From old buildings in need of modernisation to energy-intensive office buildings, there is much to do in the building sector en route to greater climate neutrality. In Germany, this sector accounts for around 30 percent of CO₂ emissions. For many years, however, the building sector has failed to reach the CO₂ reduction targets set by the German government.

Around 2,200 exhibitors are ready to present their innovative technologies at Light + Building in Frankfurt am Main from 3 to 8 March 2024.

Over the coming six days, the spotlight at the world’s leading trade fair for lighting and building-services technology will be on solutions for greater sustainability. Around 2,200 exhibitors are showing modern lighting design, smart building-services technology, technologies for efficient energy management, the connection of PV installations, charging stations for electrical mobility and the electrical infrastructure. These innovations have the potential to save up many millions of tonnes of CO2 by 2030.

Light + Building is the international platform for the electrical industry and lighting designers, and attracts companies from all over the world to Frankfurt am Main. The level of internationality among the exhibitors has reached 77 percent. After Germany, the majority of exhibitors come from Italy, China, Türkiye, Spain, Poland, Austria, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France and Greece.

“It is fascinating to see how many innovations for our homes and buildings are coming onto the market. Everyone can expand their knowledge in personal discussions at Light + Building. After all, if we want to achieve the reorientation towards greater sustainability in the building sector, everything has to dovetail and function efficiently”, says Wolfgang Marzin, President and Chief Executive Officer, Messe Frankfurt.

Under the motto ‘Be electrified’, Light + Building shows how intelligent energy management in buildings interconnects and optimises power-generating plant with household consumption. This has an energy-saving potential of up to 30 percent. Renewable energy generated in or on the building itself improves the carbon footprint. Increasing e-mobility is also reducing CO₂ emissions. Thus, demand is growing for charging points at private households, apartment buildings, shopping centres, offices, etc. Against this background, solutions for electric charging infrastructure will be presented and discussed at Light + Building 2024.

In cooperation with its partners, the German Electro and Digital Industry Association (ZVEI) and the Federation of the German Electrical and Information Technology Installation Trades (ZVEH), Messe Frankfurt has set out the agenda for the lighting and building technology sectors with three top themes: ‘Connectivity’, ‘Sustainability’ and ‘Work + Living’. They are the content guidelines for the accompanying events during the show and include a variety of lectures, guided tours and award ceremonies to be held in the lighting area of the Design Plaza in Hall 3.1 (Stand B50). The Building Plaza in Hall 9.0 (Stand D60) focuses on building-services technology topics.

The Technology Forum will be the meeting place for an exchange of ideas and information between exhibitors and visitors against a backdrop of lectures and panel discussions focussing on electrification and digitalisation of the building sector. The ZVEH is also represented by the E-House in Hall 11.0 (Stand C07/D07). There, the spotlight is on ‘sustainable energy supply’ and ‘smart health’.

In addition to the lectures and discussions, several one and multi-day events offer concentrated insights into specific subject areas, e.g., the Building in the Energy Transition Conference on 6 and 7 March 2024.

Full details of the complete Light + Building programme can be found in the event calendar at www.light-building.com/events

Light + Building – The World’s Leading Trade Fair for Lighting and Building Services Technology – takes place from 3 to 8 March 2024. www.light-building.messefrankfurt.com.

Our media a&s Adria is also present at the Light + Building fair and we invite all interested parties to contact our representatives via email editorial@asadria.com.

The latest edition of the world’s leading audiovisual and systems integration exhibition delivered on all fronts and proved to be “Your Destination for Innovation”

BARCELONA, 2 February 2024: Integrated Systems Europe 2024 was the most successful edition in its 20-year history. Taking place at the Fira de Barcelona Gran Via venue the show attracted 73,891 unique verified attendees from 162 countries, a record since the show’s inception in Geneva in 2004. This represents an increase of 27% on the 2023 edition.

On the Wednesday (31 January) the show had 51,617 visitors, the highest number ever in a single day beating the previous record by almost 22%.

The total number of registrations reached 95,396 with 172,627 visits across the four days. Attendee numbers for the Friday were at 24,528, a record for the show since it went to a four-day event.

Alongside record-breaking occupation in the city’s hotels, bars, and entertainment venues, exhibitors reported unparalleled footfall on booths across the largest ever ISE show.

The exhibition showcased its highest number of exhibitors with (1,408) and the largest show floor space (82,000 sqm net).

ISE 2024 was a testament to the innovation of the pro-AV and systems integration community. Exhibitors from around the globe presented state-of-the-art solutions, ranging from advanced display technologies and immersive audio systems to smart automation and collaborative communication tools. The diverse array of products and services reflected the industry’s commitment to pushing boundaries and enhancing user experiences.

