Three senior executives at AVIXA, Dan Goldstein (chief marketing officer), Sean Wargo (VP of market intelligence) and Pam Taggart (VP of content creation), look back at AV’s main event
Looking back to the origins of ISE 20 years ago, to what extent would you say that the show’s primary objectives have evolved?
DG: When ISE first started, one of the things we needed it to do was help define the European AV industry, which was quite fragmented at the time and very much in its formative phase. That objective was pretty much fulfilled within the first 5-10 years, and since then the show has become more about broadening the definition of AV to include adjacencies such as collaboration, digital signage/DOOH, events and entertainment, and intelligent building. This work will perhaps never be done – it seems there are always new ways in which the AV industry can expand! But that sense of new possibilities is part of the show’s enduring appeal.
In what ways have AVIXA’s own expectations of, and approach to, the show changed over the years?
DG: As recently as seven or eight years ago, the association was still viewing ISE as a test-bed for US-style education of the kind we deliver at InfoComm: a teacher lecturing to a classroom of students. That approach never really gained much traction so we pivoted to conference-style content, which is more about discussion and allows the audience to participate more proactively. Today AVIXA produces almost all of ISE’s professional AV conference tracks, leveraging our extensive roster of subject matter experts who contribute to our year-round content offering, and building a platform for thought leadership so that ISE can concentrate on putting on an incredible exhibition.
What are the aspects of the show today that are most pleasing to AVIXA as an organisation?
DG: Year-round content is the biggest transformation for me. It used to be the case that ISE would do all the attendee acquisition and AVIXA would simply show up and try to convert some of those attendees into members. It’s starting to work the other way around: AVIXA uses online content streams such as our market network AVIXA Xchange, our newsletter and webinar programmes, and our AVIXA TV video platform to bring new people into the AV industry, and ISE then ‘converts’ the most engaged newcomers into attendees. We are only just starting out on this journey, but as someone who has worked for and with ISE since the start, I’m excited about how the show’s importance can be reinforced by our association’s activities, and vice versa.
AI and XR are bound to have a significant impact on the industry, and the show itself, in the coming years. How would you like to see these and other emerging technologies addressed at the event, and do you think that will require changes in format or structure?
SW: As I think about it, I do think that both technologies will have an impact on the way in which the show is delivered. On the AI side, the use of bots to provide customer service is one easy example, even if it takes a while before we have actual robots answering questions like they do at the Sphere in Las Vegas. Intelligent chatbots would be the first example. From there, matching and scheduling services would make sense to help someone plan their visit.
XR to me will be in the form of augmented reality. Already a show app is an example of building upon the show footprint in a digital form. The next step would be additional overlays of information about the companies participating to aid in navigation. The step up from there would be some sort of head’s up display as you walk around the show to further augment the experience, though this would require a Google Glass type of accessory, which so far has not taken on.
What should we look out for from AVIXA specifically at ISE 2024?
PT: This year is the largest programme AVIXA has ever hosted at ISE, both in what we are producing directly for the event (show floor tours, Tech Talks, conferences and more) as well as what AVIXA is bringing directly, such as a large line-up of curated networking experiences at Xchange LIVE, the AVIXA TV livestream, and a workshop on sustainability in cooperation with CEDIA to help integrators and others develop and document their plans.
AVIXA Xchange LIVE (stand 4G300) will present sessions Tuesday through Friday covering disruptive tech, environmental social governance in AV and professional development, and host daily networking meet-ups.
AVIXA TV will broadcast live from the trade show floor Monday through Thursday (also on stand 4G300). Hosts Samantha Powell and Ben Barnard from AVIXA will be joined by thought leaders to discuss the latest trends, opportunities and challenges in the pro AV industry. People can tune in to the www.avixa.tv to watch the show live and on-demand.
AVIXA and CEDIA will host a three-hour Sustainability Workshop to address the importance for our industry to adapt to the global issues of climate change, nature loss and social resilience. Our industry is both part of the problem and part of the solution. This workshop aims to help ISE delegates to understand this, think through with others the impact and opportunity presented by these challenges, and how they can profit from these opportunities.
