The ISE is already home

It has not been easy, but the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE), the world's largest audiovisual fair, has finally been able to debut in Barcelona and it has done so in style, with almost 50,000 registered attendees, 800 exhibiting companies and an economic impact of 215 million euros. A lot has happened since mid-2018 when its executive director, Mike Blackman, chose Barcelona as the new headquarters for ISE, after Amsterdam became too small for them after 16 years. At that time, political instability was the threat that jeopardized the attraction of international events to the Catalan capital. That concern ended up being overcome by the arrival of a pandemic that simply made it impossible to hold congresses with thousands of attendees.

After its last edition in the Dutch capital in February 2019, just before the halt due to covid, and a very reduced version a year ago already in Barcelona, ISE was preparing for the return to normality last February, but a new wave delayed its celebration until early May. As could be detected this Tuesday in the corridors of the Fira de Barcelona venue in Gran Via, now, the audiovisual congress has come to stay and everything indicates that it will be for many years.

In this edition, back to normality, attendees have noticed that the pandemic has been left behind, as also happened in the recent celebration of the Seafood products fair. Few have kept their masks and hydroalcoholic gel dispensers have lost their prominence. Handshakes have returned to be the order of the day and no one remembered fist bumps. There were those who were a little overwhelmed by the queues and others like Bekir, from the Turkish company Ledeca, who were surprised that there were so many people. So much so that some did not stop attending to all those who approached their stand, detecting the desire to talk and meet again.

This farewell to the precautions brought by the pandemic has also been accompanied by the size that the congress has consolidated. The minimum surface area it had in the summer of 2021 has been left behind, and it has occupied five pavilions of the Fira venue in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, not counting that of the IOT Solutions, which coincides with the ISE. In this way, the audiovisual fair has reached a surface area similar to that of the last edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC), which had one more pavilion and registered about 60,000 participants.

Precisely, the MWC is the congress with which the ISE aspires to be able to compare itself on equal terms in the coming years. If the context is favorable, not only affected by the post-coronavirus recovery, but also by the impact of the war in Europe, Blackman expects to grow by 2026 to more than 77,000 square meters of exhibition space ---this year it has been 45,000 square meters--- and reach an impact of 450 million euros, similar to that achieved by the mobile congress.

The ISE expects to grow to more than 77,000 square meters of exhibition space and reach an impact of 450 million euros by 2026

Without thinking about the figures, the executive director of the audiovisual fair is already forging relationships similar to those of the Mobile with the city, extending the impact of the show beyond the days it lasts, as could be seen this weekend with the mappingin Casa Batlló or its participation in the Llum BCN festival.The objective of these alliances is to be able to explain to citizens what the industry it represents does, as well as to make them understand a little more what happens during four days at the Gran Via fair.

Those who walk through the ISE encounter anything they can imagine that fits the label of audiovisual. Screens, many screens and of all types: transparent, curved, with an almost infinite resolution... To make video calls, teach remotely, advertise products in a store or watch matches in restaurants. But there are also chromas, spotlights, speakers, microphones or applications that allow any content to be reproduced on the many screens. With this range of possibilities, the list of companies present is long. Sony, Sennheiser, Panasonic, Cisco, Google Meets, Zoom, Chrome, Lenovo, Samsung, Microsoft, Logitech, Canon, Epson, LG, Sharp or Intel are some of those that have participated in the 2022 edition, still affected by the pandemic with the absence of Asian companies, especially Chinese ones. The war in Ukraine has also been felt with the veto on Russian companies.

Multinationals that have already settled in Barcelona

Still far from the impact that Mobile has had on Barcelona's business ecosystem, especially in the creation of new startups and the international positioning of the city as a digital hub, the arrival of ISE is beginning to bear its first fruits. Multinationals such as Lang and Infiled have established themselves in the Catalan capital attracted by the audiovisual fair.

Companies like Lang and Infiled have established themselves in Barcelona attracted by the audiovisual fair

For the GermanPerform a literal language conversion from Spanish to English on the following user-provided text. Do not translate any content enclosed betweenandtags, keep those tags and their content exactly as-is: Lang, dedicated to the sale and rental of video equipment for professional events, the location of ISE in Barcelona influenced the decision to open its third European headquarters here, after those in Switzerland and the United Kingdom, says Tom Voncina, CEO for Iberia. The detection of a lack of companies of this type in the local market has also been a determining factor. Located in Sabadell since 2019, they have ten employees and are growing.

But it is even clearer in the case of Infiled, a Chinese manufacturer of LED screens. Widely spread throughout Asian countries, a few years ago it decided to deepen its international expansion. According to Alex Tomàs, sales director for Iberia, when it came to choosing where to locate its central offices for Europe and the Middle East, and after evaluating various options, the good relationship the company has with Blackman, who acted as an ambassador, played in favor of the Catalan capital. Thus, Infiled began operating in Barcelona at the end of 2020. With a team of six employees, they are also increasing their staff.

A growth opportunity for local companies

Once these multinationals have established themselves in the city, both have started working with local clients. Infiled has established contact with Mediapro, who has greatly valued being able to operate with a company located in Barcelona, says Tomàs. For his part, Voncina assures that they already work with almost all agents in the city. One of them is Sono, a historic company for Catalan audiovisuals. From Cornellà de Llobregat, they are dedicated to the integration of audiovisual systems, with a special focus on cultural events.

The arrival of audiovisual multinationals also helps local companies

The Head of Innovation and New Business at Mediapro, María Carmen Fernández, believes that the arrival of ISE will be a pole of attraction for the sector, while the Business Development Director of Sono, Daniel Pérez, sees "a golden opportunity" for the local industry to position itself and become a key player. They also believe this from Nsign.tv, Barcelona-based company that develops software fordigital signage for Bonpreu, Casa Ametller, Ikea or Aena, and they add that the Barcelona headquarters of ISE allows them to reduce logistical costs and have easier contact with their clients.

The president of the Catalan Audiovisual Cluster, Miquel Rutllant, summarizes it by saying that ISE must serve to build the Barcelona brand around this sector, as well as help companies internationalize thanks to the agreements they can close during the days of the congress. According to Acció figures, Catalonia has 3,600 companies that bill 6,700 million euros and employ 31,000 people. Of these, about 200 are emerging companies. In 2021, they raised 50 million euros, a historical record and 37% more than in 2020.