Mike Blackman, Managing Director of Integrated Systems Events commented: “In the illustrious 20-year journey of ISE, we have witnessed the transformative power of innovation and collaboration within our community. ISE 2024 not only reflects the cutting-edge technologies defining our industry but also serves as a testament to the enduring spirit of creativity and camaraderie. As we celebrate this milestone, alongside our co-owners AVIXA and CEDIA we look forward to continuing our commitment to being a global platform for industry professionals.”

The educational component of ISE 2024 was exceptional. The conference sessions, workshops, and keynote presentations from multi-Academy Award-winning director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, and leading digital artists Jeroen van der Most and Sofia Crespo were curated to provide valuable insights into emerging trends, market dynamics, and technological breakthroughs. Renowned speakers in the conferences and on the show floor stages shared their expertise on topics such as artificial intelligence in AV, sustainable design, and the future of remote collaboration. Attendees had the opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions and gain actionable knowledge to stay ahead in the rapidly evolving industry.

The celebration of ISE’s 20th anniversary added a special touch to the event. Commemorative events, retrospective installations such as the ISE Time Tunnel and Vintage Audio Museum, and acknowledgments of industry pioneers highlighted the incredible journey of ISE. This not only created a sense of nostalgia but also underscored the industry’s resilience and adaptability in the face of technological evolution.

ISE returns to Barcelona 4 – 7 February 2025.

Intersec 2024, marking its 25th anniversary, is poised to make history as the largest edition yet. From January 16 to 18, 2024, at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), the silver jubilee edition will host 1,000 exhibitors from 60 nations. With a theme of ‘Innovating security tech for a quarter century’ and under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansoor Bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the event anticipates substantial growth, reflecting its role as a dynamic platform for innovation in the security industry.

Intersec 2024 is gearing up to host a diverse array of exhibitors from across the globe, showcasing the international panorama of the fire and safety sector. Over 400 dedicated fire and safety exhibitors will occupy five halls at the exhibition, making it the fastest growing sector. An impressive 70% of the industry’s global market leaders are set to converge, offering unparalleled opportunities for industry professionals to engage and conduct business in the Middle East.

Among the key players, NAFFCO, renowned for its commitment to top-tier firefighting equipment and safety engineering systems, will take center stage with a captivating array of exhibits. From cutting-edge firefighting equipment to the latest advancements in fire protection systems, NAFFCO’s stand promises to be a must-visit destination for professionals eager to explore the forefront of fire safety technology.

Returning global exhibitors such as Baldwin Boxall from the UK, HD Fire from India, Bristol Fire Engineering/Concorde Corodex Group from the UAE, and Inim from Italy bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the event. Joining them are noteworthy newcomers, each contributing a fresh perspective to the industry. Pentair from the UAE, Kopler from Saudi Arabia, Fire Safety Science from the USA, SVT Products from Germany, Viking from Denmark, and Erse Kablo from Turkey are among the new exhibitors making their debut at Intersec 2024.

Exhibitors at Intersec 2024 will elevate the experience with a range of offerings, including the iconic Bronto Skylift on the DWTC plaza, providing select attendees with a unique opportunity to ascend and enjoy a breathtaking view of the exhibition and its surroundings. Furthermore, the Wisualarm stand will showcase a state-of-the-art Firefighting Robot, revolutionizing firefighting capabilities and highlighting the industry’s commitment to leveraging automation for enhanced safety and security. Intersec 2024 promises to be a convergence of innovation, diverse expertise, and collaborative efforts shaping the future of fire safety on a global scale.

The Fire & Rescue Conference at Intersec 2024, hosted by Dubai Civil Defense, is a knowledge-sharing platform addressing critical industry topics. Industry leaders, experts, and innovators will discuss Emergency Response Planning, Industrial Firefighting, Fire Safety in High-Rise Structures, and more. Key speakers include Gary Barthram, Chief Fire Officer at Heathrow Airport, and Mohammed Saeefan from Saudi Aramco.

Intersec Awards 2024, a celebration of industry success, recognizes excellence in the fire industry with categories like ‘Excellence in Fire Prevention’ and ‘Outstanding Safety Solutions.’ The gala ceremony brings together over 300 nominees, key players, and government representatives, strengthening industry relationships.

As Intersec 2024 unfolds, the fire and safety sector anticipates a convergence of innovation, excellence, and dedication. With live demonstrations, diverse exhibitors, and networking opportunities, Intersec remains the premier platform for professionals shaping the future of fire safety.

Technological innovation ensuring efficiency and interoperability, a wide-range debate on hot issues, and qualified training sessions characterised the three-day event packed with operators facing the challenge of integration.

