The SATCON Conference and Expo, one of several exhibitions and conferences held concurrently under the umbrella Content and Communications World (CCW) event focused on business solutions for content creation, production and post production, media management, distribution and delivery, infrastructure management, and a wide range of communications solutions including satellite, fiber, hybrid networks, IPTV and other delivery formats.
The conference sessions and exhibits showcased the dramatic changes in how we receive and relate to video and the diversity of choices and multiplicity of formats and delivery media available today.
Organizers of CCW, featuring SATCON, HD World and the new 3D World Conference & Expo, said that the 2010 conference, which was held October 13-14, was their biggest event to date. The event welcomed a record-breaking 5,537 attendees, an 11 percent increase from 2009.
"We're excited about CCW's growth this year," said Michael Driscoll, Event Director for CCW. "Not only is our increased attendance a sign of an improving economy, but it's also a testament to the undeniable value CCW brings to this industry."
One of the highlights of this year's CCW show was the addition of 3D World, where attendees interacted with experts already creating, producing and delivering 3D content, and met with over seventy vendors providing practical and affordable technology 3D solutions.
Another highpoint of the show was the expanded Post Production offerings, with new collaborations involving The New York Post Production Conference (NYPPC), produced by Future Media Concepts and the Motion Picture Editors Guild (MPEG).
It is evident from the discussions during the conference that the tendency for the industry in the last few years to look for the next “killer app’ when the greater challenge is how to thrive in the new multiplatform media environment that we are facing today. As NBC Universal’s SVP for Broadcast Operations Matthew Braatz said in another panel on “Strategic Challenges for Multiplatform Delivery” that what we should ask is “what is our core competency? We should shift from delivery to asset management.”
One thing that CCW demonstrates is that content providers such as the traditional broadcasters and programmers, and service providers that distribute content through various media and platforms, need each other to develop their businesses to its full potential. Both can benefit from their core competencies and offer the consumer an integrated user experience across many platforms. As the NBA’s EVP of Operations, Steve Hellmuth said at SATCON: “If we’re going to be successful we have to be as convenient as Apple–the ultimate winner will be the provider that makes it easiest for the consumer.”
View video and audio interviews of key satellite industry executives at SATCON 2010 at www.satellitemarkets.com/current
-------------------------------------------
Virgil Labrador is Editor-in-Chief of Satellite Markets and Research. He can be reached at: virgil@satellitemarkets.com
Elisabeth Tweedie is the founder and President of Definitive Direction (www.definitivedirection.com) She can be reached at: etweedie@definitivedirection.com
