• 37,071 visitors from 170 countries converged in Amsterdam to network, learn and collaborate face-toface once again
• 250-plus world-class speakers addressed bustling theatres and halls, with Show Keynote a highlight 
• Industry-leading line-up of over 1,000 exhibitors showcased innovation and cutting-edge tech

London – 13 September 2022 – IBC announces that its first live and in-person show in nearly three years attracted 37,071 visitors from 170 countries to the RAI Amsterdam on 9th-12th September to see over 1,000 exhibitors and celebrate innovation, learning and collaboration. IBC2022’s return as a face-to-face show after two years of going virtual was characterised by packed halls, standing room only in theatres, bustling networking events, and crammed meeting schedules.

“It was great to see, feel and hear the buzz of a live IBC once more,” said Michael Crimp, IBC’s Chief Executive Officer. “The quality of visitors has been outstanding and there was a real sense of positivity. We are stronger together.”

IBC2022 offered a world-class line-up of headline speakers, with over 250 speaking at: the IBC Conference, centred on the theme ‘What’s next? Designing the future together’; the show’s brand new Changemaker programme, focused on the people side of the business; the IBC Accelerator Media Innovation Programme’s proof of concept demonstrations on the Innovation Stage, which was also home to other cutting-edge sessions; the IBC Owner sessions; thought leadership presentations, panels, masterclasses, demos and case studies on the Content Everywhere Stage; and in the Showcase Theatre, where leading technology brands demonstrated how they are paving the way forward.

One of the many highlights was the packed IBC2022 Show Keynote by immersive journalism pioneer Nonny de la Peña, hailed as “The Godmother of Virtual Reality”. In an open session de la Peña addressed the topic ‘What’s Next: How immersive tech will create new narratives and transform entertainment’.

The industry-leading line-up of exhibitors at this year’s show included major media, entertainment and technology players Adobe, Amazon Web Services (AWS), ARRI, Avid, Blackmagic Design, Canon, Comcast, Edgio, EVS, Fraunhofer, Google, Grass Valley, Hewlett Packard, Imagine Communications, Lawo, LTN, MediaKind, Microsoft, Nagra, NEP Group, Net Insight, Red Bee Media, RED Digital Cinema, Riedel, Ross Video, Sony, Synamedia, Telstraand many more.

Companies making their IBC debut this year included Ad Insertion Platform, Ai-Media, Blitz micro, Ceeblue, Castify.ai, Castr Live Streaming, Green Streams, Igalia, LiveAPI, PikoTV, Planetcast International, Riverside.fm, and XroadMedia – to name just a few.

IBC Director Steve Connolly said: “The excitement across the industry to return to IBC has been tremendous. There was a real sense of purpose and of business being done. On the second day, stand rebooking for next year’s show was already in such heavy demand that we’ve expanded the show footprint for IBC2023 to include an additional hall not used this year.”

Many exhibitors and speakers voiced their enthusiasm for the return of the live and in-person show, with many being interviewed on camera for the IBC video channel here.

Simon Westland, Channel Marketing Director at Blackmagic Design EMEA, said: "It is great to be back at IBC – it makes you realise how much we have missed the opportunity to engage with customers."

Jeff Rosica, Chief Executive Officer of AVID, welcomed the show’s return: “IBC for me and my company has always been very important. This show brings together, like no other, attendees across broadcast media and digital online. 

It’s just a really important place for our industry to come together to network and show new products and technologies. It’s also a really important time to listen.”

Nadia Khan-Scherer, Vice President Marketing & Communications at LTN, said: “We’ve all felt a real sense of energy, positivity and enjoyment among show attendees and exhibitors at IBC2022, but that wasn’t a surprise – our industry has deeply missed doing business face-to-face, and it was great to see such a high-quality and highlyengaged turnout from the international media community at the show.”

Dave Duvall, Chief Information Officer of Warner Bros. Discovery, noted: “The return to in-person and to be able to shake hands with people and say hello and have the show floor experience is just really great.”

Nonny De la Peña added: “There’s nothing like being in person to show you the kind of extraordinary thinking that’s been going on behind closed doors.”

Olivier Bovis, Head of Media Solutions Europe for Sony, said: "It feels fantastic to be back in Amsterdam – it's an opportunity to reconnect with customers."

Katrina King, Worldwide Strategy Leader/Content Production, AWS, commented: “Just the sheer amount of innovation that’s on the floor this year is incredible.”

Purminder Gandhu, Lead, BBC Edge Group, underlined the importance IBC plays for industry players of “being able to talk to people, find out what’s in development, find out what kinds of projects are being worked on, and which technology is there or is close to being there.”

Allen Broome, Chief Executive Officer, MediaKind, said: “MediaKind’s return to IBC reinforces the importance of showcasing our next-generation solutions and collaborating with customers, partners, and the industry community face to face. We continue to see great value in the quality of networking and business opportunities that IBC enables.”

Nicolas Bourdan, Chief Marketing Officer at EVS, said: “All the team were thrilled to be back and meet customers…

Finally having the ability to show in person what we have been doing over the last few months is really exciting for everybody."

Andrew Cross, Grass Valley’s Chief Executive Officer, put the return of IBC in a wider perspective: “IBC is where all of the vendors who make TV possible come together. And so, in many ways, IBC is far more important than just a bunch of vendors because it is what is enabling everybody."

Anil Jain, Global Managing Director for Media and Entertainment, Google, had a similar take on the show’s importance in returning: “IBC has always been a great forum bringing media executives together, bringing technologies together, a place to discuss and exchange new ideas.”