ISC West stood out for many reasons this year, but one thing organizers, attendees and exhibitors all agreed on was that an undeniable energy permeated the entire event. After Covid-19 canceled ISC West in 2020 and postponed it from March until July in 2021, this year’s event, which concluded on Friday at the Venetian Expo Center in Las Vegas, was labelled an unqualified success.
Organizers confirmed that nearly 20,000 security professionals attended the four-day event, which is the largest physical and connected security event in the U.S. More than 550 exhibitors demonstrated the most advanced security products and technology.
An updated space in the middle of the main expo floor called The Bridge brought content to life in the midst of a swarm of activity. SIA’s New Products & Solutions (NPS) showcase area was also relocated from outside the main hall to the area right next to The Bridge. So, the latest technology in the security space was available for review in the middle of the show floor and the Awards ceremony also happened in full view of attendees and exhibitors on The Bridge Stage.
The two biggest awards of the afternoon went to Allegion – LCN, which received Best New Product honors for its LCN 6400 COMPACT Series Operators product, and Hakimo, which garnered the prestigious Judges’ Choice award for its Hakimo Alarm Monitoring 2.0 product.
A Learning Environment
In addition to the buzz happening on the expo floor, the education program attracted nearly 1,000 security professionals—double last year’s attendance—intent staying up to date on the latest security trends, evolving strategies and tactics and emerging challenges that are so important for effectively securing their businesses. Eighty conference sessions kicked off on Tuesday—a day before the exhibits opened—and covered the gamut of security-related issues including everything from access control and managing the security of IoT devices to active shooter workshops, the state of regulation in the drone space and penetration testing your cybersecurity.
The conference program was highlighted by three keynote speakers. On Day 1, Rosemary Vassiliadis, the director of aviation for McCarran Airport and four other southern Nevada facilities, spoke about the challenges of securing one of the busiest airports in the U.S. Additionally, she related the important role LAS plays as a TSA test bed for new security technology.
Day 2 featured an informative and sometimes emotional address from Oakland County, Mich. Sheriff Michael Bouchard. Sherriff Bouchard talked about responding to the Nov. 2021 tragedy at Oxford High School in his jurisdiction where four students were killed. He talked about training that likely saved even more lives and learnings his department had incorporated from prior active shooter events around the world.
On the last day of the event, following the Women in Security Breakfast, The Bridge Stage on the expo floor featured a keynote address from Jenny Radcliffe, a U.K.-based penetration tester and self-described “people hacker.” Jenny, a white hat hacker and consultant who tests the physical security posture of companies by trying to break into them, delved into social engineering and the many ways people are vulnerable to giving up information or access they shouldn’t.
Eye on the Future
The energy that was evident throughout the week has attendees and exhibitors looking forward to next year’s event. ISC West will return to the Venetian Expo on March 28-31, 2023 with many of the exhibitors already booking their space.
“We really focused on creating an elevated experience this year,” said Mary Beth Shaughnessy, event director for IWC West. “We brought The Bridge Stage to the event and it really became the heartbeat of the show. The content and special events happening right in the middle of a completely packed expo floor created had everyone who attended this week buzzing. People were definitely excited this week and they’re already talking about next year.”
In upcoming issues of the ISC News Insider, look for more recaps of sessions, events and highlights from a massive week at ISC West.
