Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) has won a Sammy Award for the second year running. The Sales and Marketing Excellence award from the Business Intelligence Group, in the Creative Awards – Power Players category, recognises Push Beyond, the campaign behind ISE 2026, the most successful edition in the show’s history. The win comes as ISE prepares to return to Barcelona for ISE 2027.
ISE is the leading trade show for the professional audiovisual and systems integration industry, organised by Integrated Systems Events, the joint venture of AVIXA and CEDIA. A back-to-back win places it among the B2B brands that have turned a marketing campaign into a story an entire industry rallies behind.
Push Beyond, the campaign behind ISE 2026’s record edition
Push Beyond set out to energise the global AV community, champion excellence and encourage manufacturers, integrators and technicians to keep moving further, faster and with greater purpose. More than a tagline, it gave ISE a framework for the whole year, engaging audiences before, during and after the show.
The results backed up the message. ISE 2026 recorded record numbers of attendees, exhibitors and audience engagement, which helped show that creative ambition could translate into measurable business outcomes.
What the Sammy Award judges recognised
The judges highlighted the campaign’s strategic strength: a well-structured story connecting creative ambition with clear business objectives, measurable outcomes and attendance growth in a challenging market.
“When an entire category is in decline, most teams play defence. ISE did the opposite – they turned ‘Push Beyond’ into a rallying cry that united their internal teams and challenged an entire industry to think bigger,” said Russ Fordyce, Chief Recognition Officer at the Business Intelligence Group. “That kind of bold, two-word clarity is exactly what creative excellence looks like, and it’s why ISE earned its place among our 2026 winners.”
Mike Blackman, Managing Director of Integrated Systems Events, said: “To be recognised with a Sammy Award for the second consecutive year is a tremendous achievement for ISE and a reflection of the creativity, aspiration and commitment of our entire team. With ‘Push Beyond’, we wanted to reflect the energy of a global community that continues to challenge expectations, drive progress and shape the future of AV and systems integration.”
Why ISE’s momentum matters to exhibitors and visitors
For the AV industry, the award has a practical reading. A show that builds this level of momentum before its next edition reduces the usual uncertainty of trade show planning, both for exhibitors booking space early and for professionals building their training and networking calendar around the event.
From Push Beyond to When Worlds Unite at ISE 2027
ISE 2027 takes place at Fira de Barcelona, Gran Via, from 2 to 5 February 2027, under a new campaign theme, When Worlds Unite, focused on the convergence of AV, IT, broadcast and the creative industries. Visitor registration is already open, and this year a badge also gives access to the Spark and EdTech Congress show floors at Montjuïc, as we explain in our report on the opening of ISE 2027 registration.
New for the edition is the return of Innovation Park at ISE 2027, the area for AV start-ups. Dates, opening hours and free registration with the Instalia code are in our ISE 2027 Barcelona visitor guide.
