ISE goes global
Published: WORLD
WORLD: While ISE has traditionally been seen as a European show, the 2017 edition feels much more like the global event it now is. Walking the packed aisles of the RAI are integrators and distributors from right across Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Interestingly, non-European visitors now account for 20 per cent of the 70,000-strong crowd. That adds up to around 14,000 people, a figure that many of the regional events would surely be happy to achieve.
The draw for many visitors will always be the new solutions on show. And there are plenty of those to see. There have been product launches in just about every A/V category with manufacturers highlighting everything from conferencing systems to media servers and loudspeakers to mounting solutions. The likes of Audio-Technica, Audinate, Shure, Crestron, Kramer, Bose, Harman, Christie, Meyer Sound, Peerless-AV, Yamaha, Picturall, Calibre, Alcons and Genelec to name just a few all have notable new solutions on their booths.
While these releases are varied in their nature, one of the common themes to come from the new products is interoperability. Plenty of manufacturers are celebrating the work they are doing together and how the latest releases can be networked.
But these public releases have not been the only pull. A number of manufacturers have held distributor meetings to discuss the solutions they are planning and future strategies with their international partners, while several others have taken time away from the show to highlight the next generation of products to selected clients.
Away from the show floor, the packed education schedule has also seen a record year for registrations. Starting with the pre-show conferences and training and continuing with the show-floor theatres, special events for developing the workforce and certification courses, an increasing number of people are using ISE as a place to expand their skills.
The global pull of ISE has certainly been established, the challenge for the organiser now will be to continue this growth and attract more people from outside Europe.
ISE continues until Friday February 10th.