ET Group at ISE 2026: Smart Workplaces, Customized Experiences and What’s Next for Enterprise AV
Posted by Ciara Williams on March 6, 2026
Every February, the AV industry converges in Barcelona — and this year, ET Group attended Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2026 with a clear focus: identify what’s truly relevant for enterprise collaboration, smart workplaces, and mission-critical environments.
ISE 2026 took place at Fira de Barcelona Gran Via, bringing together global manufacturers, integrators, and technology leaders across unified communications, LED, audio, smart building solutions, and immersive AV environments.
What is ISE?
Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) is widely considered the global meeting point for the professional AV and systems integration industry. The show spans multiple halls and categories — from UC platforms and workplace management to lighting, content management, and large-format LED.
ISE is massive. The key isn’t seeing everything — it’s knowing what matters for your clients.
Who Represented ET Group?
Ahmed Ameen, Chief Operating Officer — Ahmed is always on the lookout for new trends and challenges happening in the AV space to help us understand the needs of our customers better and keep ET Group focused on developing and delivering the right solutions.
Mike Oppedisano, Director of Growth & Innovation; Design and Engineering — Mike’s focus at every ISE show is to check out new solutions to incorporate into our always-growing list of reliable products, and catch up with our regular vendors as well as discover new ones, so we can stay innovative and flexible.
Ugo Umeano, Product Development Lead — As our new lead of Product Development and first time ISE-attendee, Ugo brought a fresh perspective while exploring the show floor, identifying opportunities for potential enhancements to our offerings and new use cases we can solve for our clients.
Chris Drury, Justice Team Lead — With a heavy focus in on improving and streamlining Canada’s Justice sector, Chris makes it a priority to find and deliver reliable, secure and fully vetted solutions to the clients who work in complex and critical environments such as courts and remand centers.
Kicking off the Excitement with Ricoh
The week started off with a major bang, as we announced our team’s recent acquisition by Ricoh Canada. We spent our first night celebrating this exciting milestone over dinner with Ricoh team members and partners from all over the globe, aligning on synergies and discussing how we plan to enhance the ways we serve our customers across North America.
We also spent some time in the Ricoh booth, really soaking in the calming, Japanese inspired atmosphere which included a zen garden, warm lighting and friendly faces.
Key Trends from the Show Floor
While exploring the showroom floor and meeting with vendors (both new and familiar), there were a number of trends that stood out. Some of the trends are continuing to build on what we saw and hear last year, and plenty of new ones are emerging as we get further into 2026.
Hardware Manufacturers are Expanding into Space Management
Everybody has an app now. As more device options and brands come on the market, many manufacturers are expanding their offerings beyond physical hardware and introducing software-based services for device management and support. These services range from basic connectivity monitoring to full-scope troubleshooting, access to live support and even usage analytics and optimization data.
Vendors are increasingly encouraging clients to purchase licensing directly through their hardware platforms, reinforcing tighter firmware and device management control.
A key example is Logitech. Logitech offers a full-spectrum AV suite, including AI-enhanced in-room tech through to a comprehensive management platform and dedicated support:
- The AI-enabled Rally Camera provides the most seamless speaker-tracking we’ve seen yet from Logitech, with clear visuals and smooth transitions and enhanced view layouts such as multi-panel or multi-view for larger and/or divisible rooms as well as multiple camera feeds to ensure an inclusive experience
- Spot Sensors deliver environment data such as temperature and air quality and room occupancy analytics to better track user behaviour and influence space optimization
- Integration with room-booking applications make it easier to manage spaces, meeting platforms and calendars
- Logitech Sync for device management offers visibility into usage and quality metrics, as well as faster troubleshooting and resolution when hardware support is needed
Another example is the Crestron XiO Cloud platform, which integrates devices, space management and design assistance, and room/device status detection all in one easily accessible location.
Crestron also highlighted their Intelligent Room Designer application, specifically the AutoMeasure feature, which allows designers to upload their room’s layout and see how device position affects the meeting experience before final install to ensure the best placement.
What this means for businesses: managers and IT teams are starting to view firmware management, device telemetry, and software licensing as just as critical as hardware specifications in their collaboration spaces.
