IBC

I’m attending IBC 2008 in Amsterdam this week and in the absence of a proper ‘blog’ on the Digital Circle web site (setting up a server takes seconds, getting domain changes…takes….longer)

It’s really a digital equipment trade show so it’s not 100% suited to Digital Circle but, as Colin from Inferno and Peter from the 15 Second Film Festival have found out, there’s a dire need of content to run over this equipment (and the show reels which are being used to demo this equipment are being subtly replaced with Northern Ireland sourced content rather than the stock footage they came with).

The sheer size of this show indicates that there’s a lot going on in this sector in Europe. Big players – showing off everything from boom mikes attached to half-ton mounts all the way to mobile phones which receive digital TV signals. It’s up to the digital content industry in Northern Ireland to rise to the challenge and try to get out here to the wider world – the opportunities at the right trade show are impressive – just being invited to bid for work that would never have come your way makes it worthwhile and the rewards – put it like this, one good deal pays for the trip a hundredfold. That’s the secrets I guess. Every trade show I’ve ever attended has paid for itself.

I arrive back in Northern Ireland tomorrow and have a heap of paperwork waiting for me. Brilliant.