What Is ISE? Inside Integrated Systems Europe 2026

We’re in Barcelona, and the city feels fully switched on. Not just because it’s hosting the industry’s biggest systems show, but because this is a place where creativity has always been part of the infrastructure. Built on the influence of minds like Antoni Gaudí and Pablo Picasso, Barcelona treats art as something lived in, not layered on top. That perspective matters. It’s why this city makes sense as the backdrop for technology that’s meant to be experienced, not just spec’d on paper.

Logistically, Barcelona knows how to handle scale. A strong public transport network, cabs and Ubers everywhere, and walkable hotel clusters all funnel cleanly into Fira Barcelona Gran Via. The venue itself is one of Europe’s largest and most technically capable convention centers, purpose-built for events that operate at a global level. It’s efficient, it’s massive, and during ISE week, it becomes its own ecosystem.

That’s the stage for Integrated Systems Europe. ISE is the world’s leading trade show for AV and integrated systems, and the scale is hard to overstate. This year brought more than 90,000 attendees from across the globe, nearly 2,000 exhibitors, and roughly 100,000 square meters of show floor. It’s not just big, it’s dense with ideas, workflows, and technology coming from every corner of the industry.

If you push through the first five halls, packed with education tech, residential systems, multi-use installs, digital signage, and broadcast workflows, you eventually land in Hall 6. This is where lighting, video, and staging live, sitting right next door to Hall 7, dedicated entirely to audio solutions. And over the past few years, this area has changed fast.

The live production footprint at ISE is no longer an afterthought.

Major global manufacturers are showing up with full-scale booth builds, real show rigs, and serious product launches. Increasingly, this is where new tools are being introduced to the world. This year alone, we saw debuts like the MA3 onPC DMX Key, the GLP TWYN, the Robe GigaPointe, and the Obsidian Controls NX3 hitting the floor in front of an international audience.

Hall 6 also hosted the Live Events Stage, presented by TPi Magazine, featuring talks from industry leaders and teams behind globally recognized productions. On Friday, that stage shifted its focus forward as Production Futures took over, with sessions aimed squarely at the next generation of designers, programmers, and technicians entering the industry.

But ISE didn’t stop there. Walk through BREATHE, an immersive transitional experience, and you arrive in an entirely new space coined Spark. This hall felt intentionally different. More exploratory, more creative, and more focused on how technology is shaping storytelling and audience engagement. It’s where we caught up with industry newcomer NXT and their new line of fixtures, including one the Nexon M that took home a Best in Show award from ISE itself.

It’s also where we stumbled across what might be the world’s coolest disco ball and mirror setup, which honestly deserves its own moment.

Spark hosted daily keynotes, sessions, and deep dives that leaned less on specs and more on ideas. It felt like a glimpse into where creative technology conversations are heading, not just where they are today.

Covering all of this ground easily fills a full day, but before wrapping, we stopped by Claypaky to help celebrate their 50th anniversary, a milestone we’ll be highlighting throughout the year. Then, just outside the halls, the week capped off with a massive drone show. More than 600 drones lit up the Barcelona sky, forming visuals and logos from MA and Claypaky overhead. Seeing industry names represented at that scale was genuinely impressive.

When you zoom out, that’s the real takeaway from ISE this year. Hall 6 isn’t a side quest anymore. It’s a destination. The live events presence at ISE is expanding, and spaces like Spark are pushing creative technology conversations forward in a real way. More manufacturers are choosing this show to debut new platforms, fixtures, and workflows. The momentum is clear, and it’s not slowing down.

So we’ll be back next February 2-5 2027. Because if this year was any indication, ISE isn’t just growing. It’s becoming a defining global moment for live production.