WELCOME & CONTENTS EDITOR’S COMMENT Walk out to winter
As I’m writing this, it has just started to snow. Because we can’t depend on snow falling every winter in the UK, our response to it always seems rather ad hoc compared with those of, say, Scandinavian countries or the more exposed regions of the US and Canada. Even though only 50mm or so of snow are forecast in south-east England, train companies have put in place emergency timetables. I can’t help but think this doesn’t make us look good. All of which brings to mind ISE 2009, when snow disrupted the Amsterdam
travel plans of many people – including many of my colleagues working on TheISE Daily. We ended up with a workflow that consisted of news being written in the RAI, sub-edited in someone’s home office, pages laid out in someone else’s home office, then sent back to Amsterdam for checking and passing for press. And, to everyone’s relief – not least mine – it worked. It might happen again this year, but I sincerely hope it doesn’t. Even if it
‘ISE stands head and shoulders above any other show in this industry for the EMEA audience’
stays dry, it’s a fair bet that the temperature will be low. I was chatting to some ISE Advisory Board members once when one of them said how good it would be if the ISE and InfoComm shows could change places in the calendar. It would be good, wouldn’t it? We’d escape the winter cold of Europe by heading off to Florida or Las Vegas, and enjoy a pleasantly warm June show in Amsterdam. Unfortunately, he said in his next breath, it would never happen: despite InfoComm International’s involvement in both events, he believed they’re too firmly established for such a radical move to be considered. So it looks like we will have to continue to brace ourselves for chilly conditions in Amsterdam – especially on set-up day with the doors open – for the foreseeable future. The good news is, it’s worth it. ISE stands head and shoulders above any other show in this industry for the EMEA audience. Its steady growth over 10 years shows that it is doing what the market wants it to do – providing a focus for the industry to get together. That’s not just about looking at new products – though that’s always important – it’s about getting together to network with suppliers and customers, contacts and ex-colleagues, to learn about what’s going on across the industry, catch up on news and put the world to rights over a beer or two. So, here’s to another successful ISE show. Travel safely to Amsterdam – and be sure to dress warmly. To finish, a couple of other ISE-related matters. First, don’t forget to pick
up The ISE Dailyat the show – or, even better, at your hotel or on the shuttle buses. It’s also available as a digital edition each morning. Also, Installation’s ‘Meet the Team’ party at ISE 2013 – sponsored by Cabletime – takes place on our stand (7-E160) on the second day of the show, Wednesday 30 January, at 16.00. All the Installationteam will be present, and you’d be very welcome to join us. Please visit the event’s Facebook page (tinyurl.com/ISEbash) and let us know if you’re planning to come.