ISE 2024 Day Three Recap

By Britt Yenser

Written on 02/02/2024

Day three of #ISE2024 was on Thursday, February 1st. At this point in the show it was starting to feel a bit like an overwhelming whirlwind. Luckily Erin Mahr-Moran had put everything on our calendars in advance so we were able to know where we needed to be and when—we would have been devastated to miss any of our Thursday lineup!

Our recorded booth tour was with Catchbox. I think most people are aware of what a fun and engaging product their cube is. We are excited for you to see some different microphone applications that are easy and intuitive, especially for instructors. We also recorded an unboxing video with Epiphan. Stay tuned to learn “what’s in the box!” Spoiler: we think you’ll find Epiphan really took the feedback they received from the Higher Ed vertical to heart. 

We also benefited from the educational experiences. We attended the Education Summit hosted by Eunis, an annual tradition focusing on pedagogy and AV in practice. The Summit included a keynote on generative AI in academia—a timely topic as this is becoming a core conversation at many of our institutions. Not only did our education focus on technology, but we also received some excellent Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training from sessions lead by Iffat Chaudhry. She taught us more about talking with our teams about equity and mental health, and I think we will all be returning to our institutions as better managers and leaders thanks to her wisdom.

There were two happy hours hosted on the show floor that we attended. The first was at Catchbox, where there were craft Latvian beers, soft drinks, and the warmth and friendliness we’ve come to expect from the Catchbox staff. I especially loved learning that Catchbox’s origin stems from the support of the Higher Ed vertical. After hanging out with Catchbox, we headed over to the AVIXA Ed Tech Happy Hour. We enjoyed their tasty beverages (soft drinks included!) and snacks while also networking with fellow Higher Ed colleagues and supporters. I was thrilled to see Coran Smith, who is the energetic and hard working person behind the AVIXA Power Hours. We had a great chat about professional development for AV folks in Higher Ed! 

As we exited the show, we heard the announcement that the show floor was closing—the mark of a long and productive day! We decided to explore the city and find a place for a low-key dinner. Not far from the Grums Hotel we found the most amazing food we have ever had at My [redacted] Restaurant. It’s not difficult to find a great bite to eat in Barcelona, but this meal was so good I almost cried. If you want to know the full name of the restaurant, find us on Twitter/X! The redacted word in the restaurant name is an expletive, but don’t let that turn you away! 

At the end of day three, we’d learned more about our sponsor’s products, how to take better care of ourselves and our teams, and to not judge a restaurant by its name. We can’t believe there is only one day left…stay tuned for our final recap!