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 nwhile 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. Daily attendance figures, which include exhibitors and attendees, were as follows:

• Monday 10 February (build-up, conferences and Opening Address): 11,112

• Tuesday 11 February (first day of exhibition): 27,592

• Wednesday 12 February: 34,004

• Thursday 13 February: 28,678

• Friday 14 February: 15,213

This makes a cumulative total of 116,599 visits to ISE 2020. Removing repeat visits by individuals on subsequent days gives a total of 52,128 unique attendees.

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 considerable efforts expended by its exhibitors in creating attractive and effective stands were celebrated in ISE’s fourth annual Stand Design Awards. Independently run by EXHIBITOR magazine and judged by a third-party panel of exhibition industry experts, the competition determined the best stands against seven criteria across four size-based categories from small (up to 49sqm) to XL (400sqm and above). The respective winners in these categories were Rocketsign, Lindy, BenQ Europe and NEC Display Solutions.

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 Special 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.

During ISE 2020, over 950 exhibitors booked their stands for ISE 2021, with 61,968 square metres of stand space sold by the close of the show. This equates to 82% of the available ISE 2021 show floor, and approximately 115% of this year’s exhibition floor space. Reflecting the increasing number of vertical markets that ISE serves, additional Technology Zones for next year include Live Events and Lighting, Broadcast, and VR/AR/XR.

ISE 2021 will take place at the Gran Via – Fira de Barcelona on 2-5 February 2021.