Next generation AV: forging the future with the ISE Hackathon

By bringing together students, startups and industry leaders, This new initiative Integrated Systems Europe becomes a powerful collaboration platform, problem solving and future-oriented thinking of the AV environment.

In an era where technological advances are rapidly transforming industries, The demand for alert and innovative minds has never been greater. Recognizing this need in the systems integration and professional AV sectors, Integrated Systems Europe (WHEREAS) presented in his edition 2025 the so-called Hackathon, an initiative designed to attract and nurture new talent in a dynamic and constantly evolving industry.

The ISE Hackathon brought together in its first edition sixty university students, selected as finalists from all over Europe, to solve real technological challenges in the field of audiovisual innovation, demonstrating the power of determination and teamwork.

The competition included three lines of challenges: Sustainability, sponsored by Philips Professional Displays; Innovation, with the support of EIT Culture & Creativity; y Cybersecurity, through Hikvision. The participants were organized into teams and received a problem to solve in one of the three categories., working closely with expert mentors from each sponsoring company.

These mentors played a crucial role helping students overcome technical challenges, resolve internal disagreements and maintain motivation, ensuring each team remained focused and engaged.

Shaun Reardon, senior cybersecurity consultant at DNV AS, played a prominent role as a member of the tribunal in the cybersecurity category, co-designing the challenge together with Hikvision. “The ISE Hackathon provided students with an incredible opportunity to showcase their creativity.”, develop problem-solving skills and collaborate with like-minded peers.”.

In this sense, Reardon emphasizes that “watching the young teams grow and achieve results was truly inspiring.”. In addition to putting the future stars of the sector in the spotlight, I have no doubt that participating in the ISE Hackathon will open job doors for these students”.

Recognizing talent

Each team presented their solutions in the Innovation park pitching stake from ISE, and the winners were announced at the closing ceremony of the contest, in addition to receiving medals and trophies, recognition and networking opportunities, as well as unique experiences offered by sponsoring partners.

How do you explain Mike Blackman, general director of Integrated Systems Events, “The first ISE Hackathon was a resounding success and embodies ISE's spirit of supporting the next generation of AV pioneers. Thanks to our three sponsors, Philips Professional Displays, EIT Culture & Creativity y Hikvision. We invite more companies to join this initiative to address the talent gap in the AV industry. By getting involved, companies not only support the development of future AV professionals, but also access new perspectives and innovative solutions. Together we can build a stronger, more vibrant AV community”.

The winning team in the Sustainability category was invited to visit the headquarters of PPDS in Amsterdam. This exclusive two-day program allowed students to get up close and personal with the operation of one of the industry leaders and learn more about the focus on sustainability and safety in the Philips Professional Displays product range..

Vicky Fox, global communications director at PPDS, points out that “in addition to the sessions with our teams, We also talk about how careers can be forged, sometimes from unexpected beginnings, and how the focus on sustainability and energy efficiency is influencing not only how we do business and manufacture our products, but also challenges technical minds to dig deeper to break new ground.. We will follow with great interest the development of their careers, and we look forward to meeting next year's teams at ISE 2026.”

Looking to the future: carreras an AV

The ISE Hackathon goes beyond a competition: It is a launching pad for innovation, learning and real impact. Designed to inspire the next generation of talent in the AV and systems integration industries, offers students a unique opportunity to collaborate, solve real challenges and gain valuable exposure to industry leaders.

He registration deadline to participate in the Hackathon at ISE 2026 ends the 15 October 2025 and can be done from this link.