Integrated Systems Europe 2024: Innovations and Insights
ISE is always an exciting event in our calendar, and this year did not disappoint, with some fantastic innovations and big moves from a whole host of brands and newcomers to the industry. Technology is moving fast, and ISE is our chance to keep up and get ahead…
This year’s event certainly delivered on the promise of being bigger and better than ever before with a fantastic array of technological innovators and inspiration for all solutions providers throughout Europe and beyond. The exhibitors were engaging. The talks were inspiring. The experiences were immersive. In fact, the event was 30% bigger than ISE 2023 with 8 halls of innovation and over 1,340 exhibitors. But what did our team think were the biggest highlights of the event at Fira de Barcelona?
“It was great catching up with manufacturers, suppliers, and system integrators at ISE 2024. One key driver was sustainability, in any of its forms. Lower power consumption, different set-ups, and remote management were all big conversations throughout the event.”
Rim Posthumus – Global Account Director
Sustainability – More than a buzzword.
As Rim suggested, sustainability was possibly the overarching theme of the event for many exhibitors and attendees. It seems to be a word thrown around every industry. However, ISE this year saw manufacturers, suppliers, and individuals putting real weight behind the claims and promises. Solid action, considered innovation, and small tweaks with big impact.
In order to achieve more sustainable products and workflows, many manufacturers are focusing on power consumption. Some manufacturers were able to confidently claim a 60% reduction in power usage for some products, which can make a huge difference in consumption and costs for all involved. Great innovations like these aren’t just coming from the big names and industry leaders either, with more Tier 2 brands getting creative and clever about how their products work. This means better quality, more choice, and more sustainable solutions for all of us in the marketplace. It’s exciting to see the rise in those tier 2 manufacturers paving the way for sustainable solutions. More competition will lead to more innovations and exponentially raise the game for years to come.
LED – A bright future for visual marketing.
As we found in our 2023 In-Store Retail Trends Study, consumers love the wow factor of a large video wall, and manufacturers really managed to wow the crowds at ISE with their latest products. All manufacturers are set to move to chip-on-board LED displays with many of them sourcing the COB modules from a handful of major producers. This is standardizing the world of LED like never before and will create a more secure support offering as the number of suppliers and manufacturers is condensed.
“I loved seeing the progress of LED film technology! Transparent OLED and transparent LED and the conversations around fine pitch transparent LED is really exciting!”
– Jonathan Wharrad – VP Advanced Solutions Group
Not only that, manufacturers are taking inspiration from virtual reality technology to create immersive, interactive, and responsive solutions in the retail and QSR space with display technology. Questions and conversations around sensor technology and cameras proved popular and engaging.
Greater Control – Whenever, Wherever.
The best innovations solve a number of problems and open up new opportunities. When it comes to site and solution management, site visits can be costly in our industry, so any new technology that brings those costs down is welcomed.
There were exciting new developments in the world of managed services, with tools to universally and remotely monitor and control solutions. Connecting every element together into streamlined management platforms is something we’re highly excited about as our managed services with existing clients are elevated in 2024 and beyond. Many screen manufacturers are now offering more remote management and monitoring which can be utilized through Singage OS. This means faster response times and more efficient management of visual content from us no matter where our partners are in the world.
However, this new technology opens up more than greater control and responsiveness. We’re also able to offer improved flexibility and creativity to create more interactive and immersive customer journeys and experiences.
Superior services from us, improved experiences for the consumer.
Interactive Journeys and Data Analysis
Finally, one of the biggest highlights for us has to be the new features from sensor manufacturers to enable our work to be more intelligent with regard to tracking. When a particular area is entered or a product is picked up, the media around it can change and adapt for a totally immersive consumer experience. Working with our Harmony platform, we’re able to adapt digital signage when a sensor is triggered. This creates targeted, considered, and creative displays to pique curiosity.
Of course, ISE 2024 had a huge focus on innovations and technological advances for the industry to take us beyond 2024, but the vastness of this year’s event really highlighted the breadth and depth of expertise in our industry. Whilst we work with partners the world over, Integrated Systems Europe never fails to remind us of the innovation, collaboration, and connection out there for us in our industry and how we can really deliver on our mission to create immersive in-store experiences that activate behaviors and drive business forward for our clients.
