“Following a period of industry consultation, the IBC Partnership Board has agreed that December is the best date in terms of safety and industry readiness to engage. Our conclusion is based on the results of the recent IBC exhibitor and visitor surveys and macro evidence of Europe opening up for business,” said Michael Crimp, Chief Executive of IBC. “We really value the feedback and candid input of our community — we have always been “By the industry, For the industry”, and this ethos continues to guide our daily decision-making process.”

Key factors behind IBC’s decision include:

Health & safety are critical: Health & Safety will be a crucial consideration for all attendees. The IBC operations team is laser focused on creating a safe environment that participants can trust.

• Two thirds of survey respondents said assurance of robust onsite health and safety protocols would encourage them to attend; vaccination passport entry was by far the most popular measure.
• 86% of survey respondents said they were very likely, and 13% likely to have been vaccinated by December.
• Two thirds of respondents already feel they are ready to travel, and a vast majority expect any corporate travel restriction policies to be updated by the end of the summer.
• Macro trends point to accelerated vaccine roll out and opening of borders across IBC’s core markets over the next 6 months. EU Commission data shows that Europe is now on track to achieve its 70% vaccination target by July 2021, and to significantly surpass this target by December.

An industry desire to come together again: Exhibitor and visitor feedback shows a keen desire for a live show in 2021. Only one in ten of the visitors surveyed said they would not attend a December event.

Crimp continued: “IBC’s primary focus is to deliver a safe and valuable event, and we believe the best way for us to achieve that is to take advantage of our opportunity to move the event to December. We did not shift from September lightly. However, as the evidence was gathered and considered, there was a shifting sentiment towards December from both exhibitors and visitors. Clearly, IBC will be safest when attendees are vaccinated, and shifting to December allows us to implement the most appropriate safety protocols. In turn, this will enable us to maximise the audience.”

“We also had to consider the ability of the supply chain to deliver a high quality event. We believe that key services such as airports and airlines, and hotels will have established smooth operations and be able to provide a more streamlined service by December.”

IBC2021 will bring the content and technology industry together again to discover the future of media and do business face-to-face. IBC2021 will lead the way in a new era of hybrid events. Whether onsite in Amsterdam or onscreen at home, the 250,000 strong IBC community will be able to engage and enjoy the insights, innovation and interaction of the event through IBC Digital. This hybrid digital platform will create a compelling hybrid event that combines the best of the show floor with state of the art online interaction, and delivers new opportunities for exhibitors, speakers and show attendees to share information and experiences. More details regarding IBC2021 show features and IBC Digital will be announced in the coming weeks.