The world’s biggest AV show returns to Amsterdam for the final time next week, ahead of the much-anticipated move to Barcelona in 2021, and it seems ISE is very much bowing out of the Netherlands in style. More than 200 companies will exhibit for the first time, including those in the dedicated Innovation Zone in Hall 14, while the conference programme is the most ambitious yet, with 13 events taking place between the 10 and 14 February.
With so much going on it can be difficult to know where to start so here we round up ten things you won’t want to miss at ISE 2020.
Opening Address and Reception
Taking place the day before ISE opens its doors, the 2020 Opening Address will see former Disney executive Duncan Wardle (pictured) discussing how innovation can become part of the day-to-day working culture in businesses.
Today Wardle works with leading brands to help them tap into the innate creative potential of their workforces, focusing on traits such as imagination, intuition, creativity and curiosity that people tend to be discouraged from using as they grow up. He will also discuss AI and why it should be embraced rather than feared.
This will be followed by the traditional ISE Opening Reception, which is free to attend for all exhibitors and attendees.
The Opening Address takes place at 18:00 in the RAI Forum and is followed by the Opening Reception at 19:00 in the RAI Forum Lounge.
Elicium Projection Mapping
Also beginning the day before ISE, but this time running each evening of the show, the façade of the RAI’s Elicium Complex will be lit up by a spectacular projection mapping display. Produced by ISE and the RAI, it was developed in conjunction with LANG AG, which provided the projectors, white laser mapping from HB Laserkomponenten, and illumination from an Ares XS LED Wash from CLF lighting on the upper storeys. A compelling audio track will be brought to the audience’s ears via amplifiers and speakers from Biamp; the content itself will be created by Tenfeet, while Indyvideo will provide containers for the projectors and operators, as well as technical production support.
The Elicium Projection Mapping runs from 17:00-22:00 each day of the show (beginning at 16:00 on 14 February).
Control Rooms Summit
New for ISE 2020, the Control Rooms Summit is a half-day event taking place on 11 February at the Hotel Okura. Looking at all elements of the technology that goes into a control room, from networking, signal management (including KVM) and surveillance video to sensors, analytics and displays, the summit will address the latest trends in technology, design, ergonomics and best practice in this dynamic marketplace, one which AVIXA’s IOTA research suggests will see a compound annual growth rate of nearly 5% over the next four years.
VR at ISE
Another new feature for 2020, VR at ISE will show how virtual reality can be used in immersive, collaborative spaces. Two Digital Projection Multiview VR systems will be demonstrated. These allow up to three people wearing fast-switching glasses to view and interact with a stereoscopic 3D virtual model. Crucially, each person sees the object from their own viewpoint – unlike conventional multi-user VR systems where everyone sees exactly the same perspective, providing a significant degree of realism.
VR at ISE will also include an immersive VR theme park ride. Designed and run by Lightspeed Design, this DepthQ VR attraction will take attendees on an interactive fantasy ride through aquatic environments where they encounter touchable jellyfish, a dolphin, and even the mythological world of the god Poseidon.
AVIXA Diversity Council Event
Organised and introduced by AVIXA council member Kevin McLoughlin (pictured), this event follows the success of three previous Diversity Council events held in the UK and US. TV broadcaster, panelist, author, diversity advocate and the BBC’s first director of creative diversity, June Sarpong OBE will deliver a keynote speech at this free-to-attend event.
The AVIXA Diversity Council supports inclusion in the audiovisual industry, regularly organising events where anyone is invited to network, share motivational stories and talk about issues they may be facing. The aim is to make connections and work together to create a diverse workforce that represents the society we live in.
AVIXA Higher Education AV Conference
Taking place on Wednesday 12 February in Room E102 of he RAI, the Enterprise AV Conference will once again see AVIXA join forces with education specialists SCHOMS and EUNIS to create this half-day conference. Gill Ferris, leader of EUNIS Learning & Teaching Special Interest Group, reprises her role as content chair.
