conferences

I took a nice long weekend to recover from my travels to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico for i3 International's annual event followed by a very successful TechSec Solutions in Delray Beach, Fla. (I know, both tough places to be in February, especially when you call Maine home). But no time to relax, we're jumping right into the next round of security conferences.

ISC West Security Conference and Exposition at the Sands in Las Vegas is right around the corner on April 5-7. If you're an end user who's planning to attend the show, I'd like to meet with you. These conferences are a great opportunity to meet face-to-face with folks and I'm always interested to hear about the challenges and successes security practitioners are experiencing out there in the real world. Likewise, if you're a manufacturer or integrator and have some customers who will be attending the show, also feel free to contact me to set up an appointment: LStelter(at)securitydirectornews.com.

Also, don't forget to sign up for the Security 5K. Last year we had more than 300 people from the security industry running the streets of Vegas at 7:30 a.m. It created a ton of buzz at the show so this year we're expecting even more people to participate. All proceeds generated by the race will be contributed to Mission 500, an organization determined to get the security industry to sponsor 500 (or more) children through the World Vision humanitarian organization. The 2011 goal is to raise $100,000, which will feed, educate, clothe and tend to the health needs of more than 300 needy children around the world. Not a runner? Not a problem. It's a fun run, people, do it for the children.

In other conference news, ASIS International announced two big name keynote speakers for their conference in Orlando, Fla. on Sept. 19-22. This year Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida, will give the opening address on Tues., Sept. 20. And on Wedn., Sept. 21, Vicente Fox, President of Mexico, 2000-2006, will discuss the economic and social challenges facing Latin America. Frankly, I'm very excited to hear what Fox has to say about the political landscape and security challenges in Mexico right now. Mark your calendars.

Welcome to the new year. I took a week-long break from the working world, and I must say, it was wonderful. I actually unplugged myself for the most part, too, thanks to spotty cell phone coverage in northern Vermont and my parent's barely-better-than-dial-up satellite Internet. I highly recommend disconnecting, if even for a few days, it's very rejuvenating.

But now we're back and there's so much to catch up on. I'm getting excited for our upcoming conference, TechSec Solutions, which focuses on IP security technology. Our line up of speakers is looking great, covering everything from retail to critical infrastructure. For 2011 we're focusing largely on real-world situations and panels will be discussing ways that security folks have solved their biggest challenges by leveraging IP technology. The event is happening in Delray Beach, Fla., February 13-15th (can't beat Florida in February, now can you?).

In other news, things were somewhat quiet over the holidays (or compared to last year's Christmas Day bomber fiasco anyway). I've seen a few bizarre security stories come across my radar including this story about a man who accidentally butt-dialed his wife who thought he was being held hostage and called the police who then sent in the SWAT team. Oops.

Maybe you missed this story about a Yankee Stadium security guard who tried to get through airport security claiming he had "cooked rabbit" with him, but upon further investigation he actually had three large bricks of cocaine.

On a serious note, President Obama signed into law the Food Safety Modernization Act, which is the largest overhaul of U.S. food safety laws in more than 70 years. The $1.4 billion legislation makes sweeping improvements to the security and safety of our nation’s food supply and gives the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authority to order product recalls, and requires food manufacturers to keep more detailed food safety plans.

In other White House news, an e-mailed Christmas greeting purportedly from the White House actually contained dangerous malware aimed at extracting sensitive financial data and documents from government employees. Yikes. Wonder what the cybersecurity czar thinks about this?

All in all, the year is off to an interesting start. Here's to hoping 2011 is a hell of a lot better than 2010.

By Ed Nichols, Reed Exhibitions, Americas

With roughly six weeks until the reinvented ISC Solutions (Nov. 3-4, 2010), we are looking forward to a solid event. ISC Solutions will be the first electronic security trade show to focus on security applications for three high-growth vertical sectors: Government, Healthcare & Education. Everything from the show floor arrangement to a new networking/matchmaking program, designed to promote meaningful and productive connections between manufacturers and end-users, will be on full-display.

The reinvention of this event did not take place in a vacuum, but rather through the support and feedback from the entire security channel, from manufacturers to dealers/installers, integrators and security end-users. ISC Solutions has undergone a complete ‘make-over’ with input from virtually every faction of the industry. We have enjoyed the many personal visits with campus security directors representing colleges and universities, healthcare facilities and state and federal facilities throughout the New York metropolitan region; attending regional security directors’ association meetings, and conducting needs assessments with every security professional group. These were designed to capture greater insights into what security directors want and need.

