Hello, everyone! Welcome to ISE 2024 and therefore, your ISE 2024 Day Two Daily Raff article. I’ll be honest. Today, I mostly ran around the show floor (quite frequently between Halls 3 and 5) and GOOD LORD. Hall 3 was so packed, you couldn’t move. It was almost like a general admission concert. And maybe you’d think, “well Steph, why didn’t you duck onto a stand for some respite?” Well, because those were just as crowded! Samsung, Epson and LG were elbow to elbow packed, and many of the surrounding booths, including Crestron, Christie, Panasonic Connect and Legrand AV.

Can I just reiterate that my first ISE was in 2020, right before the world shut down. It was, understandably, a smaller show than expected. The next ISE I attended was in 2022, right after the move to Spain, but when the show was pushed back to May. Last year seemed more like a “normal year,” but now, I understand what everyone is talking about when they say ISE is the busiest show they’ve ever attended. We’re so back.

Something I talked a lot about today in a few of my executive interviews and conversations today was about AVaaS. There are SO many companies offering it on the show floor, and even manufacturers like Snap One, who is now offering an AVaaS model for its Control4 products. From bringing integrators recurring revenue to providing a streamlined device platform, what these companies are doing is really cool. I know AVaaS has been around for a few years, but if ISE is any hint, we’re going to be seeing a lot more of Xyte, Domotz and similar companies in the future. (Gary, take notes for your Krystal Ball.)

Something else Gary pointed out to me this morning was that there is a TON of LED on the show floor this year. He only saw a few LCDs on the show floor and I haven’t seen any (I’m sure there are some, but all companies are really pushing their LEDs this year). I spoke to John Marshall of Userful earlier today, and he was talking about how a really fine pixel pitch was becoming more important in instances like control rooms because there are so many different types of content these screens have to support from camera footage to text in a really fine print. So, yes, a million LEDs on the show floor. We are definitely moving in that direction.

Without further ado,

Things I Like:

• The AVIXA Women in AV Networking Event — easy networking that didn’t make me feel socially awkward or overwhelmed. (The way I feel at EVERY industry party I’ve ever attended.)
• microLED (self explanatory) (especially when it’s transparent — great work, Samsung! See below.)
• Recyclable packaging (I’m seeing many AV manufacturers move toward this for their products and I think it’s really smart. Packaging can be so wasteful, so it’s been cool to see manufacturers like Kordz and Sony move to make greener decisions for their companies.

Things I Don’t Like:

• Trade show shoes that are eight years old (My shoes from my first InfoComm in 2016 are still kicking, but I’m starting to feel like I should retire them anyway).
• Bounty chocolate bars (coconut and chocolate feels illegal somehow)
• Reused booth designs or themes for more than two years. But this is actually a difficult point to make and for everyone who has reused designs and themes, I totally understand. There has been a lot of uncertainty about returning to trade shows and that has, understandably, cut spending. Either way, next year, I hope to see some really fresh looks for all the stands!