We’re counting down the days until the Media Production Technology Show (MPTS) returns to London Olympia for another bumper show. Last year’s MPTS was the busiest on record and the organisers hope to build on that success with a fantastic line-up of speakers from across the media landscape and over 250 exhibitors. We spoke to event director Charlotte Wheeler to find out what’s on the agenda for 2024.

We’re delighted to offer British Cinematographer readers free tickets for this year’s event, from 15-16 May: sign up here!

British Cinematographer (BC): MPTS is back with a bang for 2024! First, let’s reflect on last year’s show – what were the highlights, and what was the feedback like from exhibitors and showgoers? 

Charlotte Wheeler (CW): 2023 was our biggest show to date with our move to our now permanent home of the Grand Hall at London Olympia. It’s been our dream since the show launched at the Business Design Centre in 2016 to one day take up residency in the Grand Hall at Olympia, so to see that vision become a reality and the show be absolutely packed on both days with over 10,000 visitors was definitely a highlight. The buzz onsite was incredible across both days, even up to when we closed the doors at 5pm, and we had a record number of exhibitors committing to the 2024 show before the event had even finished which was brilliant to see. The appetite for a UK show celebrating all things media, film, TV and content is growing significantly.

BC: This year, visitors have got a lot to look forward to – what are the must-see sessions? 

CW: Our opening keynote this year is a Directors Masterclass with speakers who have worked on some of the biggest content to hit our screens, including James Hawes (Slow Horses) and James Strong (Mr Bates versus The Post Office). The production team behind Mr Bates vs The Post Office will also take to the Keynote stage to share how this real-life story was brought to screens and the incredible impact it has on everyone involved, since broadcast.

Fresh off its recent release, we’re delighted to welcome executive producer and author Sam McAlister to the Keynote stage, along with director Philip Martin, to discuss behind the scenes of the Netflix hit Scoop. 

A big highlight for the audio theatre will be 2024 Oscar and BAFTA winner Johnnie Burn sharing his unique audio approach to one of the most remarkable films of the year The Zone of Interest.

In the post theatre we have the award-winning Residence Pictures’ team sharing how they overcame the challenges of grading period drama The Gallow’s Pole and Oscar-winning editor Paul Machliss in conversation. Too many great sessions to mention but those are a just a few highlights.

BC: Can you highlight any new and current exhibitors that our readers may be particularly interested to know about? 

CW: We have a brilliant mix of new and returning exhibitors this year, including Sony, Nanlite, Blackmagic, CirroLite, Canon, SanDisk, CVP, Kenro, Videndum, ProAV, Panasonic, PrimeLight, Rotolight, PixaPro and 250 more!

BC: This year you’re launching the Media Technology Conference in partnership with SMPTE – can you tell us more?

CW: We’re thrilled to partner with SMPTE this year to bring the Media Technology Conference to MPTS. It’s an opportunity to take a deep-dive into the emerging technologies every media technologist needs to have on their radar in a more intimate setting than you would experience directly on the show floor.

On 15 May the conference is by invitation only, so C-suite and senior technology leaders can discuss the challenges and opportunities facing them in a closed-door environment and on 16 May the event is open to all attendees with three topics in discussion: colour science, contribution and distribution and AI for media. SMPTE have confirmed some fantastic speakers, including Simon Farnsworth, CTO, ITV; Andy Bell, chief engineer, Channel 4; and Mark Patrick, solution lead for BBC Core, BBC.

BC: AI is a hot topic in the industry and your new AI Forum is sure to be popular. What can visitors expect? 

CW: The AI Forum is new for 2024 and follows the success of our AI Creative Summit that took place at the BFI in November. It’s such a crucial topic at the moment, so we knew we had to bring the discussion to the show floor at MPTS. The AI Forum will run across both days of the show and is open to all attendees. The programme will showcase the latest global research into AI trends and the impact on the media industry, insights into how to develop an effective AI strategy, production storytelling in AI, what to be aware of in terms of ethics when using AI and how it can be used to streamline processes and enhance creativity.

BC: What other themes and topics can attendees look forward to hearing about? Will virtual production once again be strongly represented at the show? 

CW: Virtual production does once again have its own theatre, with opening keynote case studies looking at the VP techniques used on both the Apple+ show Hijack and the 2024 survival thriller No Way Up. The content for all eight theatres has been expertly created based on in-depth industry research to ensure the hottest trends, opportunities and challenges are being discussed, covering audio, post, technology, production, virtual production and AI.

We’re also delighted to once again be partnering with BAFTA albert who will be bringing their Sustainability Seminar Series to the show floor, with a sustainability session in the keynote, technology, virtual production, production and post theatres. They have secured some fantastic speakers, including Chemmy Alcott, four-time Winter Olympian and TV presenter, who will discuss how sports broadcasting is driving positive environmental change.

BC: What makes MPTS stand out from other tradeshows? 

CW: The scale and breadth of our content programme and the fact all sessions are free to attend makes it the most accessible event for the industry. Each session is expertly curated to ensure the programme reflects the current challenges and opportunities facing the industry and it doesn’t matter which part of the industry you work in, whether you are a freelancer or employed by one of the big broadcasters, you are welcome to come to MPTS to benefit from the networking and learning opportunities.

As the UK’s only trade show for the industry there really is nowhere else like it in terms of bringing the industry together on this scale on an annual basis. Everything is integrated on the show floor in the Grand Hall at Olympia so visitors can easily go from experiencing a product demo on an exhibitor’s stand to hearing an exclusive case study in one of the theatres. Our location in the heart of the UK’s creative industry in London also means the event is incredibly accessible and attendees so combine their visit to the show with other business they may have around the capital. Being over two days ensure that everyone maximises their time at the show and their valuable time out of the office or off set. What other industry show takes place so close to so many award-winning studios and post houses?