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IBC welcomes student enterprise

By IBC2010, grants for poorer students and universal maintenance loans will be frozen for the first time since the system was introduced, while fees will increase by 2.04% to £3,290 (The Guardian, July 2009).

IBC has always welcomed the attendance of students and young engineers – the industry leaders of tomorrow – at the show, and strives to give them every opportunity to attend IBC and get a flavour for the electronic media and broadcasting technology industry. That’s why last year IBC employed college students to participate in the running of the conference. For IBC2009, students will again be encouraged to get involved: nearly 200 students from Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication are expected to attend to the show.

“It [the conference] gave me a real taste of the broadcast industry,” says last year’s IBC attendee David Christmas of Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication.

IBC’s partners and industry colleagues sponsor a number of students to attend the show, giving financial support for flights to Amsterdam, accommodation and free conference passes, for example. To be eligible, students must usually enter a 200-word submission stating why they want to visit IBC and what they hope to achieve out of the experience, for themselves and their college or university. Both The Royal Television Society (RTS) and The Society of Cable Telecommunication Engineers (SCTE) each sponsor students to attend IBC, as does The International Association of Broadcasting Manufacturers (IABM), which extends its scheme to 10 students from Russia, UK, US and France. The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) sponsors a special issue journal on ‘The Best of IET and IBC2009 technical papers’, nominating the best young person’s paper at IBC2009 – which includes a citation of the winner in their magazine and an announcement at the IBC conference.

Meanwhile, the Digital Communications Knowledge Transfer Network (DCKTN) opens up a competition for five students to be sent to IBC. On their return, the successful students are expected to run a workshop or seminar for their colleagues at their own institution based on the theme which asks them to explore the most important technology trends in broadcasting over the next ten years – and the opportunities they create for their institution.

But for those students not lucky enough to win a sponsored trip to Amsterdam, IBC offers an 80% discount to students on standard conference ticket prices. By immersing themselves in the exhibitions, getting hands-on experience at the new Production Village in Hall 9, and by gaining access to the myriad conference sessions and the IBC Awards ceremony, students gain invaluable insight into the inner workings of the industry.

Richard J. Moseley, University of Bristol, says of IBC2008: “ … the city did play a great host to the event, providing plenty of distractions away from the conference in the evenings ... ”

It is not only a chance to see all the latest technologies in action and get sneak previews of new developments not yet available in the market, it’s also a vital opportunity to meet with potential future employers, the broadcast and media technology suppliers, and to understand what they are looking for and how those new to the industry can get ahead.

Professor David Crawford, IBC Conference Chairman, says: “Because IBC is by the industry, for the industry, everyone that contributes to the industry should feel part of it, big or small, young or old. Our industry is forever evolving and IBC appreciates the need to attract the next generation of engineers and ensure our future industry leaders are always excited and inspired by the activities at the event.

“The IBC conference offers delegates an exciting range of events and networking opportunities, to stimulate new business and momentum in our industry. The spotlight this year is on young engineers and new enterprises – the creativity that we see being brought back into the marketplace and how innovation and enterprise are changing the landscape in the communications and media industries.”

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