Under the theme ‘Perspectives in education: supporting technology, teaching and learning, the conference will highlight a range of different perspectives on how to best enhance the learning and teaching experience through effective use of AV technologies. Delegates will hear examples of good practice cases and take away tips from freely available tools and guidance that may help them in their own businesses. They will also look at emerging and innovative practices and considering their possible application in their own context.
This year’s theme highlights the way in which effective application of AV technology can impact the experiences of many different people. The benefits for students, teachers, people with disabilities and remote learners may be significantly different but AV can have a very powerful impact for all these groups and many others.
Speakers include Piet van der Zanden from Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), Dom Pates from City, University of London, and Fredrik Haugdal chief engineer, AV systems, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).
AVIXA Enterprise AV Conference
Taking place in Room E102 of the RAI on the afternoon of 12 February, the Enterprise AV Conference will highlight the growing availability of data and the opportunity that data analytics provides to enable better business strategies and workspace/system design.
A panel of experts will discuss how careful analysis of business interactions across collaboration tools can be used to inform workspace and system design, delivering a more efficient and user-centric workspace. Organised in collaboration with AV User Group, AVIXA has a line-up of AV giants to share their projects and insights on the latest business technology trends.
From best-case corporate examples to practical advice on how to bring data analytics into the process of making informed decisions, there are many areas in this conference that are sure to capture your interest. Not only will you learn ways to expand your business ideas and own career, but also focus on how to bring customers satisfaction and real value through your projects.
Delegates will come away with an understanding of the importance of data and data analytics within AV. They will learn how it can help their and/or their clients’ business strategies and workspace design and provide greater workspace and meeting efficiencies. The conference will expose the opportunities that data analytics provides within the AV industry.
AVIXA Women’s Council Event
Featuring an opening address by Sarah Joyce (pictured) and a keynote from the Hon. Mrs Angels Chacón, Minister for Business & Knowledge in the Catalan Government, this Main Stage event will provide plenty of discussion points for inspiring, supporting and empowering women who work in the technology and AV industries.
Main Stage
In addition to the AVIXA events, the ISE Main Stage is the setting for a full programme of thought leadership sessions throughout the four days of the show. Sessions will address technology and business trends, and all sessions are free to attend with no advance booking required.
¡Hola! Barcelona Event
To mark the final edition of ISE at the RAI Amsterdam, a very special event on the last day of ISE 2020 will reflect on the show’s development over the years while also looking forward to the next chapter of its story in Barcelona.
Entitled ¡Hola Barcelona!, the event will feature appearances from major Catalan and Spanish dignitaries, including Àngels Chacón, the Catalan Minister of Enterprise and Knowledge; and representatives of the Mayor of Barcelona; ACCIÓ, the Catalan Agency for Business Competitiveness; ICEX, the Spanish Institute of Foreign Trade; and the Fira de Barcelona, which will be the show’s new home. They will talk about the opportunities that ISE’s move to Barcelona will bring for attendees, exhibitors, the City of Barcelona and the AV industry as a whole.
Presented by Integrated Systems Europe Managing Director Mike Blackman, the event will also provide an opportunity for ISE, and its owners AVIXA and CEDIA, to say ‘goodbye and thank you’ to the City of Amsterdam and the RAI, and acknowledge their important contributions to the show’s phenomenal growth. Specially commissioned video content will tell the story of ISE, starting with its first edition in Geneva in 2004.
Event attendees will also be given the chance to win an trip to Barcelona, including the opportunity to see one of the city’s most famous exports – FC Barcelona at Camp Nou and a two-night stay in a luxury hotel.
¡Hola! Barcelona Lounge
If you can’t wait until the last day of the show to find out more about what Barcelona has to offer as a host city, then stop by the ¡Hola! Barcelona Lounge, located between Halls 7 and 8 of the RAI and open throughout the show.
Here attendees can also enjoy a taste of Catalan culture with music, entertainment and complimentary food and drink served at set times each day.
For more detailed enquiries about Barcelona hotels, travel and attractions, the facilities in the Fira – Gran Via, and exhibiting at or attending ISE 2021, visit the manned Information Point where representatives from Barcelona Tourism and official Barcelona hotel partner bnetwork will be on hand to answer any queries.
The lounge is presented in association with Barcelona Tourism.
