I’ve been covering trade shows for a long time, but the energy on the ISE show floor never seems to disappoint. ISE 2026, which wrapped up its four-day exhibition on Feb. 6, was no different.
The Next Big Thing is still MIA in Pro AV, but technology is still moving and shaking. Driven by AI, which seemed to be an underlying theme for everything but the paella in Barcelona, there were plenty of points of interest to explore on the show floor.
This year’s theme, “Push Beyond,” could have easily been applied to the show itself, not just the industry. Co-owned by AVIXA and CEDIA, ISE 2026 broke its own records, with an 8% increase in total attendance over last year. According to show officials, there were a record 1,751 exhibitors, including 323 first timers, to welcome 92,170 visitors across the largest total show floor space in ISE history.
What fuels the energy at ISE? While the widespread availability of espresso on the show floor doesn’t hurt, the fact is Pro AV is a vibrant industry serving tons of vertical markets. And there’s plenty of business to be done once the show floor closes, from small, one-off projects to enterprise-wide retrofits.
During the show, I spoke with Tom Morrod, co-founder and research director at Caretta Research. While he agreed Pro AV is growing and it's a "very diverse industry," corporate meeting rooms are still the top draw, with a "huge transformation" taking place from simple audioconferencing to multimedia production.
To that end, the platforms to manage these transformations not only need to be bulletproof but must work for end users who are less proficient at using these types of tools. "Democratization of technology is a big driver," he noted.
Of course, Pro AV hasn't had the smoothest path in recent months. While tariffs have had a "broadly negligible impact on growth," there has been disruption—and integrators have had to bear the brunt of it. "It can be really difficult if you're in the middle of it," Morrod explained. "The channel has been dealing with the complexity of it."
InfoComm is getting even more international.
During the show, AVIXA officials announced the launch of InfoComm EDGE, which is scheduled for Oct. 27-28 at Dubai's Festival Arena. It was designed from the ground up as an experiential event designed to raise the profile of the Pro AV industry with stakeholders outside of the industry.
Why Dubai? From a Pro AV perspective, it’s booming. According to AVIXA research, roughly 85% of end user entities in the region plan to increase Pro AV spend this year, and the annual spend on Pro AV in the GCC region in 2026 will exceed $15 billion for the first time.
But they’ll be doing things a little differently at InfoComm EDGE. Instead of a grid, the floor plan is built around a center stage. There will also be four zones representing the priority verticals for the region, including government and enterprise, leisure and entertainment, education, and retail. The show will be curated for key buyers and influencers from the region, allowing them to experience Pro AV innovation through thought leadership, networking, and technology.
David Labuskes CEO, AVIXA, said initial expectations are about 4,000 attendees. Yes, that’s a lot smaller than ISE, but InfoComm EDGE will be intentionally compact, focused on quality, not quantity. Labuskes anticipates the event will “end up being about connections being made, not people through the door.”
There were reasons to celebrate.
Anniversaries certainly kept the mood festive in several booths on the show floor. First, the PSNI Global Alliance celebrated 40 years of global collaboration. The network of integrators, manufacturers, service providers, and technology partners provides coverage in more than 70 countries across six continents.
Meanwhile, the HDBaseT Alliance celebrated its 15th anniversary. The organization has come a long way since it was founded by LG, Samsung, Sony, and Valens Semiconductor. Today, there are almost 200 members, and a display at the booth showcased dozens of new products from more than 30 of those members. Effi Goldstein, president of the HDBaseT Alliance, told me the secret to the alliance's "connectivity backbone" success has been technological reliability and true partnerships between manufacturers.
Then there were the companies. Both Alfalite and SpinetiX marked their 20th anniversaries at ISE. SpinetiX used the occasion to launch "The Year of High Impact Experiences," while Alfalite showcased "20 years lighting the future." And Matrox Video and Symetrix celebrated their 50th anniversaries.
On the other end of the scale, the Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) officially launched its Internet Protocol Media Experience (IPMX) as a fully developed, certifiable standard at the show. According to Andrew Starks, marketing working group chair and a member of the AIMS board of directors, the AV over IP standard was officially certified on Jan. 23 after years of development. Next up: more refinements, including multi-vendor HDCP and multi-vendor privacy encryption.
That's a lot to celebrate. Congratulations all around!
Was I right about e-paper?
After last year’s show, I was pretty high on e-paper. In fact, I predicted a breakthrough in two years. Well, it’s only been a year, but I checked with a few ISE exhibitors. Looks like I need to be more patient.
Vicky Fox at Philips (PPDS) tactfully admitted that, although the company has been involved in some big projects, it’s a “maturing” space. While the market works to catch up to the idea, the company is focused on improving the technology and delivering color accuracy.
So, what's the hold up? For Till Gotterbarm, VP of business development at AUO Display+, part of the problem behind the slow adoption is the learning curve. Users have to differentiate e-paper as “digital print” as opposed to a replacement for LCD. “We still have to educate the market,” he added. “I do see that starting to resonate.”
Finally, e-paper is not the only aspect of Pro AV that’s designed for sustainability. Any of us who have worked in live production know that AA and AAA batteries are wasted with some frequency. Are you going to trust your live mic to a used battery that may or may not have enough charge for the last show? Of course not. Toss out the old, install the new.
Klvr is trying to change that with the KLVR Charger Pro, a 1 RU battery charging station that made its ISE debut last year as a technology demo. The charger holds up to 48 AA or AAA batteries, and its 1.5V Li-ion batteries offer 30% more runtime than other commercial rechargeables. It's also easy to monitor charging progress. All they need now are some U.S. distributors—the company is scheduled to attend InfoComm, so that might be changing soon.
