Episode
343: Mike Blackman, Managing Director, Integrated Systems Europe (ISE)
- Published
- Jan 27, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2658
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Summary
Higher Ed AV Podcast Episode 343 Joe Way caps off his ISE preview series with one of his annual favorite conversations, welcoming back Mike Blackman, Managing Director of Integrated Systems Events, the organizers of Integrated Systems Europe. Mike shares why ISE 2026 is on track to be the biggest edition yet, how the team plans the show as a year round reinvention cycle, and what “Push Beyond” really means in practice, not just as a theme, but as a commitment to raising the bar for the industry and the attendee experience. A big focus of the episode is how ISE has become more than a trade show inside a convention center. Mike explains the deliberate shift to making ISE a city wide experience that gives something back to Barcelona while also showcasing the best of AV to the public. Joe and Mike unpack how those external activations connect back to the show floor, the conference program, and the broader mission of ISE as a marketplace plus an editorial engine for learning. The conversation also goes deep on vertical strategy and why education continues to grow at ISE. Mike talks about partnering with subject matter experts and communities to curate programming that motivates end users to attend, and Joe shares how HETMA is helping first timers navigate the show and find their people. They close with practical pro tips for surviving the scale of ISE, plus Mike’s latest attendance signals and a few Barcelona favorites. Key topics and highlights Mike’s role and the show’s foundation: Integrated Systems Events as a joint venture between AVIXA and CEDIA, with more than two decades of ISE history and continued growth ISE 2026 theme: Push Beyond Internal: the ISE team challenges itself every year to avoid getting “comfortable” and to reinvent the experience External: challengin…