The Evolution of Digital Signage
In a similar vein, applications such as Appspace, Navori, and Yodeck were present, and highlighted that digital signage is evolving and becoming a key component of workspace management systems.
Integrations with room systems, space sensors, room and desk booking software and personalized branding capabilities signal that digital signage today is about more than just displaying graphics, but enabling seamless navigation, communication and access to data to better optimize spaces.
The increasing popularity of cloud content management also makes it easier than ever for business managers to create, upload and control content quickly and on command.
What this means for businesses: organizations want to invest in signage that offers more than just visual appeal or simple background art, they want solutions that enhance their workplace experience.
Displays that Mimic Real Life
Every year we see more and more advancements in display technology, and ISE 2026 had some very eye-catching solutions on the floor.
Brands like Samsung are taking LED to the next level with displays that enhance colour like the Micro RGB, featuring a micro-sized RGB backlight and an AI engine that fine tunes every pixel to deliver the most life-like hues possible.
Holographic and 3D-like images are becoming more popular, allowing businesses in retail or any kind of product manufacturing to really showcase key details like textures, dimensions, movement and more vivid colour. They look so real it’s like you can reach out and touch them!
Large-scale displays like video walls from LianTronics really emphasize how seamlessly multiple components can come together to create a masterpiece of nearly any size you can imagine. Digital signage, art displays, branding and even immersive experiences can come to life with vivid colours, sharp quality and zero disruptions from bezels or lines cutting through images.
Finally, creative brands like Toosen LED are showing us the true capabilities of what LED can do, designing modern sculpture-like displays that take on a variety of shapes, sizes, colours and movement.
What this means for businesses: the use cases for displays in business go beyond just meeting rooms, but have expanded to include entertainment, branding and overall space aesthetics that allow organizations to truly express themselves.
Audio Technology Enhancements
Audio is the most critical component of collaboration, and we were excited to see what brands are doing to keep enhancing the audio experience. This year’s show delivered a strong focus on microphones and offering users more control over where audio-input preferences.
A big focus is ensuring that microphones are capturing everyone’s voice clearly and equally. Many manufacturers are leveraging AI to help better identify individual voices, no matter where they are in the room, while filtering out background noise despite larger ranges for audio pickup.
Shure showcased their range of microphones to suit a variety of spaces, all of which feature enhanced beamforming technology. Their new all-in-one meeting bar has built-in microphone array as well as expansion ports to add extra audio pickup coverage from ceiling or table microphones.
Biamp also came through to highlight key features of their audio devices, such as their Parlé Presenter Lift update to their popular Parlé ceiling microphones and TesiraFORTÉ X processors. This exciting update enables users to turn on position-locking technology, which keeps audio pickup beams locked to specified areas chosen by users (such as the key speaker) to cut out other distracting sounds. Their space designer tool also helps visualize mic pickup and speaker-range zones in a given space to ensure the best placement for their audio devices.
ClearOne (recently acquired by Biamp) had their new ceiling microphone on display, which covers a 70-foot radius, with 12 beamforming lobes and offers smooth presenter tracking as speakers move throughout the space, as well the ability to pinpoint audio lobes for precise sound detection.
We also saw a variety of audio solutions that highlighted the need for privacy in meeting spaces, such as sound masking technology and eavesdropping protection kits.
What this means for businesses: high quality audio is essential for both in-room and far-end participants, and speakers must be heard clearly, while accounting for flexibility within meeting spaces.
Designer AV
Another particular trend we’ve noticed at ISE in recent years is an emphasis on not just how devices function, but how they look and feel in a space.
Businesses want their tech to work, first and foremost, but they also want their rooms to look clean, intentional and classy. We’ve entered a new era of tech, where users want the luxury of having the best tech, but want to keep the focus on the people and the conversation in the room. And manufacturers are picking up on this desire.
We are seeing a growing number of devices being designed to look nearly invisible, or with the ability to be easily hidden away.
Displays
Tabletop units from manufacturers like Televic and Soltec are designing motorized devices with the capability to retract or fold back into to the table, so when not in use, they aren’t taking up space or creating visual distraction.