Milan, 4 December 2023. A vast turnout, popular conferences, a broad debate on the opportunities of the smart evolution of buildings and cities: SMART BUILDING EXPO 2023, the home and building automation and technological integration event organised by Fiera Milano and Pentastudio, ended in success thus confirming itself as the event of reference for the Italian market.

An edition characterised by a lot of innovation: SBE, together with SICUREZZA, MADE expo and GEE-Global Elevator Exhibition, participated in a broader event: the MIBA-Milan International Building Alliance, the format that, for the first time, brought under one umbrella four vertical shows that, in different ways and with multiple proposals, contribute to the sustainable and smart evolution of buildings and cities. A cross-offer available to visitors with a single ticket and attended by more than 80,000 operators hailing from 111 countries.

As part of this event, SMART BUILDING EXPO, with its 142 exhibitors from 15 countries, was an opportunity to review platforms, solutions, and products that are fundamental for making buildings smart and making them communicate with each other within the context of a smart city.

THREE DAYS TO UNDERSTAND WHERE THE MARKET IS HEADED

The three days of SBE were characterised by an intense exchange that took place around the four “Innovation Squares”, dedicated to Home and Building Automation, System Integration, Renewable Energy and the steadily growing world of Audio-Video.

There was great interest in the topic of digital building infrastructure as an enabling technology for opening up to new services, especially when combined with an open source edge computer capable of focusing the intelligence required for operation while avoiding the proliferation of redundant equipment.

Efficiency, effectiveness, and interoperability embodied the underlying message of an event that offered a different way of looking at buildings and homes, today increasingly understood as veritable hubs of citizen services.

Many said that “Something has changed” and the feeling is that this is only the beginning of a long-lasting phenomenon that will permanently change our homes, leading to the green revolution that is the focus of the European directives on sustainability.

A great deal of attention has emerged around the so-called BACS (Building Automation Control Systems), undervalued resources so far that can lead to major improvements in the energy performance of buildings, especially existing ones, without affecting the envelope. Savings can be as high as 25-30%.

Another topic of significant impact, discussed at many stands and seminars, was the “data driven” building and city, meaning the collection and management of data as a tool to produce effective and predictive actions.

EXCELLENCE TRAINING FOR AN EVER EVOLVING SECTOR

In such a rapidly changing context, it became clear how indispensable it is for the sector operators to be informed and trained on the ongoing evolution.

With a schedule of over 50 meetings and initiatives designed to provide opportunities for discussion and professional development at all levels, SMART BUILDING EXPO 2023 provided a full insight into the sector’s innovation over the three days of the exhibition, while also focusing on trends and development opportunities.

A number of high-profile speeches took place, including, for example, that of Architect Cino Zucchi and the associates of ALA-Assoarchitetti, which discussed the topic of the change that the use of new technologies is bringing to the city and buildings, and how technology is changing the habits of citizens, also impacting the real estate sector.

A topic that also marked the high-level debate that characterised the third Milano Smart City Conference, which for the first time took place in two different sessions: the first on 14 November at Assimpredil ANCE in Milan and the second at Fiera Milano on 15 November.

SMART BUILDING EXPO will be back at Fiera Milano from 19 to 21 November 2025, as part of the MIBA-Milan International Building Alliance, confirming the same formula while also featuring SBE, SICUREZZA, MADE expo and GEE-Global Elevator Exhibition.

• There was great interest in the first edition of MIBA, which saw more than 80,000 operators present. A synergy that enhances the role of security in the evolution of buildings and as a key element of integrated solutions
• Digitalisation, customisation and efficiency are the drivers of the offer, but great interest in enhancing professional profiles also emerged during the three days. The drive for virtuous collaboration between the public and private sectors is increasing.
• There was great satisfaction among exhibitors who saw their networking and business opportunities amplified in the MIBA setting.

 Milan, 4 December 2023. Digital transition and cyber security, customisation – both functional and aesthetic -, efficiency – aimed at energy saving but also at user comfort -, sustainability, but also continuous professional training and the valorisation of public-private partnerships: these are the topics of discussion that characterised the latest edition of SICUREZZA, which closed at Fiera Milano on last 17 November, enthusiastically welcomed by companies and visitors. This enthusiasm was reinforced by the strategic MIBA-Milan International Building Alliance, of which SICUREZZA is a part together with SMART BUILDING EXPO, MADE expo and GEE-Global Elevator Exhibition, and which was able to showcase building innovation across the board.

This proposal has significant numbers that confirm MIBA as a winning proposition: more than 80,000 operators from 111 countries met the 1350 exhibitors; all enriched by a solid campaign to recruit profiled top buyers with high spending power, identified in collaboration with the ITA-ICE Agency.

