64 OVER THE TOP Trade Shows
hooking up customers and vendors, idea people and the people who need ideas, especially in an era where it’s services rather than hardware where the growth is. Hundreds of thousands of people are flying to these shows, sometimes on a regular basis. If you’re in the marketing or sales department of a big tech company, each year you spend weeks of your life inside the convention centres of the world’s great cities. IBC (International Broadcasting Convention) happens in Amsterdam every September and is probably the world’s top trade show serving the TV technology sector. It boasts around 1700 exhibitors, a conference of about 400 different speakers and about 55,000+ attendees. The show is a big moneymaker, not only for IBC, but for Amsterdam and for a lot of the companies that regularly do business there. FEED spoke with James Laker, IBC’s head of marketing, about plans for the future and how he sees the show evolving in a changing world. We asked him point- blank what the show’s plans were over the next five years, when non-essential air travel will have to be drastically curbed. “At IBC we are very much aware of the impact of climate change and our role as an organisation and as individuals in helping to address the situation,” responds Laker. “Those who attended IBC2019 will have seen that we introduced a number of initiatives, including schemes to donate unwanted materials to local charities, reduce the use of single-use plastics and having refillable water points,” says Laker. “To enhance the trade show experience, we see technology and, specifically, event technology playing a major role,” he
continues. “IBC is going to invest in event technology to enhance the experience for all attendees. “Through the Lounge Talks programme, we made sure that climate change was a topic on the agenda for discussion. Because IBC attracts so many the show as a force for good, helping to educate and raise awareness around sustainability within our industry… Over the next few years, we are likely to see these discussions continue to be increasingly important and form part of the content programmes.” IBC is an international show – people come from as far away as South America and Australia – but a sizeable number of its attendees come from Europe, a continent with a well-developed rail system. At IBC2019, members of the FEED team took the Eurostar train from London to Amsterdam. It was simpler, more relaxed and more productive than flying, as well as roughly the same price. “Excluding the UK, which is arguably within driving distance of Amsterdam, nearly 40% of IBC’s attendees in Europe can drive to the show instead of fly,” says Laker. “The RAI [Amsterdam’s convention centre] is very well connected to European motorways and the city of Amsterdam has already set a target of being a zero- emissions city by 2025. “For those from the UK, which makes up a further 15% of attendees, the direct Eurostar service provides an excellent offering from central London directly into Amsterdam Central Station in four hours. senior and influential members of the media community, we can use
IBC also strongly encourages IBC staff to use this service where practical. For other attendees, IBC is looking at providing a carbon offsetting service for their flights.” But if even if those nearby European attendees could nullify their carbon footprint, that still leaves about 45% of attendees who are flying – or, depending on which laws pop up in the next decade, may be excluded from attending altogether. TECHNOLOGY WILL/WON’T FIX IT Technology can’t fix a problem that’s an issue of government and human behaviour. But it can provide us with the opportunity to try out new work structures and business models. IBC is planning on exploring some new networking technologies in future shows. These are becoming more and more popular – and when used appropriately can accelerate networking and doing business outside an event. But are there technologies on the horizon that will allow you to get the full benefit of an event without having to
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