World’s largest audiovisual trade show ISE kicks off in Barcelona

The world’s largest audiovisual fair, Integrated Systems Europe (ISE), kicked off its 20th edition on Tuesday morning at Barcelona’s Fira Gran Via site.

Running until Friday, February 2, the fair will showcase all the latest audiovisual technology, from returning multinational giants such as LG and Samsung, as well as from 200 first-time exhibitors, which can be found in the ‘Discovery Zone’ of the trade show.

A total of 80 Catalan companies and technology research centers will participate in 2024, up 10% from last year.

According to ISE’s managing director, Mike Blackman, this year’s edition will be “the biggest ever” both in terms of space, visitors, and exhibitors.

25% more attendees expected

In 2023, the trade show welcomed more than 58,000 attendees from 155 different countries over four days.

This year, the number is expected to increase by 25%, as 80,000 attendees have already pre-registered for the event, although not all of them are expected to come, Blackman admitted to the Catalan News Agency (ACN) prior to the event.

“It’s like a party, you invite 100 people, and then some of them decide last minute not to come, but we hope they all come,” added the director.

Some 1,340 exhibitors will take part in the exhibition at the Fira Barcelona Gran Via site, across an 82,000-square-meter space, 30% larger than last year.  

One exhibitor, Jesús Guardiola from Samsung, said having ISE in Barcelona was a great asset. "It makes things easy for us at Samsung España as all our commercial partners come," he said, adding "it's obviously a very intense week of work, but it's rewarding." 

Seven technology zones

The ISE will be divided into seven different technology zones such as Audio, Content Production, Lighting and Staging, and Residential and Smart Building, to name a few, all of which will showcase the latest technologies in audiovisual solutions.

Keynotes from artists and Oscar winner

The opening keynote speech on Tuesday will be delivered by multiple Academy Award-winning director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. Titled Seeing through the Eyes of Others: Redefining the Art of Storytelling, the keynote will explore the role of audiovisual technologies in shaping storytelling.

The digital artist Jeroen van der Most, will give a live performance of 'Bee Barcelona', an AI-generated artwork specifically created for ISE on Wednesday. Van der Most will deliver a keynote speech on the same day.

On Thursday, Argentine audiovisual artist Sofia Crespo behind the projection mapping piece ‘Structures of being’ will hold the keynote speech.

The artwork was projected onto the façade of the modernist Antoni Gaudí building the Casa Battló on January 27 and 28, as a precursor to the ISE fair and the 2024 Llum BCN lighting festival taking place on February 2 and 4.

This is the fourth time the ISE had been held in Barcelona after having been held in Amsterdam between 2004 and 2020.