Mike Blackman predicts that ISE 2022 will reach 50,000 visitors

Together with Constantí Serrallonga, general director of Fira de Barcelona, the general director of Integrated Systems Events, Mike Blackman, highlighted at the opening of ISE 2022 that a total of 844 companies from 43 countries (105 Spanish) exhibited in five pavilions of Fira Gran Vía that occupy a total of 48,000 m².

Early this Tuesday, May 10, the total number of registered professionals amounted to 49,389 professionals. Blackman anticipates that the show will generate an impact of 215 million in Barcelona este año, aunque ha reconocido que no será hasta el próximo año cuando ISE vuelva, esperemos, a su total normalidad. De hecho, se estima que ya en 2026 el impacto económico en la ciudad podría ascender a los 500 millones, equiparando esta feria con otra de las grandes citas como es el Mobile World Congress (MWC).

Por otra parte, el ejecutivo se ha referido a los problemas para viajar y exponer que han tenido en esta edición quienes proceden de China debido al rebrote de la pandemia. Preguntado sobre la crisis ucraniana, has admitted that some Russian companies have had their presence suspended but that the organization does not check the passports of professionals who come to Barcelona to visit the fair. “Many Russian citizens who live both in Russia and in other European countries do not agree with the policies of their government, which have led to the war in Ukraine, and believe that it would not be fair to penalize them.”

He also wanted thank the associations from the sector, both international (AVIXA and CEDIA) and Spanish (Audiovisual Cluster of Catalonia, Secartys or AFIAL) as well as the Barcelona City Council and the Generalitat of Catalonia for their firm support for holding ISE in Barcelona.

“We are very happy to be in Barcelona and share with the city some of our events such as I Rise, which will fill the Plaza de España at Fira de Montjuic with mapping every night.” It has also highlighted the celebration of events in different special areas both at FIRA and in other spaces in the city such as ISE Inmersive Art Experience, AV Experiene Zone, Projection Dome, ISE Sound Experience or Discovery Zone.

At the same time he wanted to highlight the presence of top level professionals such as Refik Anadol with an approach to art, architecture, science and technology or Alan Greenberg, with a conference on next-generation immersive entertainment.

Activities program

En total será un intenso programa de conferencias que abordarán aspectos clave para la industria de la integración como smart building, control room, digital sigange, Interne de las Cosas, museística…
Blackman ha querido deternerse también en la zona Open Innovation Challenge, un espacio promovido por la agencia catalana Acció que reúne a ocho compañías punters: Cellnex, Filmin, Vidneo, CCMA, Arthur Holm, Mediapro y Sony.

Coincidiendo con ISE 2022, la feria coge el congreso IOT Solutions World Congress con más de doscientos speakers de primer nivel y un buen número de expositores en un pabellón dedicado especialmente al Internet de las Cosas.

Finally, Mike Blackman wanted to point out that after fifteen years of ISE in Amsterdam, this Wednesday the home for the care of children and their families, Jeroen Pit Huis, opens in Amsterdam, in which both the fair itself, its organizers, AVIXA and CEDIA, and some of the main exhibitors have contributed decisively to its resources.