Dear WABE Friends,

We had a great Media Meetup in Winnipeg where over 38 WABE friends gathered to listen to Roy Folkman from Cinesys talk about AI in Media. Thanks to our sponsors DEMA and RCS, the success of this event has geared me up for the convention. 

If you think WABE 2024 is only for tech enthusiasts, think again. If you’ve focused your career on content creation within the media and entertainment industry, it’s essential to recognize how swiftly technology is evolving. Understanding the direction of these technological advancements is crucial for gaining a competitive edge, helping you anticipate how and where your content will be consumed.

The WABE Convention this year in Edmonton is going to be an industry conversation you won’t want to miss.

🌟Registration to attend WABE 2024 is officially open.🌟

I recently had an online back-and-forth with an IT professional, inviting them to the conference. They asked me, “I am an IT director, I am not sure what value this conference would bring me.” 

WABE, whose 74-year legacy is rooted in broadcast engineering, seems like an organization that narrowly serves only the broadcast community. What I’m discovering, though, is that broadcast engineers were some of the first true technology integrators. 

Now, everyone from corporate AV, marketing, education, event production, and businesses, eager to start making content even for internal purposes or as part of new construction projects, wants a connected experience. Media companies generating this content, broadcasters, and cable companies distributing it all have the same challenges right now—integration, new standards, fast-moving technology, all pushing to ride on network infrastructure. Network infrastructure that for years was for desktops that emailed and did relatively small data transfers and printers that were relatively standard plug-and-play mechanical interfaces. 

In 2024, more businesses want to produce, create, and deliver video content to just about every imaginable screen, all while having the entire team having access to entry points to the network. Electromechanical parts like microphones, cameras, switches, and screens still need connecting and have to adhere to physical laws rooted in electrical and physic principles, for example grounding. Oh, and AI and software-driven solutions are about to be unleashed by every vendor, all while we think of how to identify what content and data are really generated by humans and, oh right, make it secure. 

From where I’m sitting, plug and play is over; smart integration is in, and having the skills to perform, adapt, and make the pieces talk and run will need skill, experience, and knowledge. Guess who has been doing that for a really long time before there were IT professionals? Broadcast techs. 

What is changing for the broadcasters is that all video, audio, control, and RF technology will run in an IT framework as digital packets on a network, so broadcast techs also get ready to embark on the biggest technical switch since HD. The caveat though is those packets don’t all look the same as the ones that for years ran between the printer and desktop computer. They are made up of a variety of standards, a kind of alphabet soup of terminology, that if IT and business professionals think they can completely decipher over a single webinar, will be surprised.

Part of the goals and strategic plan and vision those of us at WABE have today is to take what is still a living, breathing, and knowledgeable organization whose core values are about sharing and educating those who need and want the info and make it local, accessible, and available in Canada regionally.

We are open and prepared to engage, serving as the platform where discussions on technology thrive unlike any other place in Canada. Eager to meet beyond the constraints of workplace connections in video, audio, RF and digital media? 

At WABE, we recognize the challenge and offer compelling reasons to become part of our community:

• Support for Local Businesses – We actively support local businesses and their employees.
• Opportunities for Everyone – Whether you’re a student, a newcomer, a seasoned contributor, or a retiree, all are encouraged to participate and contribute to our vibrant community.
• Education through Interaction – Engage closely with technology, grasp industry standards, and forge connections that shape careers.

Technology is changing, the businesses we support are changing, but the ability to integrate and solve and give advice on complex technology projects is not going away. If you are working in AV, event production, film, TV or radio, you already know this is happening. If you are working in IT, construction, business with public spaces and displays, advertisers, marketing, schools, the kind of complex systems that broadcasters have been dealing with for years are coming to your networks and about to be part of every technology discussion in the next 10 years for your business. 

What WABE has to offer is decades of experienced connections, vendors, and workers who should become your next best friends.

Mark your calendar for Sept 23-25th as WABE welcomes you to the JW Marriott Hotel Ice District in Downtown Edmonton. 

Hotel and travel discounts can be found on our website and rooms fill up quickly so book today.

Join us at WABE and immerse yourself in a community dedicated to propelling innovation and influencing the future of media and entertainment. More than just a conference, it’s your opportunity to redefine your trajectory and foster valuable connections.

Explore how to participate in WABE 2024. 

Let’s come together to plan and discuss the possibilities for the future because it’s inevitable, whether we’re prepared or not. Together, let’s keep nurturing a community where every voice resonates, every innovation is cherished, and every connection unveils doors to new opportunities.

Warm regards,

Tessa Potter

President, WABE