ISE organiser Integrated Systems Events has confirmed the 2021 show will be held in Barcelona at Gran Via, part of the Fira de Barcelona exhibition complex, on February 2 to 5, 2018, in a move that cements the venue as the exhibition’s permanent home.
Speculation has been rife about where the show would head when its deal ended with the Amsterdam RAI, a venue the exhibition was rapidly outgrowing. With annual growth of both exhibitors and attendees running at around 10% – and the AV market forecast for 5% yearly growth through 2021 – the move was inevitable.
In a press release Mike Blackman, managing director of Integrated Systems Events, said: “The RAI and Amsterdam have provided a fantastic location, been great partners and contributed to the success of the show. But, demand from exhibitors, and the continued increase in the numbers of attendees, showed us that limited floor space was in danger of putting a brake on the show’s development. In spite of all our best efforts this was not an issue we felt could be solved by staying at the RAI Amsterdam.
We conducted extensive exhibitor and attendee research and visited many major exhibition centres in Europe before making this important decision. By announcing our move to one of Europe’s largest and most prestigious convention complexes, we can now continue to focus on creating a unique experience for everyone and confidently plan for long-term development.
At the same time, we will ensure that the remaining two editions of ISE at the RAI Amsterdam are the best in its illustrious history and a fitting way to bring our 14-year relationship with the venue and city to a close.”
ISE 2018 attracted 80,923 attendees, of which 22,000 were visiting the show for the first time while 1,296 exhibitors filled 53,000 net square metres of floor space in 15 halls.
ISE’s co-owner CEDIA was keen to highlight the positive benefits of the decision to relocate.
Tabatha O’Connor, CEDIA global president and CEO, commented: “Not only is the new venue a state of the art home for our show but the city of Barcelona is one of Europe’s most vibrant and exciting. It’s the perfect choice for an exhibition and growing industry that engenders creativity and commerce.”
Both the ISE 2019 and 2020 editions will take place at the RAI Amsterdam and ISE states are “forecast to be the largest and most successful in the show’s 16-year history.”