THE EXHIBITION PROPOSAL

SICUREZZA 2023 showcased the most innovative security&fire proposals, and also enhanced them, thanks to MIBA, in a wider scenario focusing on the evolution of buildings and cities in a smart direction.

There were three main trends in the offer: digitisation and high technology, necessary for ensuring quality and integration for each service; customisation, to meet the increasingly diverse needs of customers and application sectors, in terms of functionality, scalability, but also design; and efficiency in consumption and operations, to meet user demands for energy and cost savings, but also for comfort and accessibility. These trends are profoundly linked to each other, under the banner of an integrated approach, involving a new understanding of how to manage spaces – be they residential, infrastructures, retail or industrial – to suit real needs.

CCTV, fire prevention, intrusion detection, access control and passive security are increasingly converging with each other. The proposals presented were diverse and evolved, capable of exploiting artificial intelligence, deep learning and IoT to perform complex data reading and analysis automatically and quickly. Universal protocols, Apps and cloud-based management integrate and connect various services, where fire & security & safety systems are increasingly integrated with security systems, guaranteeing ease, efficiency, but also preventive maintenance.

Nowadays, videosurveillance is an advanced and multifaceted intelligent mechanism, remotely managed and often integrated with other intrusion detection and home-automation services, through customised solutions for any public or private environment. The new smart cameras are capable of autonomously tracking specific individuals or objects through established morphological parameters and can send immediate notifications via app in the event of abnormal behaviour. Advanced CCTV systems for access control provide analytical monitoring of incoming or outgoing flows, allowing even the profiling of human or road traffic in sensitive locations.

Access control, intrusion detection and passive security systems also address digital transition and integrated customised solutions for homes, workplaces and public spaces. The solutions are modular and can be integrated, allowing continuous updating, they can be managed by App and each part can be customised in design: handles and electronic cylinders are easy to install and offer modular solutions for remote access management in both small and large environments; smart video intercoms dialogue with the building’s internal mobility systems to facilitate access; control units and sirens can be managed via App and combine design shapes, low-impact materials, high-resistance paints and customisable colour finishes.

Fire protection fits into this ecosystem, with reliable, customised and digital solutions for predictive and comprehensive monitoring of all building features, not only in residential but also in important infrastructures.

At SICUREZZA, new multitasking fire alarm control panels were presented, capable of managing extinguishing, gas detection, emergency lighting, and public-addressing at the same time; new extraction systems were presented, capable of distinguishing a real fire from a false alarm; all accompanied by cloud and App solutions, capable of decisively simplifying both the installation and maintenance phases.

Similarly, in public contexts, security is evolving in a highly technological and tailor-made direction: SICUREZZA featured certified temporary anti-terrorism deterrents suitable for securing large events, advanced drone-detection systems capable of intervening on the aerial trajectories of suspicious drones, and robot dogs, ground-based drones that are used both on construction sites and in the event of earthquakes and natural disasters, to dig without putting human beings at risk.

CONTINUOUS TRAINING AND VALORISATION OF PROFESSIONS

Once again this year, SICUREZZA was fertile ground for professional development, with more than 50 industry-specific training events held over the three days of the event, which complemented the MIBA training schedule.

Vigilance Operators, Security Managers, Installers, System Integrators and Designers all found solutions in the events at the trade fair. Associations, publishers, certification bodies and companies were able to provide an accurate picture of a rapidly changing sector, with the intention of taking stock of today’s security industry culture, to ensure that it is recognised, disseminated and promoted, reaffirming the convergence needed between the public and private sectors.

Some of the topics discussed included: digital transition, digital-awareness of professionals, but also the necessary valorisation of their skills through training and certification. In addition to digitisation, there is also the issue of efficiency, a concept underpinning the new smart-building and smart-city, which aim to become accessible and sustainable spaces in both environmental and human terms, and therefore safe.

The fact that many Italian associations chose to hold their own institutional meetings during the event confirmed SICUREZZA as a relevant space for discussion for the sector, highlighting the desire and need to promote a public and shared exchange on current and future projects.

Lastly, the Cyber Security Arena events, organised by Business International, allowed us to take stock of the current situation of cyber security, including the objectives already achieved and the many risks still to be faced. The talks and the “useful” tips discussed cyber risk, artificial intelligence, and the current geopolitical scenario, but also Cyber Awareness, data security in Smart-Building and Smart-City, as well as the new frontiers of Cyber Threat Intelligence, Artificial Intelligence and blockchain as an innovative approach to cyber security.

The next SICUREZZA event will be held from 19 to 21 November 2025, again as part of MIBA, which, after its successful debut, confirms its format.