DSE’s California Relaunch Draws 400 Attendees, But Big Hardware Brands Stay Home
October 22, 2025 by guest author, Florian Rotberg
After more than a decade in Las Vegas, the Digital Signage Experience (DSE) took a bold step this year, relocating to Southern California as a standalone conference. The new venue and reimagined format drew roughly 400 attendees, including integrators, software developers, and digital agencies. However, major display and hardware manufacturers were notably absent.
San Diego rolled out its best for the occasion. Attendees arrived amid a late-summer heat wave for the 1.5-day conference, which included a compact exhibition featuring 40–50 exhibitors. Many participants were testing the waters with this new format, including integrators, software developers, and second-tier hardware specialists.
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- DSE 2025 in San Diego (Image: invidis)
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- DSE 2025 in San Diego (Image: invidis)
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- DSE 2025 in San Diego (Image: invidis)
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- DSE 2025 in San Diego (Image: invidis)
The revamped concept aimed to return DSE to its roots, with a strong emphasis on end customers and agencies. While the ambition was clear, the first conference under this new format fell short of fully realizing that goal. Still, feedback was largely positive. Exhibitors and attendees praised the quality of participants, even if the show’s size remained modest compared to past editions.
Most presentations and panels centered on customer experience innovations, reflecting the industry’s ongoing shift toward engagement-driven strategies.
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- DSE 2025 in San Diego (Image: invidis)
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- DSE 2025 in San Diego (Image: invidis)
The subdued mood at DSE was less a result of the event itself and more so a reflection of the broader economic climate. Since April, U.S. tariffs have weighed heavily on the North American digital signage sector. Sales dropped by over 10% in Q2, and demand continued to decline through Q3. Brick-and-mortar retailers, in particular, continue to delay planned investments – a trend that even the booming retail media network segment cannot offset.
Adding to the contrast, TwitchCon – a magnet for tens of thousands of social media content creators – was happening simultaneously in San Diego. While the always in a good mood Twitch live streamers dominated the city, the digital signage community gathered in a quieter corner, debating the future of customer experiences.
The question now is whether this San Diego reboot marks the beginning of a new chapter for DSE or simply a transitional experiment. The industry clearly values focused networking and high-quality content in addition to Infocomm and dedicated vertical shows – but will that be enough to bring back the big players and restore DSE’s former prominence?
Nice view and article. Last year dse did a nice pavilion at iaapa. Worked well. Not this year but lots of digital signage people there.
David and the team did an outstanding job a
this week. While the “quantity” may be the issue for you, the “quality” of the people there, the business meetings, and partnerships were outstanding. Plus the venue and location were perfect. No need to be so negative as an industry leader.