The BC Association of Broadcasters (BCAB) will host its first gathering since 2019 next week as the 73rd BCAB Conference converges on the River Rock Casino in Richmond, BC on Thursday, May 4.
BCAB President Rob Germain says the streamlined, one-day event is aimed at making the association’s first conference, post-pandemic, as accessible as possible.
“The goal was to make this easy for people to participate in, attend, get to…in the past we’ve done it in the B.C. Interior, Vancouver Island, and have moved it around, but with this one we wanted to make it easy because of all of the uncertainty with COVID-19,” Germain told Broadcast Dialogue, noting that the River Rock is on a Skytrain line, near the airport, and close to the ferries for those who need to get in and out of the Lower Mainland the same day. “The golf and everything else are nice to have, but not everybody has time to spend on a two-day or longer conference, so we wanted this to be a chance for people to get together, network and be inspired, learn and just come together for the first time in three years.”
With the rapid progression of digital adoption during the pandemic, Germain said this year’s conference will include discussion on meeting audiences where they are as well as celebrating the industry’s strengths. The event is headlined by keynote speaker Jim Pattison, CEO and Chairman of the Jim Pattison Group.
“We’re going to be hearing from Jim Pattison himself, talking about the industry and his experience and get some sage advice from someone who has been through the ups and downs of broadcasting since the ’60s. He’s seen it all and weathered economic downturns and new competition, so he’s going to help give us some perspective and inspiration,” said Germain.
Broadcast consultant Valerie Geller will talk about connecting and engaging with audiences. The event will also feature a young leaders’ panel exploring perspectives on the industry’s future from a demographic who consumes media in new ways, but still believes in the core business of radio and television.
Germain said registration for this year’s event is on par with the organization’s 2019 conference, but they would like to see as many people as possible come out.
“These conferences are expensive to put on, but they’re also important,” said Germain. “BCAB is a volunteer organization that speaks and lobbies on behalf of broadcasters, to bring people together and recognize excellence, but we need participation in order to continue to do this, so we’d like people to show support for the BCAB by coming to the event. Meet your fellow colleagues in broadcasting who you may not have seen in sometime…we’re competitors, but at events like this, we also have things in common. Hopefully you come away inspired and enthused with a few takeaways you can use in your day-to-day business and in the future.”
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