ISE 2026: Why the Era of the ‘Black Box’ is Officially Over

Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2026 signaled a definitive maturation for the audiovisual sector. As 92,170 attendees and 1,751 exhibitors gathered at the Fira de Barcelona this February, it was clear that the industry has moved beyond the hardware novelty phase. While 101,000 square meters of technology filled the venue, the focus was not about technical specifications; it was about solving real-world friction in an era of flat budgets and shifting workplace cultures.

To navigate this landscape, enterprise leaders are demanding a ‘four-win’ strategy: the client must achieve a frictionless user experience, our global delivery infrastructure here at GPA requires standardized architectures, our local deployment teams (RBUs) need rapid installation tools, and our manufacturing partners need scalable platforms. Through our unified global framework, GPA bridges the gap between high-level enterprise strategy and local execution, providing the scale of a global organization with the custom flexibility required to meet unique client situations.

Solving Structural Industry Challenges

The industry is beginning to address its structural challenges at the foundational level. The launch of the ISE Foundation represents a major commitment to workforce development and local engagement to solve the talent shortage. The debut of the Cybersecurity Summit, a celebration, underscores an industry that is prioritizing professional standards and secure, mission-critical infrastructure. The EdTech Congress 2026 further reinforced this need for pedagogically sound technology in learning environments.

The AI-Powered Workspace: Eyes, Ears, and a Brain

Artificial intelligence dominated the floor, shifting from a buzzword to tangible integrations. During the GPA Global Lounge sessions, Ilya Bukshteyn, Corporate VP of Microsoft Teams Calling, noted that every modern workspace fundamentally requires ‘eyes, ears, and a brain’ to support a future where AI agents talk to agents. Microsoft’s Facilitator in Teams, now generally available, acts as an active meeting chairperson, tracking agendas and capturing editable notes in real time. Bukshteyn highlighted that voice recognition is seeing faster adoption than facial recognition due to its immediate value for transcripts.

Our partners led this charge with unified compute solutions. Intel Core Ultra processors are now the engine behind dedicated AI hardware, such as Crestron’s new Collab Compute, unveiled at the Crestron True Blue Summit. This device acts as a dedicated brain for the room, using an integrated NPU to offload computationally intensive AI tasks, such as multi-stream framing, from the main codec, ensuring a zero-lag experience. Similarly, Cisco introduced the Room Kit Pro G2, the first MDEP-certified NVIDIA powerhouse that simplifies the deployment of massive, multi-camera boardrooms.

At the sensory endpoint, Shure launched the IntelliMix Bar Pro, an MDEP-based video bar featuring a four-camera system for precision participant framing. Biamp expanded its AI audio tracking, while Jabra, Logitech, and Neat showcased advanced ‘intelligent director’ features that ensure remote participants feel as present as those in the room. Further innovations from Basalte and D-Tools’ AI Assistant show how machine learning is now optimizing both the user experience and the back-end system design.

Empowering the Local Teams: Efficiency and Precision

With budgets staying flat, the ‘Express Install’ initiative was a major talking point. The goal is to refresh rooms rapidly, targeting a physical labor cost of $1,000 per room. While GPA provides the global framework to make this possible, our RBUs retain the flexibility to customize these models for any client situation.

New tools like Jetbuilt’s Jetbot Drawings Suite and the Midwich Consultant Connect Portal are designed to help local teams and consultants engineer and deploy high-quality spaces at scale without bespoke complexity. To support this speed, the underlying infrastructure must be bulletproof. Netgear showcased enhanced AV-over-IP switching, while Legrand AV provided the mounting backbone necessary for rapid installations.

Hardware is also becoming more adaptive. Vanco’s EVO-IP Go and MSolutions’ USB-C Extender simplify signal routing, while the Epiphan EC20 PTZ Camera and MAXHUB’s Collaboration Tools provide high-end imaging and interaction that is easily tailored. Logitech also contributed to this mission by launching the Rally AI Camera Pro, a dual-camera system designed for quick setup and remote management via Logitech Sync.

Culture, Space Optimization, and ‘Real Talk’

Technology only delivers ROI if the workforce actually adopts it. In a session focused on modern work transformation, enterprise leaders Thera Hallinder (SEB), Rotimi Thompson (adidas), and Richard Wilkins (Mastercard) shared a candid look at the realities of global management.

A common thread in the discussion was that relying on technical manuals to drive user engagement is essentially a recipe for failure. Hallinder pointed out that cultural initiatives, such as the Working Out Loud methodology practiced internally at SEB, are far more effective at helping teams share knowledge and adapt to new tools. At GPA, we see this cultural alignment as the necessary bridge. When we deploy global standards, our adoption services localize training to fit regional work cultures, ensuring a seamless transition across geographies.

Organizations are also leveraging behavioral economics. Using occupancy data from advanced room sensors, some companies are beginning to issue financial chargebacks to internal departments for meeting space usage. When a room carries a tangible cost, ‘ghost meetings’ vanish, and spatial optimization skyrockets.

Visual Excellence and Sustainability Compliance

Environmental responsibility has officially graduated from marketing to a strict procurement mandate. The GPA sustainability panel, featuring experts from our Mexico, Argentina, and Netherlands teams alongside Sony, outlined that sustainability must be embedded in the ‘design to manage’ methodology.

Sony made a major push here with the BRAVIA BZ-P Series. These displays are engineered with a 31% reduction in power consumption, directly addressing the demand to lower the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). This aligns with the ‘BRIX Zero’ circular economy concept we champion: hardware retains its value, stays operational longer, and is managed via data rather than ending up as e-waste.

Visual excellence remains a priority, with high-impact dvLED walls from partners like Absen and Infiled enabling true meeting equity. Innovations such as Sony’s Crystal LED S Series and Panasonic’s MEVIX Projectors demonstrate how premium visuals are moving into mid-market applications. To feed these displays, BrightSign and Korbyt highlighted future-ready digital signage platforms, while Uniview LCD showcased standout success in signage solutions. Audio innovations like 1 SOUND’s Panorama 65 and Audinate’s Dante Theater ensure that high-impact sound matches the visual quality on a global scale.

Architecting the Future of Work

The announcements from ISE 2026 prove the industry has the tools to solve the enterprise collaboration crunch. Whether through Kramer’s AV innovations, Haivision’s Video Ecosystem, or the celebration of standards like the HDBaseT 15-Year Anniversary and PlexusAV’s IPMX Solutions, the industry is moving toward a more interoperable future, and if you want a partner for your next steps or a trusted advisor to talk your plans through, we are ready.

By combining the innovations of our partner ecosystem with our local delivery capabilities, GPA is uniquely positioned to architect workspaces that remove friction and accompany you on the journey through any workplace transformation and the future of work. The technology is ready. The next step is scaling it to your global workforce. Reach out to our team at GPA today to explore how we can standardize and accelerate your workplace transformation.