The 16th ISE, which ran at the RAI Amsterdam from 5-8 February, was the biggest and most exciting edition in the show’s history. It provided further evidence of why it has become the international destination of choice for AV professionals.
As well as hosting 15 halls containing the latest technologies and solutions for pro AV and systems integration, the show provided its widest-ranging professional development programme to date, extending its coverage of major vertical market sectors.
The largest ever ISE show floor – 56,100 net square metres – housed 1,301 exhibitors. Of these 225 (17%) were companies taking space at ISE for the first time. At the close of ISE 2019, 92% of the available floor space at ISE 2020 had already been sold.
The overall number of registered visitors to ISE 2019 was 81,268 – a modest increase in the figure from 2018. Of these, 32% were attending ISE for the first time. Wednesday saw the largest ever one-day attendance figure for any show at the Amsterdam RAI, and the number of attendees on Friday passed 20,000 for the first time.
A key theme of the show was how AV technology enables creative imaginations to produce rich experiences. This was explored in both the Opening Address from master projection designer Bart Kresa, and the Closing Keynote given by Tupac Martir, creative director and co-founder of Satore Studio. They were part of a professional development programme involving 300 international thought leaders, subject experts and creative minds.
Mike Blackman, Integrated Systems Events managing director, commented: “As an exhibition, as an unbeatable source of education and professional development, and as a destination for a global industry to come together and do business – ISE 2019 has delivered. Our Opening Address, Closing Keynote, and our two projection mapping features were fantastic showcases for how event professionals and others can harness AV technology to better realise their creativity.”
ISE 2019 exhibitors once again made the most of the opportunity to launch new products and showcase the latest solutions. Among the technology trends in evidence were 8K displays; smart building technology, including the Internet of Things; AI-equipped devices; the continued progression of conferencing and collaboration technology; 3D projection mapping; a wider-than-ever choice of curved, flexible, transparent and ever-smaller-pitch LED displays; and further developments in AV over IP and audio networking.
For AVIXA and CEDIA, the event offered the perfect opportunity to showcase the associations’ various initiatives for 2019 in the areas of professional development and industry representation.
Dave Labuskes, CTS, CAE, RCDD, CEO of AVIXA, explained: “Congratulations to everyone involved with ISE on another record year. But let’s not lose sight of the many connections – both personal and professional – that were made in 2019.
“AVIXA defines success as being a catalyst for the growth of the global AV market and a hub for the profession and its practitioners. We certainly saw those twin goals become reality in Amsterdam. All of the focused conferences throughout the week, including AVIXA’s sold-out ‘What’s Next’ conferences for higher education and enterprise technologists, and networking opportunities, such as those held for AVIXA’s Women’s Council and EMEA members, help bring people together in order to propel this industry forward. Our FlashTracks stage of training opportunities was buzzing, and special programmes, like ISE’s student programme for fostering workforce development, demonstrated some of the many ways the show continues to be a dynamic, critical gathering of industry professionals.
“As always, it is our privilege to work with the talented team at ISE, CEDIA and the RAI. The commercial value of a trade fair like ISE cannot be overestimated nor over-celebrated.”
Tabatha O’Connor, CEO of CEDIA, commented: “We’ve enjoyed an amazing ISE 2019! CEDIA chose this year’s show as the kick off point for our 30-year anniversary celebrations and what an awesome week it has been.
“Our professional development programme has exceeded expectations, with delegates from around the world taking advantage of the excellent and varied training opportunities on offer. A number of classes, including our new full-day Home Cinema Design Masterclass, even sold out – which was great. The free CEDIA Talks on our booth also proved popular and we were delighted to showcase CEDIA Award winning projects with support from integrators and industry brand members on the ISE Main Stage.
“Above all, ISE is a great place for the CEDIA global community to connect not just with the many exciting, new technologies on display but with their industry friends and peers as well.”
ISE 2020 will be held at the RAI Amsterdam from 11-14 February 2020.
