Top 10 things to see and do at NAB Show 2023

Welcome my friends, to the show that never ends. The centenary NAB Show promises to be a landmark event for the industry. Matt Gregory marks your card for the top things to see and do at the show.

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show is the ultimate gathering of media, entertainment, and technology professionals from around the world. This year also brings in the 100th anniversary (it started as a radio technology convention) so expect it to be extra special! Here are the top 10 things to see and do at NAB SHOW 2023:

1. Discover the latest trends and innovations in the industry: NAB SHOW 2023 will showcase the newest and most cutting-edge products and technologies that are revolutionising the media and entertainment industry. Expect it to be (very) heavy on virtual production, in-camera VFX, and cloud connect remote workflows. Oh, and you just know there will be a new camera or two to check out!
2. Attend educational sessions and workshops: My favourite thing to do at the show: learn. NAB Show 2023 offers a diverse range of educational sessions and workshops that are designed to provide attendees with in-depth knowledge and insights on a wide range of topics, from production and post-production to distribution and delivery. Here is a run down of the seminars. My pick is “How to win an Oscar with a fully remote creative team” from the producers of The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse at 2pm on April 16th which was also a massive winner with my kids this year! For a great example of cloud content management and remote workflows I would 100% recommend checking out Alteon.io at stand N1521
3. Embrace Color: NAB Show 2023 will have a big focus on color workflows and solutions for HDR and SDR projects. The team at AJA (W2600) have a great demo showcasing their ColorBox high performance converter made for live and on set productions.
4. Explore new business opportunities: Whether you are looking to expand your business or explore new opportunities, NAB Show 2023 provides a platform to connect with potential partners and customers.
5. Meet the biggest names in the industry: NAB Show 2023 attracts some of the biggest names in the media and entertainment industry. From keynote speakers to exhibitors, you'll have the opportunity to meet and learn from some of the industry's most influential figures. One of the very biggest is Adobe (N2438). We know there will be some new product updates and also brilliant in person sessions from some of the industry's top post professionals. Also, if you get a chance to see a session by a guy named “Michael Cioni” out it in your diary and go and check it out. He is the SVP of Innovation at Frame io and a master at explaining how tools like Camera to Cloud work in real world situations that can save your next project a tonne of production costs and time. We first saw him at Camerimage in Poland and make sure we watch a new session every chance we get to see where the industry is going. 
6. Get hands-on with new products and technologies: NAB Show 2023 provides a hands-on experience, allowing attendees to try out new products and technologies in a variety of settings, from live demos to interactive exhibits. ASUS (N1531) has a great selection of their new OLED screen laptops and displays showing their HDR technology. It's very cool and something we've seen in use first hand by a growing number of Universities, Post Houses and Production Companies in Europe and the US. If you go to the Blackmagic (N2601) stand you'll see all their non Mac screens are ASUS too, this isn't an accident - the screens are amazing and at an incredible price point for the spec and build quality you get.
7. Attend special events and parties: Shout out to Ryan Salazar and the team at Broadcast Beat here. Every year they put together this *epic* list of events and parties at NAB and every year I am very happy to send our readers over there to check them out and see what works for their schedule and taste :-). Special mention to Warren and the team putting on an in-person Colorist Mixer again, these are great events and if color is your thing you should try and attend this.  
8. Learn about emerging trends and technologies: NAB Show 2023 provides a platform to learn about emerging trends and technologies that are shaping the future of the media and entertainment industry. Oh, and try the Hyperloop. I have my suspicions around Elon Musk’s “grand plan” re Hyperloop but it is an extremely effective way of getting to the new West Hall and videos of it always do well on the ‘gram/TikTok if that’s your thing!
9. Connect with like-minded professionals: NAB Show 2023 is a great opportunity to connect with like-minded professionals who share your passion for the industry. Look around you at the show, these people are just like you. Embrace that and ask lots of questions and get to know your industry colleagues. Our friends at Matrox (N2121) are focusing on connecting with the industry this year and listening to your views on a new product they are VERY excited to announce. The Canadians are always welcoming and will (probably) offer you an ice cold Labatts if you go and say I sent you!
10. Experience Las Vegas: Okay, so here is my bit for the Las Vegas tourist board…Las Vegas is the perfect location for NAB. The city offers more hotel rooms than anywhere in the world, shows, bars, restaurants, events and opportunities to have fun 24/7. If you're in a position where your work/  passion takes you to somewhere like Las Vegas for a week (even if it is your 28th show) remember how lucky you are, no doubt your friends family like to remind of this point every year when you wearily say you are “off to Vegas for work” again. Have fun and enjoy the trip!
    
    
11. If you can’t attend…: Yes, one again I’ve gone over my “10” but if you can’t attend this year’s show for whatever reason (and respect for you getting this far in a list of things to do at the actual show if you aren’t going) just check in here at RedShark every day for a roundup of news that interests us and a steady supply of videos from our team on the show floor interviewing the people about the products that matter to you.