CONSULT 2021 Convenes Security Consultant Specifiers, Others to Talk Tech
The invite-only security conference, hosted in San Antonio, provided a venue to stage candid feedback between specifiers and suppliers.
The invite-only event provides a venue for candid feedback between specifiers and suppliers, and provides insights on product roadmaps.
Following a COVID-induced hiatus last year, CONSULT 2021 returned as an in-person event at the beautiful Hyatt Regency Riverwalk in San Antonio. More than 200 professionals took part in the security specifier conference Oct. 23-26.
Attendees of the event, primarily focused on security consultant specifiers, also included sponsoring solution partners, system integrators, industry thought leaders, and this year four new emerging technology suppliers. This fourth Technical Security Symposium delivered new product developments, emerging technologies, and improving communication for everyone tasked with delivering security to our customers.
Ray Coulombe, along with his team of volunteer event professionals and SecuritySpecifiers, knocked the conference ball out of the park with grateful participants that celebrated being socially engaged! The engagement and format allowed everyone to come away with new thinking from a more actionable perspective.
Says Coulombe, SICC, CDT, who serves as managing director of SecuritySpecifiers, of the event:
“Once again, CONSULT was able to bring together key individuals from our industry who focus on the design of complex security systems and those who deliver them. Manufacturers found the focused feedback and recommendations to be quite valuable, while consultants and integrators realized that they were in serious need of product and roadmap updates following the dark ‘winter’ of the pandemic lockdown. I think all who attended appreciated the renewal of professional face-to-face communication.”
This invite-only event is unique in that it is small, allows for great, candid feedback between specifiers and suppliers, and gains insights on product roadmaps and organizational updates. The feedback and education are unique to an underserved but important influencer group in our industry.
The mix of participants was blended and represented a smaller scale of our entire security industry ecosystem. Manufacturers (sponsor companies who underwrite and enable this event), opinion and thought leading professional security consultants, and system integrators who must practically/effectively deliver on security specifications to deliver business outcomes to end users. The outcome?
SecuritySpecifiers was established in 2010 by Ray Coulombe.
Very spirited opinions, discussions, war stories, ideas, learning, active and engaged listening (whoa), new manufacturer product road mapping, and innovative design resources for security specifiers. This year Ray selected four companies, with exciting emerging technologies, and gave them a rare opportunity to meet the leading thought leaders in technical security specifications. The companies include:
- Lance Kelson, executive vice president, Tiger Technology (edge-to-Cloud information transfer)
- Mary-Lou Smulders, CMO, Dedrone (airspace security)
- Srinath Kalluri, CEO, Oyla (3D sensor fusion)
- Sean Kelley, CTO, ProveID (proximity-based authentication)
I will provide coverage of these companies in my 2021 Top 30 Technology Picks in the December issue.
While many security industry conferences strive for engagement, connection and spirited conversations, this conference delivered masterful thought leadership. Ray and his team have once again delivered a unique experience to further professionalism in our eco system.
CONSULT 2022 is scheduled to be held Oct. 29-Nov. 1 in Nashville. Will be back next year to participate in this event!
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About the Author
Paul Boucherle, SSI Contributor
Paul C. Boucherle, Certified Protection Professional (CPP) and Certified Sherpa Coach (CSC), is Security Sales & Integration’s “Business Fitness” columnist. A principal of Matterhorn Consulting, he has more than 30 years of diverse security and safety industry experience including UL central station operations, risk-vulnerability assessments, strategic security program design and management of industry convergence challenges. Boucherle has successfully guided top-tier companies in achieving enhanced ROI resulting from improved sales and operational management techniques. He is a charismatic speaker and educator on a wide range of critical topics relating to the security industry of today and an accomplished corporate strategist and marketer whose vision and expertise in business performance have driven notable enterprise growth in the security industry sector.
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