Packed with innovations, industry organisations and networking opportunities, Congress Square will host a number of show floor features designed to inform and unite the AV community.
Situated at the heart of the Fira, between Halls 4 & 6 and Halls 5 & 7, Congress Square will be home to the Barcelona City Council and Catalonia Pavilions, the Discovery Zone, the International Media Showcase and the Influencer and Impact Lounges, as well as a large networking area.
New for 2023, the Impact Lounge will offer visitors the chance to meet with organisations making a difference in the industry. Visitors will be able to connect with members of Women in Live Music, a European non-profit organisation for women working backstage in the live event industry; Sustainability in AV (SAVe), which aims to encourage the industry to work together to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals; and media and entertainment industry community The Circle Society.
This year, the Influencer Lounge will also make its home in Congress Square, offering a space for content creators, social media trendsetters and commentators who are an active part of the technology community. Podcasts, events and an AVNation tweetup will all be held here.
For those looking for further inspiration, the Discovery Zone will showcase the latest innovations from first-time exhibitors and young companies. From the TrackingMaster automatic camera tracking system and the Dronepixel show experience, to workplace management software from Oomnis and the Aximmetry virtual production platform, there’s plenty of new tools to explore.
The Barcelona City Council stand will also host a number of local start-ups, as well as the Catalan AV Cluster, while the Catalonia Pavilion will welcome 30 local businesses active in the AV industry as well as highlighting business growth opportunities and running the Open Innovation Challenge.
Hosted by ACCIÓ (the Catalonia Trade & Investment agency) and Enterprise Europe Network, the Challenge is a hybrid matchmaking service that connects technology providers with Catalan corporations looking to purchase solutions. The topics being covered this year are: IT & Networking; Education; Live Events; Venues; Hospitality; Retail; Residential; and Corporate.
Currently nine corporations, including Additio, Kriskadecor, Kids&Us and bmat, have 21 challenges to be met, covering everything from personalised learning and metadata tagging to sustainability and wellbeing. Registration for the ISE Open Innovation Challenge is open now at https://ise-challenges-2023.b2match.io/signup.
Finally, Congress Square is the ideal place to meet with colleagues and make new contacts thanks to the large networking space within the area. Visitors can also take time out to browse and read the latest issues from the world’s AV media in the International Media Showcase.