Speakers
Nureva, Fohhn Audio and BEC Akustik don’t just deliver amazing audio, but also amazing aesthetics. Their speakers are designed to either elevate the space or integrate into it so seamlessly you don’t even see them, but you’ll certainly notice the difference when you hear them. Many manufacturers are also going the extra mile to provide colour customizations to make it really feel like yours.
In Summary
The industry is shifting from hardware-first thinking to experience-first strategy. Businesses want technology that fades into the background while enhancing the human experience, from intuitive space management, to sights and sounds that make the workplace feel alive.
Hardware and software are coming together like never before to give users the freedom and control to communicate and collaborate however they want, and build seamless ecosystems where nothing falls through the cracks. Flexibility, support and customization are the building blocks of the modern workplace and this was truly proven at this year’s show.
Experiencing Barcelona Beyond the Show Floor
While ISE kept the days packed with technology discussions and industry conversations, the week also offered time to experience Barcelona itself. Between meetings and evening events, the team had a chance to explore the city — walking through historic streets, taking in the architecture, and seeing Barcelona from a different perspective outside the exhibition halls.
Barcelona’s culture is something you experience as much as you see, and the food quickly became part of that experience. Evenings often ended around shared tables, where local restaurants and tapas created the perfect setting to continue conversations long after the show floor closed.
Moments like these added a different dimension to the week — blending industry conversations with the energy, culture, and hospitality that make Barcelona such a memorable host city.
An Experience to Remember
While we were most looking forward to learning about new solutions and catching up on industry trends, we also had a lot of fun meeting up with our AV peers and checking out the Barcelona culture while we were there.
Crestron Partner Event at FC Barcelona
Crestron’s partner event this year took place inside the FC Barcelona museum — and the setting immediately shifted the tone of the evening.
Instead of a traditional reception space, guests moved through galleries lined with championship years — 2006, 2009, 2011 — illuminated above glass cases housing Champions League trophies. The room carried that unmistakable blue and red glow, with the trophies catching the light as conversations unfolded nearby.
As the evening progressed, the space revealed itself in layers. Ballon d’Or trophies, historic gloves and boots, and jerseys suspended behind glass — including Messi’s iconic #10 — created a backdrop that felt both iconic and surprisingly intimate. It wasn’t loud or overproduced. The environment allowed people to gather naturally, pause between displays, and continue conversations as they moved through the museum.
And then, tucked among the European football legacy, there was a small but unexpected nod to home — an OVO football jersey within the collection. A subtle reminder that Canadian culture travels well, even inside one of the world’s most storied stadium environments.
It was a night that blended partnership with place — distinctly Barcelona, yet grounded in the relationships that brought everyone together.
PAVSC Canada: Eh-V Abroad
Midweek, the pace of ISE shifted. The Professional Audio Visual Society of Canada (PAVSC) hosted its “Eh-V Abroad” member meetup — bringing together Canadian AV professionals representing the industry on an international stage.
Set in a private garden courtyard just beyond the exhibition halls, the gathering offered a different rhythm from the trade show floor. Open air, natural light, and space to reconnect created an atmosphere that felt both relaxed and intentional.
The conversations were familiar — market shifts, shared clients, evolving service models — but the setting added perspective. Being together in Barcelona underscored the reach of the Canadian AV community and the strength of its network beyond our borders.
Subtle touches throughout the event reflected that identity. The tone was distinctly Canadian — confident, collaborative, and proud to show up globally. It was less about formal programming and more about presence — a moment to reconnect, represent, and reinforce the relationships that continue to shape our industry at home and abroad.
Source: PAVSC (Professional Audio Visual Society of Canada)
Looking Ahead
ISE 2026 brought together the global AV industry for a week of innovation, conversations, and reconnection. From walking the show floor to meeting with partners and peers from around the world, the experience offered valuable perspective on how the industry continues to evolve.
Events like ISE provide an opportunity to step back from day-to-day projects, explore new ideas, and strengthen the relationships that help move the industry forward.
For ET Group, attending ISE ensures we stay closely connected to the people, technologies, and partnerships shaping the future of enterprise collaboration — and we’re already looking forward to what next year’s show will bring.
