IBC 2019: HBS Wrap-Up
After a busy year that saw HBS deliver several major sporting projects, December offered the perfect opportunity to sit back and review the exciting year that was 2016.
Throughout the year, HBS’ teams travelled to no less than four continents to cover many high-profile sporting events, some held in partnership with long time collaborators (BMW Berlin Marathon with SCC Events, several FIFA events, EURO 2016 with UEFA) and some with new clients (CONCACAF, for the Copa America Centenario). The challenges were many, but HBS’ staff strove to live up to one the company’s mantras: “Failure is not an option”.
The annual HBS Staff meeting, held on 14 December, offered the opportunity to reflect on these experiences: with staff based in three different offices (France, Russia and Switzerland), and often travelling around the world for work, it was a rare opportunity to gather the majority of the team together to share feedback on current and future exciting projects, such as the host broadcasting of the 2019 Rugby World Cup – awarded in October to IGBS, the joint venture between HBS and IMG.
The day started with workshops revolving around upgraded satellite installations and 4K/UHD/HDR, to raise awareness about the new demands of the market and the likely evolutions of the industry in the coming years. Guest speaker Peter Sykes, Sony’s Strategic Technology Development Manager, enriched the debate by bringing in his expertise on 4K and UHD. Then, HBS’ Digital team offered a 360° perspective on changes within the multimedia landscape, especially concerning Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), and the ways to integrate these new concepts to traditional broadcast production plans.
Francis Tellier, HBS’ CEO, took to the stage to present his plans for HBS, which include furthering HBS’ role as a leader and a digital lab for sports and multimedia productions, and looking to the future with internal evolutions and some management changes planned in a couple of years. Claude Ruibal, Infront’s Executive Director of Digital, Production & Sport Solutions, closed the Staff meeting by thanking the HBS’ teams for their devoted work.
