The Story of ISE

Integrated Systems Europe

Integrated Systems Europe began life in 2004, with the first edition of the show being held in Geneva, Switzerland. It hosted 120 exhibitors and attracted 3,500 visitors. Most importantly, it laid the foundation for unprecedented growth for the annual show over the years.

Fast forward 16 years, and ISE 2020 attracted more than 1,300 exhibitors and over 116,000 visits to its final edition at the RAI Amsterdam.

ISE is now recognised as the largest AV and systems integration show in the world. It is the European destination for an industry that is truly global. If you have business to do in any of the many market segments that make up this dynamic industry, you’ll want to be part of ISE – either as an exhibitor or an attendee.

As the show has grown, it has naturally changed and evolved. What started out as a temporary shop window for 120 companies is now a multi-faceted, four-day event that features a huge show floor, comprehensive education and professional development programmes, conferences, world class speakers and a multitude of affiliated and partner events.

ISE has helped formulate the systems integration industry and increased collaborative approaches across a wide range of complementary technologies.

The show’s growth has been steady and sustainable. Five years after launching, ISE 2009 welcomed over 560 exhibitors and almost 25,000 visitors. By 2012, the number of exhibitors broke 800 and more than 40,000 people attended the show. ISE 2016 hosted over 1,100 exhibitors and more than 65,000 visitors. The growth continued in subsequent years, when yet more records were broken.

Though the numbers and figures give a good indication of the show’s success and its importance to the industry, they don’t tell the whole story. As ISE has grown, so too have the layers of its offer. While its role as a showcase for the industry’s latest products and solutions remains at its core, it has developed into a platform for sharing ideas and insight – not just from within the AV industry but from other industries that cross it.

The organisation behind ISE – Integrated Systems Events LLC – is a joint venture between AVIXA and CEDIA, the two leading industry associations for the global audiovisual industry. It is very important to all of the organisational parties that ISE serves the industry in the best way it possibly can and that it remains strong, so that it can continue to support the industry – the companies and the people that populate it.

Maintaining its reputation for connecting new technologies, companies and end-user industries, ISE will continue to look for ways of improving and developing, in order to present innovation across its show floor, education programmes, conferences and beyond.

In 2021, the ISE exhibition will relocate to the Fira de Barcelona exhibition complex.

Dates for the 2021 show were rescheduled to June 1-4 in light of concerns around the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The show will return to its traditional February timing for 2022.

Voices of ISE

Numbers are one thing but they only count if the people on the show floor are happy. Companies and visitors attend ISE to be part of the largest AV systems integration show in the world and to build their understanding of the latest innovations and technologies that are driving the industry forward. We spoke to visitors and exhibitors at the show to find out how they felt about the latest installment of ISE. These are the voices of ISE.

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Strong and sustainable event growth

Since its launch in 2004, ISE has grown year-on-year, with each event delivering higher numbers of exhibitors and attendees.

The growth in size of ISE was the primary driver for the decision to increase the exhibition to four days in 2016. Four days gives exhibitors more ‘face time’ with attendees and affords attendees a longer period to visit stands and to take advantage of the many conferences and educational programmes on offer.

Over 1,300 companies exhibited at the four-day ISE 2020. Despite stormy weather in Europe and the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, the event drew 51,582 attendees and a cumulative total of 116,599 visits.

ISE is seen as a major launch-pad for manufacturers and service providers to propel new products and solutions into the AV and systems integration marketplace. Such activity inevitably attracts the media; 430 editors, technical writers and news journalists from 36 countries attended the exhibition in 2020.

ISE 2020 Facts & Figures

The Facts & Figures report for this year’s show contains a detailed picture of our attendees: where they come from, their seniority, their purchasing authority, their areas of interest and more besides.

In addition, the report draws on our extensive post-show research among attendees and exhibitors. It tells you what they thought of the event as a whole, and their views of many individual elements of the ISE 2020 experience.

Click to download the report.

Our vision

Integrated Systems Europe remains the international destination of choice for AV and systems integration professionals.

Mike Blackman, Integrated Systems Events Managing Director, says:
“This is the only event where you can get an overview of the whole AV market in one place. As our industry, and the industries that it serves, start to rebuild, our exhibitors will be looking to ISE 2021 to be a catalyst for the recovery. It has never been more important for us to bring together the buyers and sellers together in one arena, so that they can come together to do business.”

David Labuskes, AVIXA CEO, says:
“Reflecting on our last ISE in Amsterdam earlier this year and global developments since then, I am struck by the sheer determination and energy our AV industry friends and colleagues have shown in the face of the significant challenges we are all facing. Not for the first time, the AV industry is showing huge resilience and agility, and ISE 2021 presents a tremendous opportunity to engage, be inspired and learn from its rich and diverse agenda. I am confident that we will come through these difficult times together and I look forward to connecting with everyone again at ISE 2021 in Barcelona.”

Tabatha O’Connor, CEDIA Global President and CEO says:
“Being part of the ISE family has long been a source of pride for CEDIA. It’s a wonderful show, and it draws the best minds in our industries. As the current crisis has taught us, the spirit of unity that a show like ISE fosters can’t be overstated. With more and more people working remotely across the globe, the residential and commercial spaces will inform and support one another like never before, and that’s why ISE will become even more relevant – and necessary – than ever. We look forward to celebrating our community overcoming this crisis and coming together in Barcelona.”