The inaugural Spark programme at ISE looked at how creative ideas scale – from immersive storytelling and AI-driven workflows to the cultural systems that underpin global creative success. Spark, ISE’s new creative industries showcase in Hall 8.1, brought together gaming, broadcast, live events, design and media in a single immersive environment, with day two focusing on how creativity moves from experimentation to impact.
Partners driving Spark included headline sponsor Samsung, strategic technology partners Mo-Sys, 3Cat and Lab of Tomorrow, as well as supporting partners CFLEX Event Solutions, Silver Music Entertainment, and LVP – Liga de Videojuegos Profesional (GRUP MEDIAPRO).
Ben Holmes, marketing director, Samsung Europe, said that the company had been collaborating with the organisers for several months “because it’s a fantastic opportunity for us to showcase our technology to the creative industries. While Spark is predominantly focused on broadcast, it also touches gaming, eSports, and other emerging markets that we strongly believe in. For us, it’s about showing how our technology fits into where those industries are heading.”
He added: “What’s exciting about Spark is bringing together different manufacturers, speakers, and end users to really show what’s happening in the broadcast space right now and where it’s going next. There are great talks across the four days, including discussions around the future of virtual broadcast, and that convergence trend is only going to continue. For us, meeting new end users and having those conversations is one of the main reasons we come to shows like this.”
Sessions began on the Spark Main Stage with ‘Phygital Fashion Beyond the Product’ – a panel session organised by the Catalan Fashion Cluster that looks at the application of technology to the world of fashion.
The conversation then shifted to creative intent in the age of automation with ‘What If? The Hidden Engine of Creativity, in AI Times’. Felix Balbas, CEO of Minimo VFX, explores why intention, curiosity and interpretation remain central to compelling storytelling, even as AI becomes embedded across AV, XR and digital production workflows.
On the Samsung VP Stage, ‘The AI Empowered Pitch’ examined how AI is reshaping both the economics and craft of visual storytelling. Maarten Francq, founder of Lowstreetmedia and Michael Al-Far, creative director of Malfmedia discuss how AI-assisted pitch decks and production tools are changing how ideas are presented, funded and realised.
Wednesday’s programme built towards its keynote back on the Spark Main Stage, ‘From Silos to Systems: How Cultural Ecosystems Power the Future of Creativity’. Alex Boateng, co-founder of London-based label 0207 Def Jam, drew on experiences across music, culture and business to argue that future creative success will be driven by interconnected ecosystems rather than isolated disciplines.
The afternoon sessions turned to broadcast and live production. On the Spark Main Stage, ‘Broadcast Reimagined: From Local Stories to Global Audiences’ brought together perspectives from the BBC, Channel 4 and independent production to explore how broadcasters can evolve formats, platforms and commissioning models while retaining authentic, locally rooted storytelling.
The Samsung VP Stage hosted ‘CTI: AV and Broadcast Workflows’. Tobi Tungl and lliott Moores of CTI and Tim Albright of AVN discussed the issues around scaling enterprise AV and corporate broadcast across regions, standards, and stakeholders.
Later, in CC8.23, ‘Accidental Software Development for Live Events’ asked an uncomfortable question for modern production teams: is writing bespoke code now easier than working around off-the-shelf software that almost does the job? Rich Porter, co-founder of The Hive, looked at custom development in live environments and what that means for creative control.
Closing the day on the Spark Main Stage was ‘American Icon: Delivering Massive Pixel Counts for Immersive Experiences’, a session that looked under the hood of American Icon: A Mustang Immersive Experience. Dickon Knowles, head of motion at dandelion + burdock, unpackedthe real-world production challenges of delivering content at extreme resolutions, offering insight into the pipelines required for large-scale, multisensory environments.
Throughout the day, Spark’s partner-led activations continued across Hall 8.1, with Samsung’s virtual production LED showcase, Mo-Sys’ MoStudio workflow, 3Cat’s interactive gaming experience and Lab of Tomorrow’s Floating Sky providing a live, experiential backdrop to the discussions on stage.
