ISE 2020 completed its 15-year stay at RAI Amsterdam on Friday 14 February 2020. The special ¡Hola Barcelona! event held on the final day brought down the curtain on ISE’s residence at Amsterdam’s leading exhibition centre. Politicians and executives saluted the RAI venue and the City of Amsterdam while looking ahead to the future with the show’s move to the Fira de Barcelona next year.
Against a backdrop of the international health crisis and a storm sweeping across Europe, ISE 2020 delivered a vibrant exhibition floor and a compelling programme of content that included conferences, keynotes and training. The four-day show ended an exciting chapter in the exhibition’s history.
Mike Blackman, managing director of Integrated Systems Events, commented: “This year’s show demonstrated to us just how determined our attendees were to come to ISE. Many of our exhibitors exceeded their targets for customer engagement and lead generation. The show has delivered on all fronts: as the global industry’s biggest annual forum, as a launchpad for new solutions, as a place to do business, and as a source of professional development and education.”
While attendance was understandably down against the previous year, crowds still flocked to the event. The event drew a cumulative total of 116,599 visit. Removing repeat visits by individuals on subsequent days gives a total of 52,128 unique attendees.
Thought leadership and expert opinion were to be found across many channels at ISE 2020, ensuring that delegates had an abundance of opportunities to ‘Learn. Discover. Be Inspired’.
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In the Opening Address, former Disney executive Duncan Wardle gave an engaging and thought-provoking demonstration of how to unleash the creativity within us all.
Fourteen conferences in two venues addressed business strategies and technology trends across the broadest range of vertical markets ever served by an ISE professional development programme. This well-received line-up included the launch of the Control Rooms Summit, and the creation of the Smart Workplace Track as an offshoot of the Smart Building Conference.
On the Main Stage, jointly organised by ISE, AVIXA, CEDIA and AV Magazine, expert speakers offered thought leadership on a wide range of topics. Attracting a diverse and talented workforce within the AV industry was the focus of a number of these sessions. AVIXA’s Diversity Council Forum featured a keynote speech from BBC Creative Diversity Director June Sarpong, and in a session organised jointly with WAVE (Women in AV), the AVIXA Women’s Council was addressed by the Hon. Àngels Chacón, Minister for Business and Knowledge in the Catalonian Government. And on Friday, a panel session jointly produced by all four content partners discussed practical measures for recruiting new talent to the industry.
The largest AV Career Day ever held at ISE was an outstanding success. Over 170 students and faculty from 12 different universities across five countries took part in the event, organised by AVIXA and CEDIA. Presentations, discussions and show floor visits gave participants a real flavour of the wide variety of career paths that the industry has to offer.
In preparation for ISE 2021 in Barcelona, over 80 Spanish professionals from a broad cross-section of vertical markets were invited to ISE 2020 as part of the event’s Specialb Interest Group programme. Supported by ACCIO, ICEX and Grupo Eventoplus, they took part in a special programme of tours, presentations and networking functions, culminating in the ¡Hola Barcelona! event.
ISE 2021 will take place at the Gran Via – Fira de Barcelona on 2-5 February 2021.
