International. The 16th edition of Integrated Systems Europe, ISE, which took place at RAI Amsterdam from 5 to 8 February, was the largest, most far-reaching and most exciting edition of the series, confirming it as the international destination of choice for AV professionals.
In addition to housing 15 rooms that presented the latest technologies and solutions for the integration of AV systems and systems, the fair offered its most far-reaching professional development program to date, extending its coverage to the main sectors of the vertical market.
The largest exhibition floor in ISE's history, 56,100 net square meters, housed 1,301 exhibitors. Of these 225 (17%) were companies that took space in the ISE for the first time. At the close of ISE 2019, 92% of the space available at ISE 2020 had already been sold.
The total number of visitors registered to ISE 2019 was 81,268, another record number for the show. Of these, a remarkable 32% were attending the ISE for the first time. Wednesday saw the highest one-day attendance figure of all shows at Amsterdam's RAI, and the number of attendees on Friday topped 20,000 for the first time.
A key theme of the program was how AV technology allows creative imaginations to produce rich experiences. This was explored both in the keynote speech by master projection designer Bart Kresa, and in the closing speech by Tupac Martir, creative director and co-founder of Satore Studio. They were part of a professional development program involving 300 international opinion leaders, subject matter experts and creative minds.
Mike Blackman, Managing Director of Integrated Systems Events, commented, "As an exhibition, as an unparalleled source of education and professional development, and as a destination for a global industry to come together and do business, ISE 2019 has delivered results. Our keynote, Closing Keynote, and our two projection mapping features were fantastic showcases for how event professionals and others can leverage AV technology to better realize their creativity."
The day after his keynote speech, the world premiere of Bart Kresa's latest projection mapping sculpture, Sviatovid, took place at the RAI. Constantly changing, highly detailed images projected around a 5 m tall figure, synchronized with a dynamic soundtrack, created for a compelling and memorable AV experience.
In the first screening screening of ISE 2019, the façade of the soon-to-be-opened nhow RAI Amsterdam hotel, right next to the exhibition centre, became a video projection canvas, with video filmed that day in the show that is part of each night's exhibition.
Presented under the slogan 'Learn. Discover. Be Inspired', the professional development program of ISE 2019 had a strong participation of the co-owners of the show AVIXA and CEDIA, as well as conferences organized by specialists in vertical markets.
For the first time, the nearby Okura Hotel was used as ISE's headquarters and hosted five of the program's ten conferences. New additions for 2019 include Hospitality Tech Summit by HTNG; Digital Cinema Summit, produced in conjunction with Digital Cinema Report; AGORA, for the sports facilities market, produced by MONDO | STADIUMS; and tourist attractions and theme park specialist blooloop returned to ISE for the second year in a row with his new Attractions TECH conference.
AVIXA hosted two of its "What's Next" conferences, which sold out before the opening of the show. These two strategy and technology conferences focused on integrated AV experiences in higher education and business. The association also held a series of free 20-minute FlashTrack educational sessions at its booth.
CEDIA, which used ISE 2019 to kick off its 30th anniversary celebration events, had a four-day professional development program with over 36 different courses, covering the relevant topics under the headings Technical Skills, Emerging Trends, and Business Success. In addition, its stand organized free CEDIA talks on industry topics every day of the show.
An innovation for ISE 2019 was the Main Stage Theatre in Hall 8. This was the venue for high-level leadership presentations, best practice case studies, and expert-led panel discussions, many of which were "exclusive." The content was provided by AVIXA, CEDIA, AV Magazine and ISE, and the presentations were broadcast live to the ISE website.
ISE 2020 will be held from 11 to 14 at the RAI in Amsterdam.
