- AMSTERDAM--Achieving the highest attendee total in the event’s seven-year history, Integrated Systems Europe 2010 attracted 28,489 attendees to the Amsterdam RAI between 2–4 February, organiser Integrated Systems Events has announced. The total represents a 14.4 percent increase from last year’s total of 24,912, which was itself a record.
- Those attendees saw products from 640 exhibitors – up from 564 in 2009 and another record for the show. Digital signage, professional audio, collaborative conferencing, LED technology and building automation all contributed to the growth in exhibitor numbers, confirming ISE’s position as the undisputed No.1 show for professional AV and electronic systems integration in the EMEA region.
- “We are delighted to have once again hosted a record-breaking event here in Amsterdam,” comments Mike Blackman, managing director, Integrated Systems Events. “To have posted a substantial increase in attendance is a reflection of the long-term strength of our industry, and a vindication of our marketing programme which was more extensive than ever this year.”
- Exhibitors were effusive in their praise for ISE 2010, with manufacturers from across the technology spectrum offering evidence of three days of great business having been done. “This is the best European show for the AV market – clean, refreshing, and new,” said Pauline Brooksbank, managing director at image-processing company Calibre UK. “It’s a relaxed environment, and what’s good is that the bigger stands are split across the halls, so it’s easy to get around. Well done ISE on creating such a great show!”
- PMC, which manufactures high-quality loudspeakers for the home theatre market, was one of over 100 first-time ISE exhibitors. The company’s marketing coordinator Samantha Thomas enthused: “ISE was a great success. We were very impressed with the turnout of trade visitors, not only in quantity but in quality and diversity as well.”
- Another first-time exhibitor was professional audio company Baldwin Boxall. The company’s Nick Baldwin said simply: “I cannot fault ISE. Everyone who visited us expressed real interest and the show has been very successful for us. We are absolutely delighted and will be rebooking for 2011.”
- The exhibitor rebooking process began on the second day of this year’s show, and by the close, over 83 percent of the space for ISE 2011 had already been booked – up from 71 percent at the equivalent time a year ago.
- “Our remarkable percentage of rebooked space for 2011 demonstrates that our exhibitors did not merely have a busy show – they enjoyed three days of substantial new business opportunities,” adds Blackman. “This confirms our belief that the market for professional AV and electronic systems integration still has plenty of growth potential for the future.”
- Further optimism was expressed outside of the show floor, not least at the ISE DOOH Business Conference, the show’s traditional curtain-raiser for the digital signage and out-of-home advertising communities, where over 100 delegates gathered to consider how this new market is likely to grow strongly in the years to come.
- Elsewhere, record numbers of visitors attended the education sessions organised by ISE’s two supporting associations, CEDIA and InfoComm International®, while the ISE Theatre hosted a wide-ranging programme of free panel discussions that likewise drew hundreds of attendees. Yet Blackman insists the best is yet to come:
- “ISE is still only seven years old,” he points out. “Audiovisual technology is in demand everywhere. Our industry is growing fast and in many different directions. Our task now is to consult with our exhibitors, consider the best ways in which to capitalise on our growth opportunities, and come up with a 2011 show which keeps both ISE and the industry it serves on an upward trajectory.”
