ISE 2022’s themes of industry recovery, regeneration and renewal are perhaps more keenly felt by some areas of the AV ecosystem than others. While the going was good for companies servicing the exploding early pandemic demand for remote working, learning, and entertainment solutions, the live events industry came to a standstill.
Yet, if the pandemic period taught us anything, it was how innovative and resilient the global AV community has become, and how technology being developed by its engineers and R&D teams is at the forefront of the recovery now being seen in many areas of live events including concerts, theatre, and, of course, trade shows and conferences.
The Live Events Summit, which takes place at ISE tomorrow (15:00 – 19:00, Conference Stage, Hall 5), will address the sector’s ongoing recovery from the pandemic period with a programme that conference chair Stew Hume, editor of TPi (Total Production International) magazine, sees as “arguably the four most talked about subjects within live pro audio”. These topics – immersive audio on tour, remote mixing, networking, and touring sustainably – are all trends that are likely to influence how artists stage live shows and what audiences will hear in the future.
According to Hume, remote mixing and sustainability have special significance when debating the future of live events. Remote mixing became vital during 2020 and 2021 because it enabled engineers to run shows from a distance, which helped live performances to take place again.
“I think it opens up a lot of doors for live production and should be thought of as an extra tool rather than a simple substitution in the traditional front-of-house (FOH) set-up,” he tells the ISE Daily. “On a massive stadium tour, 50,000 people are still going to want to go and see the artist but with a sophisticated remote mixing option, a high-quality live stream could be created with top-notch audio mixed in a studio, rather than a broadcast truck.
“Sustainability is a huge issue affecting all touring productions, but there is some interesting innovation happening within the audio sector to offset some of the impact tours have on the environment,” he continues. “We are also seeing in-house incentives being introduced by some companies.”
Hall 7 is the place to be this week to temperature-check how live events companies have responded over the last two years, and how the period has affected what they are exhibiting at ISE 2022. As well as an exhibition hall full of pro audio and live events technology companies, the hall is also the location of the Live Events Arena, where attendees can experience 30-minute product presentations; visit a Product Highlights area where products are showcased on LED displays; and take advantage of a dedicated networking space.
Sessions run until Friday. See page 8 of today’s ISE Daily for today’s Live Events Stage listings.
