IBC has announced another impressive line-up of thought leaders and executives from across the media and entertainment technology industry to speak at this year’s show, and TVBEurope will guide you through some of the key speakers and sessions in the first of a two-part preview.
The first thing to note is that the 2023 IBC Conference is being driven by three key ‘pillars’ or themes: Transformative Tech, Shifting Business Models and People and Purpose.
Michael Crimp, IBC’s CEO, explains: “IBC continues to evolve and grow with the industry. We are actively listening to our community on what they want out of a modern trade show. Among the things they are telling us they want are new topics and new ways of learning, and our content pillars give us the scope to provide these. They form a compelling thread that runs through the talks, presentations and panels going on at the conference and at show-floor venues across the RAI. They create a clear focus for an exciting slate of visionary speakers to address the most pressing trends, issues, opportunities and challenges in media and entertainment today.”
The conference focuses on the Transformative Tech and Shifting Business Models pillars, with the IBC Changemakers Programme highlighting the People and Purpose pillar, which we will cover in part-two of our guide (next week).
The IBC Conference takes place in the Forum at the RAI on 15th and 16th September and will include keynote presentations and talks, panel discussions, and the IBC Technical Papers programme. The content will explore the trends and technologies shaping the future of the industry and will begin with a keynote address by media cartographer, Evan Shapiro, a renowned industry influencer who maps M&E trends and future developments. His session, ‘Plotting the effects of disruption: Charting the new media ecosystem’, will explore the future trends the industry needs to be on top of to avoid collapse, and the opportunities in “navigating a brave and volatile new world”.
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory creative technologist Marco Tempest will also be providing a keynote address on ‘Virtual Production & the Metaverse: A future where everyone is invited to play’. Tempest is known for driving advances in future technologies, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR) to develop new immersive experiences, and is a creative technologist at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Directors Fellow Alumni at MIT Media Lab; and founder of the science, illusion and digital technology consortium magicLab.
Other sessions of note include an ‘in conversation with…’ Q&A with BBC Studios CEO, Ralph Lee; a panel discussion on monetising the future of FAST, with Fremantle’s Valerio Motti, and Marion Ranchet of the Local Act Consultancy; and a fireside chat with Ajit Thakur and Allu Venkatesh of Aha, about building their brand and what the future has in store.
Other confirmed headline IBC Conference speakers include: Phil Wiser, EVP and CTO at Paramount Global; Leah Hooper Rosa, SVP, EMEA streaming and global integration lead at Warner Bros Discovery; Bill Baggelaar, CTO and EVP technology development at Sony Pictures Entertainment; Aditi Pandey, head of vendor management & partnerships at NRK; Anthony Guarino, EVP, global production & studio technology, Paramount; Michael Wise, SVP and CTO, Universal Pictures; Kishore AK, president technology and CTO at Zee; Natalya Tatarchuk, distinguished technical fellow and chief architect, VP, Wētā Tools at Unity Technologies; and Richard Berger, CEO, MovieLabs.
IBC’s head of content, Jaisica Lapsiwala: “We are excited to have such a diverse and global range of thought leaders coming together for this year’s IBC Conference, which sets the media and entertainment industry agenda. This part of IBC2023 really speaks to the first two content pillars of the event, Transformative Tech and Shifting Business Models.”
The conference is accessible via the standard Delegate Pass, which includes entrance to all the event’s presentations, and a new Premium Pass that provides access to additional content plus exclusive networking in the Premium Lounge, where the IBC Innovations Awards will also take place.
In addition to the conference, there will be show-floor venues – which include the Showcase Theatre in Hall 12, the Innovation Stage in Hall in Hall 3, and two theatres in the Content Everywhere area in Hall 5 – hosting an array of exhibitor and sponsor content that will include speeches, panels and demos, with many relating to the first two content pillars. Showcase Theatre sponsors include Accenture, AWS, Google, Microsoft, and Zixi, while LTN and Tencent are each sponsoring one of the Content Everywhere theatres. In addition to hosting thought leadership sessions, the Innovation Stage will showcase the results of the IBC Accelerator Media Innovation Programme, which brings together pioneering media companies and leading-edge technology partners as they collaborate to solve real-world challenges and drive advances across a range of areas.
IBC Changemakers Programme
Highlighting the People and Purpose content pillar in 2023 will be the free-to-attend IBC Changemakers Programme, which returns to the Forum on the 17th and 18th of September after a highly successful debut at the 2022 show. The programme brings together organisations, individuals and initiatives that are “changing the industry culture and pushing the boundaries of creativity and technology”.
Sessions will be delivered by organisations such as RISE, Soho Media Club, Women in Immersive Tech, and Albert, and address topics such as gender equality in broadcasting, advancing sustainability, and inclusive tech.
The IBC Social Impact Awards will also be part of the Changemakers Programme.
The Changemakers keynote address will be provided by Akwasi Ansah, founder and creative director, Omroep ZWART – the first intrinsically inclusive TV broadcasting station in The Netherlands – where he will share his personal story and vision for a digital-first landscape that is equitable, inclusive and accessible.
Other Changemakers speakers include: Alexandra Hussenot, CEO, Immersionn, and UK lead at Women in Immersive Technologies; Jabbar Sardar, global HR director at BBC Studios; Paul Pastor, chief business officer and co-founder, Quickplay; and Sasha Scott, head of transformation services, EBU.
The Changemakers Podcast series is running ahead of the show, hosted by journalist Nadira Tudor who is conducting a series of interviews that initiate essential conversations and spread awareness about critical cultural developments in technology and M&E. Guests include:
- Asif Sadiq, chief global diversity, equity and inclusion officer at Warner Bros Discovery
- Kamal Ahmed, editor-in-chief and co-founder at The News Movement
- Lisa Kelly, head of content innovation & development at BBC Children in Need
- Victoria Murovana, chief editor/kids content producer at UA:PBC Suspilne, Ukraine.
“At IBC2023, we want to play our role in driving positive change across the media, entertainment and technology community. The Changemakers sessions enable the IBC community to learn from people who are pioneering best practice in these areas,” explains IBC’s head of content, Jaisica Lapsiwala. “Through all the content running across IBC 2023, we aim to deliver insights and energise the market, sparking conversations, shifting perceptions and changing expectations.”
There is plenty of insight and inspiration on offer to media professionals of all distinctions at IBC2023. For more information about the Changemakers Programme and to register for this year’s show, visit the IBC website.
