Top Trends to Watch at Barcelona’s ISE 2025

Barcelona is gearing up to host Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2025 next week, the world’s most influential event on the audiovisual sector. We talked to Mike Blackman, ISE’s Managing Director, about what trends will shape the industry and what new and exciting features to expect from the show.

AI takes center stage

ISE will take place 4-7 February 2025, at the Fira de Barcelona Gran Via. According to Mike Blackman, ISE 2025 will strongly focus on AI: “At the moment, AI is still the new trend that everyone is talking about. Everyone is starting to challenge it: is it good, or is it bad?”

To provide answers, the show will open with a keynote address by Brian Solis, Head of Global Innovation at cloud-based platform ServiceNow. Mike Blackman emphasized, “Brian Solis is a specialist in digital transformation. He advises and consults companies on how to transform their businesses and is a real expert on how AI is affecting us.”

Brian Solis was named a ‘Top AI Leader’ for 2024 by Rethink Retail, recognizing him as a pioneer of AI integration. Solis’ opening keynote on February 4th will address why now is the time for business leaders to rethink their organizations for an AI-defined future.

Esports Technology at ISE 2025

ISE 2025 will also highlight esports technology. Mike Blackman said, “We’ve watched esports for the last five years and wondered how we present this at ISE. This year, we found a way to actually show and highlight how our industry influences that as well.”

ISE 2025 will feature a new Esports Arena, an exciting 1,000m² feature created in partnership with LVP - Liga de Videojuegos Profesional (Grup Meadiapro), a global leader in esports competitions. This innovative attraction will bring live esports tournaments to life, offering attendees an immersive experience powered by cutting-edge technology. The Esports Arena will host professional esports players competing in front of a live audience over all four days of the show.

Additionally, ISE attendees will have the opportunity to compete among themselves and with the pros, adding an interactive element to the event.

A new edition set to break all records

Some of the significant indicators for ISE 2025 have already outranked last year’s edition. “The first thing we will see is a show floor that’s going to be more than 20% larger than the previous edition,” said Mike Blackman. “We have over 1,600 exhibitors, and we’re using more than 92,000 net square meters of space. That’s about 10 football fields, so a real phenomenal size of the show!”

From Tech Zones and show floor features to keynote speakers and incredible AV installations, ISE is a hotbed of inspiration, situated in the creative, technology hub of Barcelona. Last year, 363 expert speakers shared their knowledge and insights, and the 2025 edition of ISE is set to break those record numbers again.

How ISE is transforming Barcelona’s AV Industry

“ISE has really impacted the local industry in Barcelona in the AV sector. Us arriving has made a focus onto this city, so bringing the world to Barcelona and bringing everything to do with AV to Barcelona”, stated Mike Blackman.

“More so, some of these companies are actually staying here and creating their own offices, and this is creating permanent jobs, which we’re happy to do here as well.”  The event's impact on Barcelona’s economy increased from 385 million euros in 2023 to 468 million euros in 2024.

ISE’s presence in Barcelona has also significantly boosted the sector’s economic performance. Between 2021 and 2024, the number of audiovisual companies based in Barcelona-Catalonia grew by 15%. Moreover, firms established before ISE’s location in Catalonia saw their revenue increase by 30% between 2021 and 2023, partly due to the fair’s impact.

Join us next week at ISE 2025!

Catalonia Trade & Investment is excited to participate in this premier event. Don't miss the chance to visit the Catalonia Pavilion at ISE (Congress Square, stand CS100) to discover incredible business opportunities in the thriving AV sector of Barcelona-Catalonia. We invite you to engage with us and explore how you can be part of this dynamic industry. Check out our activities at ISE 2025 for more details—you won’t want to miss it!