I’m Ahmed and I work in the BBC Blue Room, which is a production and consumer technology lab.
A few weeks ago, I was tasked with informing the general public of the latest BBC innovations and giving them a glimpse of the potential future of broadcasting, as part of an open day organised by BBC Outreach & Corporate Responsibility. We spoke around a huge variety of topics from connected TVs to virtual reality
A member of the public using new gaming equipment.
Personally, the most impressive element of the day was finding out how tech savvy our audience has become. Working with technology all day, I understand how our connected world could become ‘connected confusion’ but it seemed that everything I was saying resonated and was understood by our guests.
Guests are shown the latest developments in TV.
It was also a very informative experience. The way some people connect to our programmes is vastly different to how other people experience them, which highlighted to me the importance for the BBC to make sure we are prominent on all platforms and that connecting to our content needs to be a seamless experience for all users on all devices.
New technology demonstration.
Finally and perhaps most reassuring as a BBC employee was the fact that the BBC is still loved by so many people and the quality of programming that we produce is still hugely recognised.
Overall a fantastic day!
* The Blue Room visits were included as part of a free tour organised by BBC Outreach & Corporate Responsibility. The tours were part of the wider Family Festival, taking place across Salford Quays and MediaCityUK on 1st November. Seventy-three visitors joined the BBC for an interactive tour of studios and to meet staff behind the scenes at Quay House - the home of BBC Breakfast, BBC Sport, Radio Five Live, BBC Radio Manchester, and BBC North West Tonight, to name a few.
