ANDOVER, U.K. — John Wilson, longtime chairman and president of the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC), held annually each September at Amsterdam’s RAI Exhibition and Convention Centre, died April 28 at age 82. A memorial service is set for June 25 at All Saints Church in Upper Clatford, U.K., near here.
Dubbed the “architect” of the IBC as it exists today, Wilson is credited with his soft-spoken but determined efforts to develop the annual event, starting in the early 1990s. Among other accomplishments, he played a key role in partnering with six other organizations — IABM, IEEE, IET, RTS, SCTE and SMPTE — and in leading a professional management team to organize the first IBC in Amsterdam in 1992, where the IBC organization is now based.
Along with his efforts developing IBC, Wilson had a lengthy career in the broadcasting industry, serving as sales director at Link Electronics. After that company was acquired by Quantel, Wilson left to form Anna Valley Electronics, a projector rental company. Wilson also worked on behalf of EMI and Prowest.
“John Wilson was always the perfect gentleman who, in his own quiet way, worked extremely hard for the benefit of IBC and the broadcast industry in general,” said David McGregor, founder of TSL and a veteran of every single IBC. “His chairmanship transformed IBC into the well-drilled organization it is today.”
For more details, please visit www.ibc.org.
