Part 1 of Gordons Bonkers Blog ISE 2025

Welcome to Part 1 of Gordons Bonkers Blog from ISE 2025. Over the next 5 days, I will review my time at the show, who I met with, what I saw and my top takeaways! I hope you enjoy the journey as much as I have enjoyed writing it!

As always, I chose to fly over the weekend before ISE, but this year I upgraded myself to Business class because I had back surgery on Tuesday, and standing around in long queues is not good for my back; well, that’s my excuse anyway, and I am sticking to it!???

It’s Monday, 3rd Feb, and as well as supporting both D-Tools Inc. and PlexusAV at the show, I have many meetings with existing and potential new clients whom I work with “behind the scenes”… In fact, most of my personal work now for Re-Sauce is under NDA and mainly strategic sales planning and sales introductions. That is just one of the major differences between Re-Sauce and any regular “PR Agency”.

I have already sourced an Exhibitor Pass, and my personal attendee pass to ensure I have early access and can walk the show. I arrive at The Fira early and take a picture of the 23 hours to go signage on their new huge LED wall facing outside. Immediately after I walked through the front door, I bumped into Steven Rushton , now at GVAV Ltd and formerly at?Mix Consultancy. Steve and I know each other well, as we have met countless times at work functions, and Steve also played Bass in AVeoke, an Industry band I tried to put together… One day I will get round to that project again???… Anyway, Kudos to Daniel Victory ?and Christian Kutting?at GVAV, I believe Steve will be an awesome signing for you…

As if you needed any further endorsement for attending ISE, within 5 seconds of arriving, there is one… Networking!!!

I head off to the Market Restaurant to see how my old mate Sue Pritchard from AV News is getting on. Tomorrow morning, I am hosting the legendary AV News Awards Breakfast, and I want to ensure I am up to speed with the location and timings. I then walk the show and see Ben Barnard from AVIXA setting up for just one of the many ISE stages. Ben is a great guy and does a HUGE amount of work in the background of AVIXA, along with the fabulous Carla Charlton and Sarah Carless and that endorses yet another reason to visit ISE: the amount of education they now provide across so many topics is simply staggering…

I walk every hall and corridor to ensure I have my bearings and see what else is new. I really liked a specific area for “Start-ups”, which was clearly highlighted for potential investors attending ISE. Indeed, ISE has even created a “Pitching Stage”, which I think is not only amazing for any new brand and business looking to grow their business, but very forward thinking of ISE. After all, why would you not help any small acorns to grow into large oak trees and show them the power of ISE all in one go… Very clever and, again, massive Kudos to?AVIXA, CEDIA & ISE?for that fantastic idea. Too often, major shows forget about all the little Guys in their furore to provide for the larger exhibitors!

After several meetings, I trot off to the legendary AV User Group Speed Pitches to support Jeff Oakes, CTS , D-Tools Inc. and John Orlando, CTS , PlexusAV . Both these brands smash it, with lots of the audience taking photos of their QR codes! Well done as ever to Owen Ellis and Andrea Jupp ?for organising these, and indeed, now the audience also includes AV Consultants, as well as AV Users???

Straight after the speed pitches, I head back to my hotel to drop off my laptop and then head off for a meet-up with the legend Gary Kayye?? CTS from rAVe [PUBS] .

Gary and I go back a VERY long way, and indeed, when Re-Sauce first started some 4 years ago, Gary asked me to cover the ISE London Roadshow for him, which was great fun. I spend an hour or so chatting around the world of AV, everything from “What’s Hot” to “What’s Not”, we catch up on family, friends and then, before we know it, my alarm is going off, and I am back in a Taxi to head straight to the 16:9 Mixer, which Dave Haynes ?and?16:9?Magazine organise. I have really only got to know Dave since I started Re-Sauce, but I really like him as he is as straight as they come and so word to the wise: never try to BS Dave… It won’t work, and what he doesn’t know about #DigitalSignage probably isn’t worth knowing.

As you would expect, the event is a “Who’s Who” event in the DS world, including some of my ex-colleagues at Peerless-AV EMEA . The fabulous Beky Cann , Chalene Chandrasiri and Brian McClimans .?Brian is probably THE most connected person I know in the US… His Rolodex is crazy, and he is a super-nice Guy; catching up is always lovely. Balthasar Mayer and from were also at the event. For those who don’t know Invidis, it is not only a very DS and technology-based consultancy, but it also publishes an excellent online title for all DS. I have never met Balthasar in person, so I was thrilled to meet him in the flesh finally.

After spending all day on my feet, I head off for dinner with a potential new client from DACH and then return to my hotel early, fighting off the countless texts and pleas to come to the Irish Bar and other places. I must be fresh for tomorrow, as I need to be at the Fira at 8 am to present the AV News Awards Breakfast. I take a quick look at my Fitbit, and I have managed over 16,000 steps today and 11.71km (over 7 miles for my US Readers ??!). Not bad for an old boy who had back surgery less than a week ago… Funny enough I get off to sleep that night, very quickly…

I hope you have enjoyed Part 1 of my ISE 2025 - Gordons Bonkers Blog Part 1. Dial back in tomorrow for Part 2 and what I did on Day 1 of ISE 2025.

#avtweeps #ise #ise2025

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