Commercial Integrator February 2023 - 24

ISE 2023
Global AV Gathering
ISE 2023:
AN ECOSYSTEM
OF AUDIOVISUAL
EXPERIENCES
Integrated Systems Europe offered a place for
integrators to come for inspiration, to learn
and to cultivate skills. By Alyssa Borelli
IF YOU WERE TO CLOSE your eyes and
think about the last in-person audiovisual
trade show you attended - for example,
InfoComm, CEDIA Expo or, perhaps, Integrated
Systems Europe (ISE) - what would
pop into your mind? Very likely, you'd
remember the conversations you engaged
in, the people you met, the technology
you saw and the experiences you had.
Now, close your eyes and think about a virtual
trade show that you attended during
the pandemic. Not much of a contest, is it?
Prior to the pandemic, many of us might
have taken face-to-face experiences for
granted. Not anymore! Now, we are acutely
aware of their power and value. " That
depth of interaction between buyers and
the sellers is immeasurable, " AVIXA's CEO,
David Labuskes, CTS, CAE, RCDD, says.
And with AVIXA owning the InfoComm
show, and with ISE being a joint venture
of AVIXA and CEDIA, Labuskes certainly
speaks from experience.
Face-to-face trade show experiences
offer a memorable depth and a visceral
reality. People are physically together;
they're touching and seeing and hearing
24
technology firsthand. That's not even to
mention all those incomparable experiences
of bumping into your favorite
#avtweeps or meeting passionate industry
newbies, or perhaps having a spontaneous
conversation that truly inspires you.
And let's not forget the excitement
of sitting in the audience during a panel
discussion whose topic really resonates
with you and your business. You identified
the topic; you put it on your schedule;
and you pulled out your notebook, ready
to glean as much information as possible.
Then, across the room, somebody raises
their hand and asks a question that touches
on exactly the problem you're having.
Is it serendipity? Is it kismet? Whatever
it is, a moment like that should never be
undervalued - and it can only happen in
just that way when everyone's gathered in
the same room.
For Labuskes, shows like ISE not only are
ecosystems unto themselves but, indeed,
reflect the broad ecosystem that is the AV
industry. " [The AV] industry and even the
name of the show - Integrated Systems
- is about integrating disparate parts
Commercial Integrator FEBRUARY 2023
and components to deliver a solution that
entails an experience that human beings are
having to communicate with each other, "
Labuskes explains. " This integration of components
reflects an ecosystem, where
you have controls, displays, audio inputs
and audio outputs, mounting systems,
etc. You have all these pieces and parts
of an experience that you're going to deliver
to a customer, and there's nowhere
else on the planet where that ecosystem
comes together. "
Analogous to components coming
together to create an outstanding audiovisual
system, the people who gather at
shows like ISE also create new, exciting
groupings. As an example, Labuskes cites
mergers and acquisitions precipitated because
exhibitor A was across the aisle from
exhibitor B at a trade show like ISE.
Inside ISE 2023
ISE 2023 welcomed more than 900 exhibitors,
including 120 first-time exhibitors, to
the Fira Barcelona Gran Via from January
31 to February 3, 2023, in Barcelona.
All together, their stands and exhibits
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Commercial Integrator February 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Commercial Integrator February 2023
