Tag: Dr Dirk Schlesinger

  • ISE attracts record attendance and looks forward to largest-ever show in 2015

    ISE attracts record attendance and looks forward to largest-ever show in 2015

    MUMBAI: After attracting more than 50,000 registered attendees for the first time in its history from 4–6 February, Integrated Systems Europe has further cemented its reputation as the world’s most popular event for professional AV and electronic systems integration. The final total attendance of 51,003 surpassed even the organisers’ own most optimistic expectations, with Europe’s recovering economies and a record 952 exhibitors helping to fuel attendee growth of 15% over last year’s figure of 44,151.

    Also acting as key draws to the event were an enlarged Professional Development programme including off-floor training sessions hosted by ISE’s co-owners CEDIA and InfoComm International, with both associations also contributing seminars to the event’s new on-floor Theatres dedicated to Residential and Commercial Solutions. Between them these sessions attracted over 2,400 people, with InfoComm experiencing an almost three-fold increase in its education traffic over 2013 after offering free session vouchers to every 2014 attendee.

    ISE 2014’s pre-show events programme included the third edition of the Smart Building Conference, the all-new Investor Showcase and Audio Forum, and an Opening Keynote Address, ‘Kick-Starting the Market for Building Automation’, by Cisco’s Dr Dirk Schlesinger. Between them these events attracted a further 1,000 attendees, with hundreds more also signing up for partner events during the show such as the SVGE’s Sport Facility Integration Summit, digital-signage market briefings and tours from Invidis Consulting and the Themed Entertainment Association tour.

    Mike Blackman, Managing Director, Integrated Systems Events, says: “Our big theme this year was content, and we believe we have delivered on our promise to enhance our event – and attract more attendees – by offering a combination of technical training, market intelligence, real-world case studies and networking opportunities that is unmatched by any comparable event in Europe.”

    While the show’s attendance continues to rise impressively, there has been no dilution in the spending power of ISE’s visitors if the show’s exhibitor rebooking trend is anything to go by. By the time the doors closed on Thursday 6 February, on-site rebooking for ISE 2015 stood at 33,450 net square metres, compared with the 2014 show’s total net footprint of 36,035. The rebooking figure is 10% higher than the equivalent a year ago.

    “By all standards of measurement, ISE 2014 was extraordinarily successful,” comments David Labuskes, CTS, RCDD, Executive Director and CEO, InfoComm International. “It was a great way to kick off the industry calendar, and a spectacular way to begin InfoComm International’s 75th year. What started out as a small show in Geneva 11 years ago has blossomed into a truly thriving event. That first ISE was an important early step in our association’s journey beyond its US borders, but would be largely unrecognisable to this year’s ISE attendees.”

    “ISE 2014 was phenomenal in every respect,” echoes Wendy Griffiths, Executive Director, CEDIA Region 1. “This year’s event demonstrated outstanding international growth and CEDIA benefited hugely from this success. More CI companies became CEDIA members at the show than ever before, every CEDIA session in the new ISE Residential Solutions Theatre was jam-packed and CEDIA training courses available off the show floor were also well-attended.”

    The next Integrated Systems Europe will take place at the Amsterdam RAI from 10–12 February 2015.

    Ends

     

    Click here to download a selection of high-resolution images from ISE 2014.

    Additional information is available from: Dan Goldstein, ISE Director of Marketing & Communications, dgoldstein@iseurope.org

     

    About CEDIA: CEDIA is an international trade association of companies that specialize in designing and installing electronic systems for the home. The association was founded in September 1989 and has more than 3,500 member companies worldwide. CEDIA Members are established and insured businesses with bona fide qualifications and experience in this specialized field. For more information on CEDIA, visit: www.cedia.org or www.cedia.co.uk.

     

    About InfoComm International®: InfoComm International® is the international trade association of the professional audiovisual and information communications industries. Established in 1939, InfoComm has 5,000 members, including manufacturers, systems integrators, dealers and distributors, independent consultants, programmers, rental and staging companies, end-users and multimedia professionals from more than 80 countries. InfoComm International is the leading resource for AV market research and news. Its training and education programs set a standard of excellence for AV professionals. InfoComm International is the founder of InfoComm, the largest annual conference and exhibition for AV buyers and sellers worldwide. InfoComm also produces trade shows in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia. Additional information is available at www.infocomm.org.
     

  • Record numbers and new emphasis on content for ISE 2014

    Record numbers and new emphasis on content for ISE 2014

    MUMBAI: As ISE 2014 prepared to open its doors today, over 950 exhibitors were putting the finishing touches to their stands, helping to ensure that the 11th Integrated Systems Europe will be not just the largest tradeshow for professional AV and systems integration ever held in Europe, but also the brightest and the busiest.

     

    The 2014 total of 952 exhibiting companies represents an increase of more than 6% on last year’s figure, and over 200 of those companies are completely new to ISE, giving visitors a wealth of new business opportunities in every technology sector served by the event. The show will occupy more than 36,000 net square metres for the first time, while pre-registration also reached record levels.

     

    Yet Mike Blackman, the event’s Managing Director, believes the real story of ISE 2014 lies behind these impressive numbers. “This week we’ve been drawing a parallel between ISE and the B2B magazines that support us as media partners,” Blackman comments. “If ISE were a magazine, the exhibitor stands on our show floor would be our advertising. Like a magazine, that’s where we derive the bulk of our revenue, but also like a magazine, we can only grow if we develop editorial content – and that’s been our big focus this year.”

     

    By ‘editorial content’, Blackman is referring to the supporting conferences, education sessions, networking opportunities and other ‘event experience’ enhancements that increasingly define large trade-shows like Integrated Systems Europe. In the case of ISE 2014, there are more of these than ever – all the result of extensive industry consultation, and many supported by new partnerships.

     

    The day before the show, Monday 3 February, saw hundreds of delegates attend the Smart Building Conference, Investor Showcase and Audio Forum pre-show events, followed by the Opening Keynote Address, ‘Kick-Starting the Market for Building Automation’, by Cisco’s Dr Dirk Schlesinger.

     

    On the show days themselves, the content theme will be picked up in two new show-floor Theatres, showcasing Commercial and Residential Solutions respectively and between them hosting more than 40 free-to-attend, non-technical seminars from11:00 each day.

     

    The Theatre sessions fall under ISE’s new ‘Professional Development’ education brand, to which the show’s co-owners, CEDIA and InfoComm International, also contribute significantly with their own training programmes. This year InfoComm is offering two free education session vouchers to every ISE attendee, while CEDIA is hosting many new courses as well as exclusive market-research presentations – the latter in the Residential Solutions Theatre.

     

    Elsewhere there is a new Sport Facility Integration Summit on Wednesday 5 February; a new Entrance (F) to reduce congestion and ease access to Halls 7 and 8; a ‘Discovery Zone’ featuring young companies new to ISE, the launch of the show’s ‘M2D’ (‘Manufacturer to Distributor’) match-making portal; and new wayfinding systems and information points to guide attendees around an increasingly diverse and colourful show floor.

     

    “With pre-registration levels indicating that our attendee growth will at least match that of our show floor, we are confident ISE 2014 will be yet another record-breaker,” concludes Blackman. “However, our real achievements are the ways in which we have enhanced our event to make it useful and relevant to new visitor groups, helping to ensure that those who are visiting the show for the first time have a genuine desire to return next year.”