The annual International Broadcasting Convention, known as IBC, which had been slated for Sept. 11-15 in Amsterdam, is the latest industry event to be canceled due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
IBC is jointly owned by IABM (the International Association for Broadcast and Media Technology), IEEE Broadcast Television Society, IET (the Institution of Engineering and Technology), Royal Television Society, Society for Broadband Professionals and Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers.
In 2019, the annual convention and exhibition attracted an estimated 56,000 delegates from 150 countries to the Dutch city.
“It is crucial that IBC can deliver a safe and successful environment,” wrote IBC CEO Michael Crimp in a statement on the organization’s website. “However, as governments announce the route forward, it has become clear that a return to (a new) normal is unlikely to be achieved by September.”
The website’s home page reads that “IBC 2020 is going virtual,” and the statement says that it would “[support] the industry to get back on track wherever we are able” with further details to follow.
