ISE Says 43,691 People Attended Just-Ended Trade Show In Barcelona

May 13, 2022 by Dave Haynes

The numbers have very quickly come in from Integrated Systems Europe about how attendance went this week. The big pro AV trade show closed a few hours ago in Barcelona.

ISE says the total attendee count was 43,691 from 151 countries. Because many attendees go for more than a day, the total count of admissions (with duplicate counts on the same person) was 90,372 visits.

The non-duplicated headcount at ISE 2020 in Amsterdam (just as COVID was developing as a global concern) was 52,128, versus about 82,000 in 2019.

ISE also says exhibitors reported busier than expected booths. The evergreen refrain from companies that invest in trade show stands is that they tend to be far more concerned about the quality of people who stop by, not the quantity.

Says ISE in a statement:

This was the first full ISE show since February 2020, when ISE said farewell to its previous home in Amsterdam and initial signs looked good for a busy week as queues began to form at the opening turnstiles. With 834 exhibitors in 48,000 square metres of show floor across six Technology Zones, ISE 2022 set a new benchmark with an easy-to-navigate venue and a host of opportunities to explore new solutions and drive new business.

The highlights of the event included seven ISE Conferences with more than 1,000 attendees, two keynote addresses, Refik Anadol and Alan Greenberg, presented to a packed audience, and two stunning projection mapping projects within the city of Barcelona.

“We are so pleased to have provided a successful platform for our exhibitors and partners to showcase their innovation and technology solutions,” says Mike Blackman, Managing Director of ISE. “As we all recover from the impact of the pandemic, it is wonderful to be here in Barcelona with what feels like a ‘normal’ ISE in its new home.” 

If the world continues to somewhat normalize, at least in health safety terms, the next ISE is back in Barcelona Jan. 31st to Feb. 3rd next year. Pre-COVID, that’s been the traditional time window for the event.

I didn’t make it, so can’t provide any personal insights. The sense I got from monitoring coverage online and in social media was that it was a normal-ish trade show experience, and traffic was kinda what was expected. When the show moved from Amsterdam, some observers suggested the steady rise in attendance numbers would slow or reverse by setting up shop in Barcelona, instead of the more central Amsterdam.

The show’s backers don’t see it that way, though, and are forecasting huge growth in the exhibitor count, which would tend to also mean growth in attendance. Time will tell. I’m happy to see people and companies in the digital signage ecosystem able to once again market, demo and connect in ways other than video conferences and webinars.

The next dedicated pro AV industry event is InfoComm, the middle of June in Las Vegas.

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