Top 10 things to see and do at IBC 2018

Read our essential guide to the hottest things to see and do at this year's IBC show!

Welcome to our guide to the things we recommend you check out at IBC this year. Before I get onto the list though, one major, major tip if you haven’t been before: Get a floor plan! The RAI is an elaborate maze of  halls and tangled passageways that can stump visitors that have even been attending IBC (and ISE) for 20+ years! Anyway, if you do visit, have fun and enjoy the show.

1: Blackmagic. Our Aussie friends have always used NAB and IBC as platforms to launch new, genuinely industry changing kit. We expect this year to be no different. There’s a great buzz around Resolve 15 right now and the 4K Pocket Cinema Camera was a genuine “wow” moment at NAB so get your hands on one here. Hall 7,B45.

The BMPCC4K is one of the year's most hotly anticipated cameras

2: The Future Zone. My favourite area of the entire exhibition and in parts, utterly, wonderfully bonkers! You’ll get to see what the BBC’s R&D department (think “Q from James Bond for the media and entertainment industry”) have been cooking up these last 12 months, as well as other future thinkers from around the world. Last year the theme was heavily weighted to VR/ AR experiences and very excited to see what’s there this year. Nothing like it at any other trade show we’ve been to.

3: Canon. Unless you’ve been living under a rock this last week you’ll have heard the news about the new EOS R mirrorless camera. We believe this is an extremely important development for Canon and following their recent launch of the C700FF shows their commitment to Full Frame (which we know you love to shoot). Canon will have a tonne of lenses and a huge array of cameras to play with after you’re done asking if the EOS R really has only 1 SD card slot. Hall 12, D60.

The new Canon EOS R is the beginning of a new future

4: RedShark Connect. I’m getting this in early as we only have a few spaces left. We’re hosting our first Amsterdam based RedShark Connect Event at 7pm - 10pm at The Loft in the iconic A’DAM Tower (google it: the venue is utterly cool) and it’s free to attend. This is the latest in a successful run of US based events where we connect you (lovely readers) with a real world production environment featuring the latest kit. For this event the theme is “Working with 8K and full frame footage” and we’ve got a set up that includes a RED Monstro, Fujinon top end glass, Atomos Sumo monitors/ recorders, G-Technology’s new storage gear, Adobe Creative Cloud experts and DELL super fast workstations. It’s a fun vibe with food, beer and amazing cinema gear. No hassle from sales people, just a chance to play with cool kit, learn something new and meet some interesting people. Did I mention there’s beer there? You’ll need to register for it though and do it quickly.

RedShark Connect will be the place to be!

5: Matrox. These guys make amazing streaming kit that really  does work! We use it (so it can’t be “that hard” to set up) for our live shows and they encode fantastic quality image and are hugely reliable. A true "streaming appliance". They also have a huge range of converters and various recorders as well. Pop over and say Matt from RedShark said to say Hi. Hall 7, B15.

6: Adobe. Where to start? If you work in post and like to use any/all of Creative Cloud you should spend some time here. Not necessarily for new releases (although fingers crossed here) but for the workshops and tutorials on offer. Adobe don’t mess around, they get the best presenters available that have worked on some of the biggest productions around right now and it really is well worth the time to sit down (your feet will be tired now anyway) and learn something new. Hall 7, B35.

7: Atomos. Even if you are one of the few camera operators that don’t seem to be using one of their recorder monitors as part of your rig you can’t miss them at a trade show! At 3pm every day they have a huge (and I mean HUGE) raffle to win various Atomos kit. If you forgot my earlier advice and don’t have a floor plan on you right now don’t worry, just follow the sound of the baying mob shouting “Aussie aussie aussie, Oi Oi Oi!” and you’ll find them. What’s more impressive about them though (in my opinion) is the ProRes RAW codec they’ve developed with Apple (announced at NAB). You don’t have to choose between ProRes and RAW any more. That’s a very cool thing in my book. Hall 11, D25.

8: NewTek. The team at NewTek are one of the best in the business when it comes to broadcasting over IP. Their NDI-based product range simplifies this process immensely. Dave is a huge fan of not just the technology right now but the potential for the future. If you want something a little more hands on, their TriCaster Demos are the thing of legend at IBC. They even had lifesize cardboard cutouts of “NewTek Girl” (the amazingly talented presenter Kiki Stockhammer) previously! Hall 7, G59.

9: Nikon. Now this is interesting. Honestly in terms of video they’d been off our radar for a while, until 2 weeks ago when they announced the Z6 and Z7 full frame Mirrorless cameras that sport 4K output with 10 bit N-log! These are the first Full Frame Mirrorless cameras to support 10 bit HDMI output. Watching this space very closely over here anyway. Hall 10, D26.

10: The Beach. No, not the “actual” beach, I mean the RAI’s recently updated new artificial beach. Which actually is a massive bar area! By now you’re shattered, have had 20+ demo’s (or given 40+ if you’re working there - don’t worry exhibitors, we haven’t forgotten about you) can’t quite remember how many stops of dynamic range of the Sony VENICE cinema camera has and you need some refreshment. This is the place to go! The central hub for networking, relaxing or getting away from it all. Also the venue a lot of the show parties are held. All in all I’d say it’s the “beating heart of IBC”. Have a beer, the sun’s shining and you’ve earned it.

11: Amsterdam. OK I know I said “Top 10” but had to add this at the end. If you’re a local then lucky you! For the rest of us take some time to see one of the planet’s most diverse, interesting and visually stunning places. If you’re a creative you’re in the right place. Remember to take a camera with you as well, as “Insta’ friendly” as it gets, everywhere is worth a shot in Amsterdam.