Spark 2026 puts creative production front and centre at ISE Barcelona

Barcelona’s Fira de Barcelona Gran Via is expecting some creative sparks, as its new addition to the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE), Spark 2026, opens its doors, running from 3-6 February. Positioned within the wider ISE programme, Spark will bring speakers and practical demos direct to the creative community, covering a plethora of creative spaces, including gaming, design, broadcast, media and live events. Far from a standard exhibition space, Spark is reaching beyond the traditionally celebrated aspects of the creative industry, acting as a place to investigate how creative work gets made.  

With this in mind, Spark 2026, powered by Samsung, explores the theme of convergence, highlighting how production technology – from the production tools used behind-the-scenes to the way that teams and workflows are changing – continually crosses paths with different creative sectors and culture. That emphasis, and the cross-platform education that these different disciplines offer each other, is celebrated across both the content programme and its installations.

Geared towards people working in large-scale production and creator-led models, the speaker line-up includes a wide array of interesting folks from throughout the creative and technology space, including Netflix’s director and head of production for Spain and Portugal, Victor Martí, who’s set to discuss the evolving role of storytelling across global audiences and platforms. Turning to music, Alex Boateng, who co-presides over 0207 Def Jam, will examine how cultural networks and industry structures shape our unique and individual creative outputs. The wide creator economy and the sustainability of business also features, with Arcade founder and chief executive Jordan Schwarzenberger speaking to the eruption of creator-turned-business owners and how creatives are building companies on their own terms, answering to their own specific needs

Beyond the headline talks, Spark platforms voices delving into virtual production, experiential work and media development. The programme will star the likes of Rowan Pitts, an in-camera visual effects specialist working with Mars Volume and Bild Studios, Trevor Burk, creative director at Visual Noise Creative, and Nick Troop, executive producer at Possible. 

On the demonstration side, Spark emphasises immersive, production-facing work. For instance, Samsung is leading a virtual production presentation built around its indoor LED set-up. The large-scale experience is established to reveal how LED environments are being used for broadcast, film, extended reality and live events. Alongside big names like Samsung, at Spark, local storytelling also sits alongside such sizable, technical focuses. Catalonia’s public media group 3Cat’s interactive installation, for example, is inspired by its new video game Manairons, drawing on Catalan folklore and using gesture-based interaction across multiple screens.

Spark’s truly international approach throughout the 2026 showcase, combining local and global creatives and companies, as well as the event’s convergent display philosophy, appears to capture the current state of play – and potential future view – on creative production and the industries it serves.

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