Coronavirus Prompts Motorola Solutions to Pull Out of ISC West
Motorola and its Avigilon brand will instead host a virtual showcase during ISC West to help customers learn about the company’s products and solutions.
The Motorola Solutions and Avigilon exhibit booth at ISC West 2019. (facebook.com/avigiloncorporation)
LAS VEGAS — Motorola Solutions and its Avigilon brand of video surveillance solutions has elected to pull out of ISC West 2020 due to worries about the spreading coronavirus outbreaks, the company told SSI.
“While ISC West is an important opportunity to demonstrate the power of Motorola Solutions’ video security and analytics platform, the safety and well-being of our employees and customers is our top priority,” said Alex Asnovich, head of global marketing, video security & analytics, Motorola Solutions.
Asnovich continued, “After careful consideration, we have withdrawn from this year’s ISC West trade show out of an abundance of caution. We are grateful to the ISC West organizers for their understanding and look forward to attending and supporting future ISC West events.”
Motorola Solutions, which acquired Avigilon in 2018 for approximately $1 billion, had booked a 30-feet x 50-feet booth in a prominent location near the front entrance to the exhibition hall. Instead of a live presence at the show, the company will host its first-ever virtual showcase during which customers can learn about security and public safety-focused products and solutions.
“We will do this through a website featuring pre-recorded product demonstrations, including fixed video and physical security, mobile video including body-worn and in-car solutions, video analytics, artificial intelligence, access control and Cloud services,” Asnovich explained. “A real-time chat experience will enable visitors to engage with product experts during show hours.”
A link to the virtual showcase will be available on the Avigilon website.
Will Wise, group vice president, security and gaming portfolio, Reed Exhibitions, the producer of ISC West, told SSI that Motorola Solutions, as of Thursday morning, was “the only U.S. exhibitor of note” to cancel from the show floor.
At least one other exhibitor, Canada-based Cloud video storage upstart Videoloft, announced Thursday it too was pulling out of the show due to rising concerns over the spread of the coronavirus. The company had booked a 10-feet x 20-feet booth.
“While it wasn’t a decision that was taken lightly, we believe it is prudent to cancel our attendance at ISC West,” states James West, co-founder and CEO of Videoloft. “Safeguarding our employees’ and customers’ welfare remains our primary concern, and as a result, we will not be attending ISC West this year.”
U.S. travel restrictions meant to curtail the spread of the coronavirus led ISC West organizers to eliminate the China Pavilion section of the exhibits at this year’s event.
In recent years the dedicated exhibit space, located in a ballroom off the main hall, has attracted 70 to 80 smaller China-based manufacturers. That represents about 5% of the 300,000-square-feet of exhibition space the show features each year at the Sands Expo Convention Center, according to Wise.
Wise said ISC West will continue as scheduled, March 17-20. He provided the following statement from Reed:
We take pride in offering vital business opportunities to our customers, including networking, education and access to new products and technologies and are working diligently to ensure ISC West 2020 and our other events live up to our high standards. While we regret that some companies have made the decision not to take part in ISC West 2020, we are focused on making ISC West 2020 a successful, safe, and enjoyable event for all attendees and exhibitors.
Over the last few weeks, Reed Exhibitions and our partners in ISC West have been closely monitoring the COVID-19 virus and its impact on members of the global security community. We are collaborating closely with the Sands Expo Center and local public health authorities and following local, state and federal public health guidelines, including those issued by the CDC.
We have additional precautionary measures in place, including enhanced cleaning and sanitization across all public areas and customer touchpoints in the show andwe are constantly reviewing our health protection activities, public health messaging, hygiene and medical control measures with the aim of strengthening our COVID-19 response further in line with up to date public health advice and guidance, including that of the CDC. We will continue to provide updates on our website as we get closer to ISC West.
The health and safety of our team members and guests is our utmost priority. Our policies and best practices are in close collaboration with our venue partner, Sands Expo Center. The Sands Emergency Management Team works closely with local officials and are taking appropriate steps to protect team members and guests as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD).
Sands is prepared to follow any additional protocols or guidance, as they are made available by the CDC or SNHD.
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About the Author
Rodney Bosch, Senior Editor
Although Bosch’s name is quite familiar to those in the security industry, his previous experience has been in daily newspaper journalism. Prior to joining SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION in 2006, he spent 15 years with the Los Angeles Times, where he performed a wide assortment of editorial responsibilities, including feature and metro department assignments as well as content producing for latimes.com. Bosch is a graduate of California State University, Fresno with a degree in Mass Communication & Journalism. In 2007, he successfully completed the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association’s National Training School coursework to become a Certified Level I Alarm Technician.
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