Whatever

Diversity was the key to this year's record-breaking ISE. Attendance was up and the education programme was, finally, well-attended. But it was the sheer scope of the show that was so gratifying.

It helped that there were either major product introductions or emerging technologies arriving in almost every sector. There were new IP audio protocols, the latest projection engines, standards-compliant touch screens, systems control software from ‘new' players, and the start of telepresence interoperability.

Because its users embrace all those sectors, the a-v industry needs to have a wide spread of product and services to offer. Manufacturers may be displays or systems specialists, but the user requirement is for multiple techniques and technologies that can work together.

And that's the other achievement behind ISE. Every since the early days in Geneva the whole industry, the trade associations that own the show, and all the supporting media have worked together to make the show a success. 

The show is currently by the industry, for the industry. It's vital that continues to be the case.

One of the figures released by InfoComm as part of its global market study (see news) highlights the fact that the real money is a-v is now being made from service provision, rather than product sales.

In North America, the most mature world a-v market, 51 per cent of 2009 revenues came from services such as systems design and installation, maintenance and rental/staging, says the InfoComm report. Globally, services are now 38 per cent of the market and non-product revenues make up 35 per cent of European sales. Services lag behind, at just 21 per cent of revenues, in the still-developing AsiaPac market - although they are significantly higher in the most developed regional a-v nation, Japan.

The InfoComm figures appear not to take account of video and event production revenues, so the true size of the global a-v services market could be much higher than the 20bn Euros quoted by InfoComm.

That shouldn't really be so surprising, although it made a lot of display manufacturers sit up and take notice. After all, b2b a-v communications is really only in business to serve the needs of its clients.

Nonetheless, the InfoComm figure is refreshing. If it reminds a-v suppliers that they are in a service business then it will also be useful.