ISE 2026 Recap: Why the Industry Went Software-First

Integrated Systems Europe 2026 did not just break records. It clarified the direction of the industry. ISE 2026 showed that AV is now all about software. The energy, the people, the announcements all prove, yet again, why this is my favorite show of the year.

Yes, the numbers were headline-worthy: 92,170 visitors, 1,751 exhibitors, and the largest show floor in ISE history at 101,000 square meters. (ISE 2026) For context, the first show in Barcelona clocked in at 43,000. But the bigger story for IT and AV decision makers was what those exhibitors chose to lead with. ISE 2026 felt software-forward in a way that is now impossible to ignore.

This year’s most meaningful announcements and conversations were less about “the box” and more about the layer above it: management, automation, security, analytics, workflows, AI assistance, and interoperability. Hardware still mattered, but more often as an endpoint in a platform strategy rather than the star of the booth.

AV is being sold like IT now

ISE has been a barometer for AV and IT convergence for years. In 2026, the convergence was less philosophical and more operational:

• Centralized management is table stakes, not premium.
• Security posture is becoming a buying requirement, especially for RFPs and regulated environments.
• AI is shifting from “feature” to “workflow accelerator.”
• Ecosystems are winning mindshare over one-off products.

Even show programming reinforced the shift, with dedicated attention on cybersecurity and broadcast workflows, plus the continued expansion of education-focused programming. (ISE 2026) For decision makers, this points to a simple reality. Your AV strategy is now inseparable from your software, network, and security strategy.

5 takeaways that matter

1) “Software-forward” is really “lifecycle-forward”

The clearest value conversation at ISE was not CapEx. It was OpEx.

Platforms that reduce service tickets, automate monitoring, simplify updates, and standardize deployments are now the ROI story. When vendors talk about remote management, policy control, and visibility, what they are really selling is a reduction in:

• downtime
• reactive support
• truck rolls
• room-to-room inconsistencies
• training burden

If your organization is still buying AV primarily as a collection of devices, you are likely paying for it later in labor.

2) Cybersecurity is no longer optional, it is procurement language

ISE’s Cybersecurity Summit messaging aligns with what many teams are already experiencing: cybersecurity has become business-critical, tied to compliance, public tenders, and long-term trust. (ISE 2026)

The shift for buyers: you cannot treat security as an integrator detail or a post-install checklist item. Security now belongs in scoping, vendor selection, and acceptance criteria.

ROI framing: avoiding one incident is obvious value, but the day-to-day ROI is faster approvals and fewer deployment delays when security requirements are addressed up front.

3) AI is being positioned as an operator, not a novelty

ISE 2026 conversations around AI were less about “look what it can do” and more about practical assistance. This includes configuration support, monitoring insights, automation, and user experience improvements.

Decision-makers should pressure-test AI claims with one question: What work does this remove for my team? If the answer is vague, it is marketing. If the answer is specific (less time to deploy, fewer tickets, faster troubleshooting), it is operational value.

4) Broadcast and Pro AV are colliding in the middle

The Broadcast AV Summit and related show-floor emphasis are a signal: broadcast-grade workflows, low-latency production thinking, content pipelines, and media management are increasingly relevant to enterprise and education.

Corporate and campus teams are building internal studios, streaming classrooms, event capture workflows, and hybrid production environments. The “broadcast” conversation is no longer reserved for broadcasters. Especially as companies with broadcast DNA are showing up at ISE like Blackmagic and Ross Video.

ROI framing: content reuse. When capture and production workflows are designed correctly, a single event can fuel internal comms, training, recruitment, and external marketing.

5) The show is bigger because the scope is bigger

ISE’s record attendance and exhibitor footprint matters because it reflects a broader market reality. AV is now the infrastructure behind collaboration, learning, and content. That means AV decisions are increasingly cross-functional. Whether IT, facilities, security, comms, or academic leadership (in higher ed) all are influencing design and direction.

What this means by vertical

Corporate: platforms win, not point solutions

Corporate buyers are optimizing for consistency at scale. The winners are systems that can be deployed widely and managed centrally. They do this with policy controls and meaningful telemetry.

If you are responsible for spaces, your next “upgrade” is less likely to be a single device refresh. It’s more likely to be a platform decision. How you standardize, manage, secure, and support the entire room fleet.

You need to define your enterprise room baseline like an IT standard. This includes management, identity, logging, update policies, and security requirements.

Higher education: the “congress” signals the stakes

ISE continues to treat education as a first-class conversation. The EdTech Congress ran alongside the show and education programming, emphasizing models, strategy, and deployment realities. (avnation.tv)

Higher ed teams live at the intersection of constrained staffing and high expectations. Hybrid learning, lecture capture, active learning spaces, and student experience pressure all drive design decisions. The software-forward trend matters here because the biggest pain is not installing a room. It is supporting 200 rooms.

ROI framing for higher ed: fewer support tickets during peak teaching hours, consistent faculty experience, and the ability to scale without scaling headcount at the same rate.

In broadcast workflow is the product

Broadcast-focused programming at ISE reinforces a shift many AV teams are already feeling. The value is increasingly in the workflow, not the widget. For broadcast buyers (and for corporate and campus teams doing broadcast-style work), the differentiator is interoperability and reliability across the production chain. From acquisition, switching, transport, control, monitoring to distribution.

Smart move coming out of ISE: treat production environments like mission-critical systems. Document workflows, failure points, redundancy expectations, and escalation paths.

Your checklist after ISE

If ISE 2026 was software-forward, your post-show actions should be, too.

1. Audit your management layer

• What platforms are you using to monitor and manage rooms today?
• Where are you blind?
• What is manual that should be automated?

1. Move security requirements into the AV spec

• Standardize password policies, certificate needs, logging, update cadence, and segmentation expectations.
• Require vendors and integrators to document security posture at handoff.

1. Create an “AV lifecycle cost” model
   Track the hidden costs: tickets, downtime, training hours, truck rolls, and refresh cycles. Use that model to justify platform investments that reduce operational load.
2. Align AV with IT governance
   If AV is on the network, it needs the same governance. That includes change management and asset lifecycle tracking.

ISE 2026 made the new job description obvious

ISE 2026 was a record-breaking show. But the bigger signal is that the AV leader’s role is evolving fast. The modern AV decision is less “what hardware do we like?” and more “what platform can we operate securely, consistently, and at scale?”

And that is exactly why this year felt software-forward.

To see all of AVNation’s coverage visit our dedicated ISE 2026 page.