International Broadcasting Convention: Student’s Experience

Student Marina Shlyakhtenko told about her visit of a unique event in the field of broadcasting - International Broadcasters Convention IBC2016 at the RAI Convention Center in Amsterdam. This happened thanks to a grant from the IEEE BTS (IEEE Broadcast Technology Society - Society of Broadcast Technology Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), which he awarded at the XIV International student research conference "The digital and information technologies in the media industry"

Introduction

IBC is an inspiring experience for anyone in the broadcasting industry, let alone a final year student just about to enter into that industry. As I had been previously unaware of the IBC I had no idea just how valuable participating in the event would be for me – not only in terms of what I would gain from all the exposure to new technologies but also in terms of how valuable it is to network with industry professionals. What follows is a brief outline of the highlights of my visit, focusing in particular on the companies and technologies most relevant to my own background. 

More than fourteen hundred exhibitors filled the 15 halls at the Amsterdam RAI and its outdoor exhibition area. As always the conference sessions were a huge success. 

Exhibition

The most impressive experience we had was the IBC Future Zone. There were also a number of groups at the IBC Future Zone working on VR content. A large number of people working on 360 video, from big producers such as Google/GoPro, to numerous small companies working on 360 video stitching and small custom camera setups.

Besides a set of the stands directed to demonstration of VR-technologies we have also met there a lot of other interesting exhibitors, the most memorable was the Sennheiser stand which demonstrated the microphone that allow to record sound in 360 degrees and opportunity of what an amazing experience you can give to the consumers if to combine this technology and virtual reality. 

Paper sessions

I must admit that the most interesting part of my IBC was the IBC2016 conference sessions. The most interesting sessions for me were “From Earth and Beyond - original broadcasting techniques”, “Behind the Wall: Making Game of Thrones with producer, Greg Spence” and all the sessions that took place in the Imagine Communications area. These sessions were good occasions to know the real world of broadcasting. It is especially important for me because I want to connect my life with work in broadcasting. On Monday, we went to the IBC Big Screen Experience, a projection of "The Revenant" in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos to highlight new technologies in movies. And, from the technical point of view, it is clear that the new technologies exposed are a great evolution in the cinema industry.

IBC can make your dreams come true!

Being an IEEE BTS Engineering Student Award winner, you a have the chance to meet other students from other countries.  It is very interesting to share ideas about the differences between our countries and the broadcast industry in our countries.

IBC is also a great opportunity to meet future potential employers; it definitely helps you create a professional network. Talking to them helps to assess your skills and realize what companies you could ask for an internship or a job.

Special thanks

We all are very thankful to our mentor Konstantin Glasman for useful tips about attending the IBC2016 exhibition and conference sessions. Thanks to these tips, I made the plan for each day of IBC2016. This plan allowed me not to miss anything important. And of course thanks to the accurate action plan, I still had time for a sightseeing of Amsterdam. 

Conclusions

IBC provided me with an insight into the future of broadcasting and the exciting thing for me was the chance to take part in this huge event. In September 2016, there was my first visit to IBC but I’m one hundred percent sure it won’t be my last IBC!

See you at IBC 2017!

Marina Shlyakhtenko,

the graduating student of the Faculty of Management and Media Communications