BC welcomed 55,884 attendees to its 2018 edition, while also recording a 667sqm increase in floorspace on 2017 to now take in 53,710sqm of the RAI.

“This show is about engagement, engagement, engagement. The stats are up in almost all areas and re-bookings are ahead of last year,” said IBC Chief Executive Michael Crimp.

Commenting on the announcement, Crimp said it was important that the figures were placed within the context of all that IBC does. “IBC is much more than just a trade show,” he said. “We have developed a basket of data-driven statistics including sales leads generated on stands, conference attendance and IBC365 views.”

The IBC App logged more than 91,000 interactions and IBC itself trended number one on Twitter in the Netherlands on several days of the convention, with 185 million potential impressions and over 250,000 video views.

Crimp explained that the sharing of information is pivotal to the longevity of IBC’s success and sits at the core of the business.

He cited IBC365, the digital home for the global media, entertainment and technology community, which increased its subscriber numbers to more than 55,000 by the close of the show.

Notably IBC2018 has also driven a number of new initiatives this year, one being diversity and gender equality across the conference. In 2017, only 14% of IBC speakers were female. In 2018 that figures rose to 37%.

IBC returns to the RAI in 2019 with the conference running from 12-16 September and the exhibition from 13-17.