Adrian J Cotterill, Editor-in-Chief
As we said yesterday, the organisers of the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC), currently scheduled for September 10-13, 2021 at the RAI, Amsterdam have announced that they have moved #IBC2021 to December 3-6, 2021.
Whilst we were the first to break the news yesterday, the official release states that the announcement follows a decision at yesterday’s IBC Partnership Board meeting to move the event from its usual September time slot.
IBC chief executive Michael Crimp said “Following a period of industry consultation, the IBC Partnership Board has agreed that December is the best date in terms of safety and industry readiness to engage. Our conclusion is based on the results of the recent IBC exhibitor and visitor surveys and macro evidence of Europe opening up for business. We really value the feedback and candid input of our community — we have always been ‘By the industry, For the industry’, and this ethos continues to guide our daily decision-making process”.
Health and safety were highlighted as key factors behind the decision, with the IBC operations team focused on creating a safe environment that participants can trust.
Over the past few weeks, IBC had surveyed visitors and exhibitors: –
- Two thirds of respondents said assurance of robust onsite health and safety protocols would encourage them to attend, with vaccination passport entry by far the most popular measure.
- Some 86% of survey respondents said they were very likely, and 13% likely to have been vaccinated by December
- Two thirds of respondents already feel they are ready to travel, and a vast majority expect any corporate travel restriction policies to be updated by the end of the summer
Macro trends pointed to accelerated vaccine roll out and opening of borders across IBC’s core markets over the next six months. EU commission data shows that Europe is now on track to achieve its 70% vaccination target by July 2021, and to significantly surpass this target by December.
Michael Crimp added “We did not shift from September lightly. However, as the evidence was gathered and considered, there was a shifting sentiment towards December from both exhibitors and visitors. Clearly, IBC will be safest when attendees are vaccinated, and shifting to December allows us to implement the most appropriate safety protocols. In turn, this will enable us to maximise the audience. We also had to consider the ability of the supply chain to deliver a high-quality event. We believe that key services such as airports and airlines, and hotels will have established smooth operations and be able to provide a more streamlined service by December.”
We were told that exhibitor and visitor feedback also showed a keen desire for a live show in 2021; only one in ten of the visitors surveyed said they would not attend a December event.
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