elsewhere.
If exhibitors leave having built valuable new relationships and visitors leave with practical ideas they can put into action, then we’ve had a successful show. Ultimately, that’s what IBC is about: helping the industry turn change into opportunity and creating moments that genuinely matter.
Read more of our chat with Mike Crimp in TVBEurope’s July/August issue, available to download and read for free here.
