rAVe had a crew of 14 people in Amsterdam last week for the ISE 2013 show in Amsterdam. ISE is basically InfoComm and CEDIA combined (in Europe) and the past two years it has been the best-attended AV industry tradeshow ever held, anywhere in the world. We covered it all with more than 1,200 videos, nearly 600 photos, more than 20 blogs, 10 LIVE podcasts, 670 tweets including new product pics and links and over 800 product news stories. You can see it all on a dedicated wed microsite.

The show’s 2013 final total of 44,151 registered attendees represents an 8 percent increase on 2012’s world record of 40,869. Just under 900 exhibitors — also a record for ISE — occupied all 12 halls of the Amsterdam RAI from Jan. 29 – 32, with most reporting a brisk three days of business involving a healthy mix of new and established contacts.

On Mon., Jan. 28, ISE celebrated its 10th edition with an opening Keynote Address by renowned cyber-illusionist Marco Tempest, followed by a 10th Birthday Party at which some of ISE’s Founding Exhibitors — those companies that have supported all 10 shows since Integrated Systems Europe began in Geneva in 2004 – were honored in a special presentation. The celebrations were preceded by three pre-show Conferences and more than 1,200 people attended the Monday events in total.

“Few who attended our inaugural event in 2004 could have imagined just how big, how interconnected and how inclusive ISE would become within less than a decade,” said Mike Blackman, managing director, Integrated Systems Events.

“ISE 2013 demonstrated more clearly than ever that the electronic systems integration industry is capable of defying economic headwinds and encouraging its stakeholder companies toward continued growth.”

During the on-site exhibitor rebooking process for ISE 2014, more than 500 companies reserved space totalling more than 30,000 square meters — some 93 percent of the show’s 2013 footprint and over 75 percent of the expanded area that ISE will occupy in Amsterdam next year.

Of particular note was the number of companies committing themselves to larger stands 12 months from now, and that many of these were smaller to medium-sized exhibitors who are relatively new to ISE.

“What we clearly see emerging now at ISE is a fresh wave of exhibitors that are building their businesses on the back of their ability to inspire new connections, greater collaboration and, perhaps above all, wonderful content,” Blackman said.

“All the signs point to a wonderful show in 2014, and a rosy future for an industry that continues to grow into business sectors that would have seemed out-of-bounds to us only a few short years ago.”