The final day of ISE 2026 looked forward to the next generation of AV professionals. Production Futures, a not-for-profit organisation focused on skills development and access to careers in live events and production technology, took over the Live Events Stage in Hall 6B100 on Fast Forward Friday, hosting a full day of sessions aimed at newcomers and established professionals alike.
Fast Forward Friday is the umbrella title for several content streams that took place on the final day of ISE 2026 themed around recruitment, skills and career development. Content was produced by ISE partners alongside AVIXA and CEDIA. All sessions were free to attend, although some were invitation-only.
Included in Fast Forward Friday at ISE 2026:
- AV Career Day, organised by CEDIA and AVIXA (by invitation only)
- Production Futures Live Events Stage Takeover – for people with zero to five years’ experience in the live events industry
- AVIXA Xchange LIVE – a series of hands-on skills sessions and interactive discussions for digital creatives, presented by frame:work
- ISE Hackathon – Results presentations and awards ceremony
- A Practical Workshop for the Audiovisual Industry organised by Universitat Pompeu Fabra (in Spanish)
- Jóvenes Talentos y Technología: Proyectos del la semana del talento – Clúster Audiovisual de Catalunya (in Spanish)
- Hilma af Klint: el Arte del Más Allá organised by La Salle University (in Spanish)
Sessions began at 10am with the final day of AVIXA Xchange Live at Hall 3Q150, hosted by frame:work, a community of live and virtual pixel makers, featuring Sanj Surati, digital atelier & founder, Tiger Heart, and Laura Frank, executive director, frame:work.
Speed Networking in Partnership with Interfacio’ kicked off on the Live Events Stage in Hall 6B100 – a high-energy meet-and-greet designed to bring together experienced professionals and emerging talent for real conversations. Speakers includde Hannah Eakins, CEO, Production Futures, Eloise Newing, co-founder & account director, Electric Cat, Richard Wear, founder, Interfacio, and Carly Phillips.
Meanwhile, the AV Career Day: Speed Networking event in CC4.1 ran over four hours. AVIXA and CEDIA hosted this fourth AV matchmaking event at ISE 2026. This invite-only event featured a content programme with best practices for CV writing and personal presentation, alongside talks from industry leaders about their career paths. The matchmaking connected employers with emerging professionals, such as recent graduates and job seekers. Attendees brought their CVs, seeking career opportunities, while employers met candidates suited to their needs.
‘Real-Time Interaction: Because Waiting is Boring’ at AVIXA Xchange LIVE in Hall 3Q150 offered a hands-on Notch session with artist and technologist Armin Werx, product evangelist, lead trainer, Notch. Attendees learned to create interactive, generative scenes that react, adapt and captivate in real time.
‘Foresight in Action: A practical workshop for the audiovisual industry’ in CC5.1 provided a hands-on introduction to foresight methodologies, led by Bertran Salvador-Mata, post doctoral researcher, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Carlos A. Scolari, professor, Universitat Pompeu Fabra and Marta Freixas Fernández, predoctoral researcher, dept of communication, Universitat Pompu Fabra.
Students from Brooder Lab, La Salle Campus Barcelona, presented ‘Hilma af Klint: el Arte del Más Allá’ in CC5.2 – a Spanish language immersive experience based on the artist’s journey and vision, covering techniques, challenges and achievements.
Another Spanish-language event took place in CC5.3 ‘Jóvenes Talentos y Tecnología: Proyectos de la semana del talento’ showcasing projects from the Pitching Audiovisual Universidad-Industria 2025, featuring creators including Adrián Carro, Marco Berrocal, Humbert Torrego, Laura Gili, Judit Puig and Hector Bordas.
On the Live Events Stage, ‘Ask Me Anything’ featured Johanna Freytag, senior global brand manager, CHAUVET Professional, James Baker, senior international sales manager, DiGiCo, and Ben Payne, senior director of business development, Harman Professional.
The ‘AI Storyboarding Lab’ in Hall 3Q150 brought attendees into the creative loop, transforming raw concepts into visual storyboards using AI-assisted tools. Attendees worked step-by-step through ideation, visual references, and early look-development workflows, mirroring the way many pitch decks and design packages are rapidly evolving. Michael Al-Far, creative director, Malfmedia, and Maarten Francq, founder, Lowstreetmedia, lead the session.
‘BTA Winners Newcomers Panel – Part 1’ took place in Hall 6B100, spotlighting talented emerging professionals, including Connor Strange, freelance events technician, Connor Strange Tech, Scarlett Heselwood, and Abigail Skelton, design associate, LastLight Design.
‘Solutions Circle: Technical Challenges in Immersive Storytelling’ was in Hall 3Q150, featuring a cross-disciplinary panel discussing performance constraints, system reliability, content pipelines and reactive storytelling. Panellists included Conor McGill, director, Pixera, Paul McConnell, founding partner, Noble, Shelly Sabe, creative producer, Fuse Technical Group and Sarah Cox, chief commercial officer, Stage Precision.
‘How MA University is Supporting New Careers in Lighting’ occurred in Hall 6B100 on the Live Events Stage, offering insights into training, workflows and industry-leading tech education, with Stephen Baird-Smith, business development manager, MA Lighting, and Abigail Skelton.
‘BTA Winners Newcomers Panel – Part 2’ in Hall 6B100 continued the showcase of emerging talent with Oliver Dodwell-Bennett and Andrew Haslam, creative technologist, Ghostlight Creative Media.
Hannah Eakins, CEO at Production Futures, said: “AVIXA generously offered provision for three students to attend the show and we put out a call for applications through our channels. The response was overwhelming and showed how engaged our growing online community has become.
“Access and opportunity are central to what we do, so it’s encouraging to see our live events and digital platforms having real impact. We’re grateful to our industry partners, award sponsors and ISE for their continued support…”
The Production Futures team were available throughout the day to meet attendees interested in entering the industry.