The results of these have revealed several main needs and motivators for security directors that we have captured and will present at the upcoming ISC Solutions events. These include: New product/solutions/services that help them stay current and professionally sound; opportunities for peer-to-peer discussions to share common challenges and issues; and dducation by job function and vertical market sector. In fact, solutions-based exhibits rated highest (78%) by respondents as extremely/very valuable to ISC Solutions 2010. The second highest rated is ‘Structured Peer-to-Peer Discussion’ (58%).

At ISC Solutions, we will be delivering all of these and more. We have implemented a Map-Your-Show and matchmaking service that allows for connections between manufacturers and security professionals and security professionals with other security professionals. The show floor has been designed for sourcing ease and to view and seek out new solutions according to product category, thus saving them time. And, we will be bringing security directors together for structured peer-to-peer discussions

The education program, meanwhile, will have dozens of sessions targeted to manufacturers; end-users; and dealers/installers/integrators. Many sessions will be available at no charge on the show floor, including those in the new “Solutions at Work Case Study Forum,” which will provide real-world examples of security solutions offered in or across four vertical markets: education, government, health care, and non-governmental organizations.

So, when we present this year’s reinvented ISC Solutions event, we will feel confident that we will be delivering an event that satisfies the solutions-based needs of the entire security channel, but we know that this is just the first step. We will be continually improving and enhancing our offering to the industry and will look for these enhancements to evolve as the industry’s needs evolve and change. Therefore, we ask that you participate in ISC Solutions in a robust and full way and when we ask for feedback, please provide your comments. There are numerous ways that you can provide these to us either directly to me, my team, on our Web site and when we send out post-event surveys. We are here to serve today’s security channel, but mostly importantly, to meaningfully answer the question, “What do security directors really want?”

We look forward to seeing you in New York City on Nov. 3-4 for ISC Solutions.

Ed Nichols, Industry Vice President, Security & Life Safety portfolio is responsible for the event management and strategic direction of Reed Exhibitions’ International Security Conference (ISC) events, ISC West and ISC Solutions. Ed received his B.A. from the University of Connecticut in 1989 and currently resides in Stratford, Conn.

I don't usually blog about upcoming events (that's why we have that nifty calendar at the bottom of our homepage), but I wanted to make sure I shared this. The Security Industry Association just announced that the former U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff will address their 2010 Government Summit scheduled for June 8-9.

In case you forgot, Chertoff served as the head of DHS from 2005 to 2009. Now, he is the co-founder and managing principal of The Chertoff Group, a consulting agency that specializes in risk prevention, crisis management and post-crisis recovery.

“Secretary Chertoff advised the president on critical infrastructure protection issues affecting every American. He knows how homeland security policy is made in Washington, and SIA Government Summit attendees will have the benefit of hearing what practical lessons can be drawn from his experiences at DHS," said SIA Government Relations Director Don Erickson.

The summit will also cover issues about biosecurity, identity management, stimulus spending and procurement.

And Chertoff isn't the only big name on the docket. Columnist George Will and Clinton White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry have been scheduled as special keynote speakers as well.

Sounds pretty good. I've already started begging my higher-ups to let me go. You should do the same - June is just around the corner.

Already it feels like I've been in Vegas forever, but alas, it's only the second day. Well, technically, it's the first day of the show - the first HALF of the first day of the show as a matter of fact - and already I'm exhausted. But, that's just the name of the game here in Vegas.

Anyway, the panel that I helped organize on airport security went great this morning and was well attended, especially considering it was the first panel of the day. This is the first year I've attended ISC West that they've had the Public Safety & Security section of the show floor and I think having a venue like that, with a theater in the middle, is a great way to attract attention to important industry topics. No time to reiterate it here, but look for a story on next week's newswire.

So far the show seems to be well attended. I heard several accounts last night that the floor plan looked significantly smaller than last year, but it seems just as large and overwhelming to me. Aisles seem packed with lots of bodies to dodge. In my experience, the first day of the show isn't typically the busiest, so we could see even more traffic in .

Our booth is pretty cool this year, too. We're all set up for our video shoots and are located near the front of the show floor (#3064). Feel free to stop by and see us here, although chances are we'll be running around like crazy folks most of the time. Speaking of which, I gotta run to my next appointment now. More later!

I found this ASIS video on You Tube that gives an overview of the group's 2008 conferences.

I couldn't find any other videos from security associations on You Tube, and the few ASIS videos that are up there are provided by the video's producer as part of his demo roll. Many manufacturers are jumping on board as Sam pointed out yesterday, and I do like Honeywell's Security Stories series. But I can't help but wonder if this is a useful medium for security practitioners. Have you used video such as these to research technologies or opportunities?

(I guess if you don't, you are not going to bother to read this blog entry, huh?)

On one side, it is far easier (and less expensive) to watch a product demo from the comfort of your office than it is to attend a trade show. But on the other hand, who has the time? And aren't you watching enough video from your surveillance system anyway?