The 2000 Americas’ Security Expo (ASE) was a rousing success, according to R.O.C. Exhibitions, the show organizer. The July 18-20 event attracted record numbers from previous years. Attendees from throughout the United States and Latin America, including Venezuela, Uruguay and Brazil, converged at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

ASE celebrated the success of the first day by hosting a Gala Americana Reception, which was sponsored by Camcol, Galaxy Controls, Ademco and R.O.C. Exhibitions. Samba dancers donning beaded costumes and feathered headdresses gyrated to the rhythms of a live Samba band as guests enjoyed an hors d’oeuvre buffet and an array of exotic tropical drinks.

Attendees chose from a menu of educational conference sessions that were offered during the mornings and afternoons. Some of the seminars included “Effective Use and Sales of Wireless Alarm Monitoring Methods,” “Risk Management in the Workplace” and “School Safety Today Using Metal Detectors.” Many of the sessions were offered in both English and Spanish.

Many exhibitors were also singing ASE’s praises. They credit the steady foot traffic and strong leads that evolved from the three-day event. However, Security Sales spoke with one show attendee who voiced minor criticism.

“I like the show, but it concerns me to see so many Latin American end users attending the show. The manufacturers should think about whether to sell their products directly to end users or to us, the retailers [and dealers],” asserts Jaime Cabezas Peterson of Importel S.A. in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Overall, many security professionals were impressed by the variety of product and service offerings on display, such as biometric systems, CCTV and fire/burg equipment.
“The show is very important, because it enables us as installers to gather together,” says Juan Carlos Gonzalez, president of Inversiones Iasetec C.A. in Caracas, Venezuela. “Today, although security systems are made by different manufacturers, we’re always looking for other products that can be integrated with an existing system.”

Marcos A. Del Freu of CFTVTech of São Paulo, Brazil, was also pleased by the event. “The show is very good. It is my first time attending ASE, and it is very interesting to see the latest products, such as the new digital recorders,” he says. Del Freu adds that the show also gave him the opportunity to network with North American manufacturers.

One of the highlights of the show was a special presentation by Valdemar López, president of El Mundo de la Seguridad, a Venezuelan security publication. He is also the organizer of Segur-Expo Caracas, Venezuela. López presented medallions to George Fletcher, president and CEO of Tronex Intl., Peggy Sherry, exhibit manager for R.O.C. Exhibitions, Marc Rosenstock, president of R.O.C. Exhibitions, and Juan Cubides, former executive director of the Latin American Security Association (ALAS), in honor of their contributions to the Latin American security industry. Andrea Ferrando, executive director of ALAS, received a special plaque recognizing her contributions to the industry.

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