The ISE audiovisual fair is postponed until May for covid

BarcelonaDoubts regarding the new wave of the pandemic and concerns regarding the cancellation of reservations have taken effect at one of the main fairs of the year in Barcelona. The show of the audiovisual sector Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) announced on Tuesday that it is postponed “due to the growing impact of the omicron variant in Spain” and will be held three months later than expected, between 10 and 13 May. The event was scheduled to take place between February 1 and 4, a few weeks before the Mobile World Congress, which yesterday said it would not move dates.

In a statement, ISE Executive Director Mike Blackman noted that while they are “eager” to hold the show, the organization has reconsidered its decision “following hearing from exhibitors, owners and stakeholders “. “We have agreed that the best thing we can do is postpone the edition of the fair for three months,” he said. The show was usually held in Amsterdam, but held its first edition in Barcelona in 2021, in a format adapted to the pandemic that gave more weight to digital content.

Blackman considers that delaying the ISE celebration is “the best way”, given the current situation and the opinion of the main participants in the fair. According to the show’s executive director, in three months there will be “time” to “regain confidence in international travel and face-to-face meetings”. “We will work closely with all of our exhibitors and partners to ensure a smooth transition to these new dates,” he insisted.

Mobile keeps dates

ISE’s decision goes in the opposite direction to that of the Mobile organizers. GSMA CEO John Hoffman said yesterday that the appointment would only be canceled if requested by the Spanish authorities and suggested that the idea of ​​”living” with the virus should be taken into account. Both events had noticed in recent months that congressman reservations were slowing as contagions of the omicron variant grew.

Precisely the first deputy mayor of Barcelona City Council, Jaume Collboni, explained that the administrations will meet next week with the GSMA to coordinate the celebration of the Mobile and expressed to Hoffman “the political, institutional and operational support “of the Catalan capital.

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