"At the end of ISE 2007, we announced we'd be occupying a fifth hall at the RAI because of the number of exhibitors wanting additional space," recalls Mike Blackman, managing director, Integrated Systems Events. "Since then we have signed up for a sixth and finally a seventh hall to meet demand, and there simply is no further space available."
The 2008 event sees a substantial number of new exhibitors from the field of commercial audio, with Harman Professional, Audica, RCF and Vieta Pro all taking booths for the first time. Antonio Ferrari, PA product manager for RCF, says: "We decided to exhibit at ISE 2008 because the AV market is a growing business in which we as a company are more and more involved. ISE is different because it attracts systems specialists and integrators in a more focused and selective way than other trade shows."
Also thriving is the Residential Solutions segment of ISE, with Naim Audio, Revox, and B&W among the manufacturers making their show debut in 2008. "The European market for home theatre and automation is growing rapidly, and ISE is the one B2B event that really brings the worlds of custom installation and commercial AV together," says Blackman.
(Jim Evans)
