day programme of training sessions, beginning on
the Monday with a workshop on cybersecurity, as
well as hosting free CEDIA Talks on its stand.
What are the challenges presented by the event having become so large?
One of the biggest is ensuring that visitors can easily
locate what they’re looking for – and relevant exhibitors
can easily be found. One of the ways we’ve addressed that
is with the creation of six Technology Zones – for audio
and live events, digital signage and DooH, education,
residential, smart buildings and unified communication.
The Technology Zones mean that visitors can quickly locate
the part of the show where they’ll find the technology and
product trends that are most relevant to their interests.
The ISE app has proved a big hit with visitors, and
its wayfinding features are a key part of that.
How has the average ISE visitor profile changed over the years?
Back when we first started, our audience almost exclusively
comprised systems integrators and other AV channel
professionals. Increasingly, though, the show has become
a destination for end-users; our exhibitors want to engage
directly with them, as well as meeting their existing and
prospective channel partners. Today, ISE has become as much
of a ‘must attend’ event for end-users as it is for the channel.
How have you made ISE more attractive to end-users?
We’ve added substantially to our conference programme
over the years, because end-users have told us they
get enormous value not just from the opportunity to
talk directly to manufacturers and to find out about
the products and technologies that will shape their
companies’ AV strategy – but also to network and
to learn from industry experts and their peers.
Our Special Interest Group programme is designed to bring
attendees from specific key vertical market sectors to ISE,
helping end-user technology buyers to meet technology vendors
and solution partners. They’re the result of formal agreements
between ISE and a variety of associations, media partners,
companies and consultants, and they’re tailored to meet the
information needs of the visiting executives with planned
stand visits, presentations, networking events and dinners.
You mentioned sessions by AVIXA and CEDIA. What is their role with ISE?
ISE is owned by AVIXA and CEDIA, two trade associations
with a focus on professional development – so education
and training have always been an important part of the
show. Another priority for both associations is reaching
out beyond the industry, to other stakeholders within
AV projects. Establishing and awarding professional
qualifications plays an important part in establishing the
expertise of the industry as a whole, as well as demonstrating
the competency of the individuals who work in it.
AVIXA and CEDIA are hugely instrumental in helping
deliver the outstanding visitor and exhibitor experience
that ISE has become, setting the tone and themes for the
event and helping us continue to develop and create ever-
more engaging content for our channel and various vertical
market end-users alike. Between them, the two associations
provide a wealth of market intelligence, guidance and
education initiatives, as well as many entertaining and
thought-provoking opportunities for development.
What trends in technology should visitors to ISE 2020 look for?
I think we’ll start to see AI permeate a number of AV
applications. It’s already being used in digital signage, but
many see opportunities for it in other customer-centric
applications, such as hospitality. AI is also being used to
improve the quality of meetings and collaboration.
ISE 2020 will, I think, provide evidence of the rise of LED-based
screens. They have advantages over LCD – and prices are
dropping rapidly. It will also be interesting to see the progress
that OLED technology has made. Visitors should look out
too for new generations of application-specific projectors.
On audio: object-based sound will be heard everywhere.
With the move to Barcelona in 2021, ISE 2020 will be the
last one at the RAI. How do you feel about that?
The RAI has been a great venue for us for over a decade
now, so of course, there’s some sadness: I’ll leave with
many fond memories of our time there. It’s served us
very well, and has been part of our rapid growth to
become the world’s largest professional audiovisual
event. The downside is that we’ve become too big for a
convention centre even of the RAI’s size and facilities.
However, I’m also excited. The Fira is a fantastic
facility and a much larger space, located in a very
attractive destination. The move isn’t simply about
growing the numbers: it’s about delivering a better-
quality experience to our exhibitors and visitors.
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