SMPTE13 was an outstanding success, and thank you to everyone who made that happen. Record attendance, business done on the floor, more on-site video coverage than most media events do in five shows, and gear displays covering every aspect of the industry: it all created a palpable buzz that will take a while to wear off.
Helped no doubt by spectacular Sydney winter weather, early reports indicate that registration count at SMPTE13 was well up on previous years, and we have most likely had a record-breaking attendance that will be hard to eclipse. Over the four days of the exhibition, there was constant traffic from people registering to see a show that the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre regards as one of the most attractive events that they have hosted over the years. Several exhibitors reported informally that they have snared leads that will lead to significant business, and there were smiles all round. The conference delivered over 60 papers ranging across the media and entertainment landscape, including some highlight presentations from ACS luminaries, and well-attended workshops.
The Student Video Project pulled together over 120 students and faculty members from three quite different colleges and delivered almost 50 produced feature packages and four live shows, which were aired through Telstra’s premier delivery platform in conjunction with Origin Media. All the video clips will be made available courtesy of Switch Media on the Event SMPTE13 page right here. Significantly, almost all of the participants are members of one of the two Student Chapters that have been created in Australia.
Barbara Lange, Executive Director of SMPTE, in Australia for SMPTE13, said “in challenging times for the entertainment industry, the SMPTE Australia Section has delivered an amazing event that has exceeded all expectations and certainly raised the bar for exhibitions and conferences in other parts of the world. The Australia Section has to be congratulated for the way in which they have done so much to support the industry, and for their focus on media education in Australia and the region. We’re really looking forward now to SMPTE15, which will officially kick off the global celebrations of SMPTE’s 2016 centennial anniversary, highlighting 100 years as a world-leading professional and standards-development organisation for the Media Imaging Industry, while supporting a strong and vibrant future.”
