On a personal level, the ISE Show probably couldn’t come at a better time. Taking place at the start of the year, it allows me to not only spend a few days in undeniably much warmer climes but also, it’s an unabashed celebration of this brilliant industry and thus an early annual reminder of how lucky I am to be a part of it! This year was certainly no different and as the wheels of the plane on my return flight touched the tarmac at Bristol Airport, I thought it might be a good idea to put together some thoughts about this year’s exhibition – which, for me, was the most successful one yet.
In case you’re not aware, the ISE Show is classed as the biggest exhibition in the AV and systems integration industry, uniting professionals from across the globe to exchange insights, explore ground-breaking technologies, and forge lasting connections. This year, it took place from 4-7th February and broke its own records, by having over 85,000 visitors from over 160 countries along with over 1,600 exhibitors. These are indeed very impressive number but not surprising if you were there and experienced the vast space of Fira de Barcelona. For context, the lighting section had an entire hall to itself and you felt as though you could have spent all four days there!
I was in attendance as the Managing Director of 3LR and it was such a joy to catch up with our clients, peers as well as old friends. Many of these are internationally-based, having travelled from the US, Asia and Australia, so to see and speak to everyone in one place is a rare delight! We were engaged in discussions about current projects we’re working on (which I’m not able to reveal just yet) as well as upcoming projects we’re currently preparing for (see previous comment in brackets!). And whilst we have all naturally moved more into the online sphere where the majority of our meetings and conversations take place over Teams or Zoom or on the phone, you still can’t beat, in my opinion, speaking to one another face-to-face and having that human interaction.
I was also in attendance as the Manufacturer Representative for ETC. The ETC stand was constantly bustling and I was very appreciative of the fact they had seats this year (in my defence, I did a lot of walking at this show!). It was great to see so much excitement about their new Paradigm Lighting Control Processor in a DIN Rail Enclosure – this being their first processor that fits within such an enclosure and which doubles their previous processor’s streaming ACN output. The Paradigm can also act as a lead controller for any lighting system, all through the use of an easy-to-use touchscreen. If anyone wants to know more about this product and its countless features then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me or one of the team.
There were several other manufacturers displaying their innovative new products and one of the main highlights was the E-sports Arena, where thrilling gaming competitions and cutting-edge e-sports and broadcasting technology were taking centre stage. One of the biggest things I took away from the event were the conversations about how the industry actively wants to align the technology it uses, both in live performance and integration environments. So, rather than see audio, video, digital signage and lighting as separate entities, there’s now an active shift to see these work holistically as one. The driving force behind this is clearly the user’s experience and giving them a greater emotional connection to the technology they’re using – with lighting by emotion being at the core of what we do and a mantra we’ve been pushing since our formation.
Other conversations included the ever-prevalent issue of sustainability and how the industry can continue becoming as environmentally friendly as possible. There were several workshops about just this and it’s really insightful to see that when manufacturers are launching new products, they’re also considering its long-term environmental impact; whether that’s its life-cycle or recyclability.
This year’s ISE Show also marked my first as PLASA Chair – effectively meaning I was wearing three hats! It’s obviously a privilege to be given such a position and I really enjoyed speaking to all of the different PLASA members and representing this brilliant organisation. Speaking of which, I have written some (more!) words about my role as PLASA Chair in this month’s LSi so please have a read when you get a moment.
So, to summarise, it was another brilliant four days in Sunny Spain at another incredible ISE Show. Perhaps the one element that stood out most to me was just how thriving this industry is and how there was so much excitement and confidence looking at the year ahead. It’s an enthusiasm we most certainly share and one we expect to grow as we throw ourselves into a plethora of innovative and ground-breaking projects over the next few months.
And before I forget, if you were at the show and didn’t manage to say hi, then feel free to drop me a line on [email protected].
