ISE Clarifies Badge Situation, Moves Up Opening Hours To Ease Expected Congestion

January 9, 2024 by Dave Haynes

I have questions in to ISE, and specifically show director Mike Blackman about the badge printing and pick-up issue at ISE in three weeks from today.

I’m not sure I will hear back because A) the team is undoubtedly slammed and B) I’m probably not all that popular after suggesting the plans for the 2024 show look more than a bit messy.

Blackman did, however, speak with Guy Campos of AV Interactive to clear up some misconceptions about how things will work in Barcelona. You can find that post here, headlined: ISE pours cold water on badge printing entry chaos fears

The highlights of his response:

• yes, they want attendees to print their badges ahead of time;
• but if they don’t, they can indeed get printed badges on site … however, there will be delays at peak periods because there are limits on printers, people and space;
• the badges printed off-site and brought to the venue will slip into paper-based, biodegradable sleeves attached to lanyards, so they’re not plastic;
• Blackman conceded the communications on all this to attendees could have been better;
• some halls and the overhead concourse will be opened an hour earlier than stated on the ISE site to ease opening hour congestion, so while the show is billed as 10-6 most days, halls 1 and 2 will open at 9. That’s lighting and staging tech in Hall 1 while Hall 2 is about residential and collaboration tech, so the tech focuses are not all that relevant to the digital signage/DOOH crowd … but I always wander through those areas anyway, if I have time. The second level walkway/concourse is MUCH better for getting back and forth, by the way.
• Blackman says the show is tracking to some 100,000 pre-registrations, and suggests that could mean 85,000 people actually showing up. THAT is a big crowd.

Clarity helps, and I think opening two halls and the concourse will help matters, as well as creating more entry points to the sprawling venue. Most people squirt out of one subway station or get dropped off from rides at the curvy main entry area, but there are multiple ways in and out of there … however, you need to study the layout map to be smart about it.

There is another subway stop integrated with the venue that, based on my 2023 experience, not many attendees knew about. I was reluctant to type that out, as I’d enjoy it remaining largely unknown.

I hope these clarifications and adjustments help matters, but I’m guessing one hell of a lot of people coming to the show don’t read AV Interactive or Sixteen:Nine, and also won’t read an ISE e-mail, just because that’s not how they roll.

I hope getting in is not a mess, just because. But also because no matter what I do as advance prep, I’ll still have make my way past the queued-up throngs.

The ISE site still says: To allow faster entry to the show, we are asking ISE 2024 attendees to print out their badge in advance and bring it with them to the Fira.

Here’s what I have asked as a follow-up:

• Were the early opening hours for Halls 1 and 2 and upper concourse always in the plans, or a more recent decision responding to the badge concerns that have bubbled up?
• If people do not print their badges at their home or offices, and arrive without that, what do they do and who do they see?
• Will on-site check-in and badge printing be integrated into the access portal, or be off to a side at the entries?
• What will be the process to get into a lobby? Will attendees need to show the app on their phone like 2023, or will they just walk in to one of the entry areas and then produce their badge to walk though the access portals?
• Will black and white print-outs be acceptable for the badges?
• Are the badges color-coded for exhibitors, attendee, media and others, and if so, how is that going to work with B&W print-outs?
• Home and office printers may handle a PDF in different ways, creating borders and shrinking images. Will the folded sheet fit in the rigid badge holder?
• I suppose the big, umbrella question here is “Why this approach?” Was off-site check-in/printing at the airport and other locations considered?

Update

The show has slightly tweaked its badge messaging on its website, adding a note that “If you’re unable to print your badge in advance, printing is available at the show.”

Before

After