ISE reveals figures for its biggest show ever

• News

• 14/02/2019

Last week saw the 16th Integrated Systems Europe held at the RAI Amsterdam form 5-8 February and it has been revealed that it was the biggest show to date.

Breaking previous records, the show filled 15 halls spanning 56,100 net square metres with 1,301 exhibitors, 225 of these were companies exhibiting at ISE for the first time. By the end of ISE 2019, 92 per cent of available floor space for ISE 2020 had been sold.

Visitor numbers were just as remarkable. Also breaking records, the overall number of registered visitors to ISE 2019 was 81,268 with 32 per cent of the overall figure attending for the first time. It was also announced that Wednesday was the busiest day ever with the attendance figure being the largest for any show at the Amsterdam RAI. Growth was seen on the quietest day of the show too with attendees on Friday passing 20,000 for the first time.



During an interview with ISESHOWTV, Mike Blackman, managing director of Integrated Systems Europe, commented on the attendance: “Wednesday is always an incredible day. It is always our busiest day. This year we saw almost 11 per cent more people coming in on Wednesday compared to last year. It shows the resilience of our industry. It shows the interest that people want to learn and see what’s new.” 

The show kicked off on Monday with the Smart Building Conference – read our report here – and the Opening Address, which was given by master projection designer, Bart Kresa. The Closing Keynote held on Friday was from Tupac Martir, creative director and co-founder of Satore Studio. The main theme explored through both keynotes looked at how AV technology enables creative imaginations to produce rich experiences. 



Throughout the show, ten conferences were held for a variety of different markets, with five being held at the nearby Hotel Okura to extend the show’s footprint. 

Another big part of the show was the four-day professional development programme from CEDIA. Using ISE to begin its 30th anniversary celebrations, CEDIA held over 36 different courses covering a range of subjects under the headings of Technical Skills, Emerging Trends, and Business Success. In addition, CEDIA hosted free talks on its stand over the four days on topical industry issues. 



The Main Stage theatre in Hall 8 saw high-level, thought-led presentations, best practice case studies and expert-led panel discussions, with many sessions being ‘standing-room only’. 

But the main ISE event was on the show floor where visitors filled the 15 halls to see exhibitors launch new products and showcase their latest solutions. Some of the key trends seen through the show were 8K displays; smart building technology, including IoT; AI-equipped devices; the continued progression of conferencing and collaboration technology; 3D projection mapping; a huge choice of curved, flexible, transparent and ever-smaller-pitch LED displays; and developments in AV-over-IP and audio networking. 



In his interview with ISESHOWTV, Blackman added: “Every year people say it’s the best yet, but we just seem to improve and improve. We’re learning and evolving so I’m very happy.”

ISE 2020 will be the last time the show is held at the RAI Amsterdam as it will be moving to Barcelona the year after. ISE 2020 will be held from 11-14 February 2020 at the RAI Amsterdam.