The BBC Blue Room allows staff and guests from local communities the opportunity to see and try out the best new technology for audiences to consume, create and interact with content. Colin Warhurst from the Blue Room in Salford recently attended a major technology trade event and reports back on the new innovations on display.
This September, the BBC Blue Room asked me to visit Photokina, the world’s largest Photography and Imaging Trade Fair. It takes place in Cologne, Germany, and has been running for over 50 years! As the Blue Room’s resident camera expert, I was tasked with investigating the latest evolutions in photographic technology, and assessing which trends may impact our audiences, or ourselves as a broadcaster.
It was the BBC Blue Room’s first visit to Photokina, and it was incredibly useful to focus on an event that is dedicated to just one main subject area - imaging and photographic technology. All of the major vendors were present, with the usual mix of product announcements and wares to sell.
However, something rather odd became noticeable after spending just two days at the event. In comparison to other trade shows, such as CES or IFA, nobody seemed to be present at Photokina to gather the collective expertise in discussion about the future of the photographic industry itself. There was seemingly no ‘Conference’ bolted onto Photokina, nor any coordinated keynote conferences, lectures or discussions. This felt very much at odds with my expectations, especially in comparison with other trade shows.
I invite you to have a read of the full report, where I go into the detail of how I came to this conclusion, and what it could mean for the future of Photokina, and the photography industry as a whole. I also highlight and analyse the technology trends of interest, especially those that will impact upon how our audiences interact with imagery and photographs on a daily basis.
