NJESA Symposium Attracts Wide Cross Section of Industry Stakeholders
The New Jersey Electronic Security Association (NJESA) hosted its annual symposium at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City, N.J., regarded among the industry’s top trade events in the Northeast region.
Nearly 100 exhibitors displayed their wares on the NJESA 2018 Symposium trade show floor, including COPS Monitoring, DMP, Vivotek, Napco, Affiliated Central, Honeywell and Hikvision.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — The New Jersey Electronic Security Association (NJESA) presented its 2018 Symposium here recently to offer training, education, as well as networking, raffles and social events. The accompanying products and technology exhibits attracted more than 700 industry professionals and other stakeholders on the trade show floor.
The Symposium, held March 14-16 at Harrah’s Resort, opened with a reception at the pool with an attendance of more than 250 people and an open bar, according to an announcement. During the reception, outgoing president Jerry Duffy thanked the entire board and gave each one a token of thanks. Duffy noted the association’s strong membership base and support of the annual event.
“One of the key strengths for NJESA is the input and involvement of our board and membership in our activities,” he said.
The first two days of the event were dedicated to CEU classes filling eight different classrooms and 34 courses. Attendees had the opportunity to earn up to 14 N.J.- approved CEU credits with courses that included, “Wireless Network Design Considerations”; “Video Surveillance and Access Control in the Cloud”; “Fire Safety; Mass Notification/Emergency Communication Systems”; “Understanding Your Alarm Contracts”; “Access Control – Code Requirements”; “Advanced Biometric Access Control Training”; and, “Selling Your Alarm Company-Buying Another Alarm Company.”
Nearly 100 exhibitors displayed their wares on the trade show floor, including COPS Monitoring, DMP, Vivotek, Napco, Affiliated Central, Honeywell and Hikvision.
During a formal lunch, NJESA Executive Director Christine Higgins thanked outgoing president Jerry Duffy for his dedication and passion for the industry and the association. Ken Gould of Ken Gould Consulting had the honor of speaking about Mission 500. He shared how the organization works closely with the security industry to serve the needs of children living in severe poverty across the United States. Not only did Gould raise money, but many at the function were moved to speak with him how they could help and become involved.
Several awards were given out during the luncheon. Bill Ackerman of Ackerman Services accepted the award for Dealer of the Year and Dan Lajoie of Honeywell accepted the award for Associate Member of the Year. The Public Safety Award went to the Linden Police Department.
In addition, three Marines in full uniform came to the podium, presented the association with a public service award and thanked the NJESA for collecting for Toys for Tots during their annual holiday party.
Also during the luncheon, the entire board, consisting of both new and current members, was sworn in by attorney Michael Revness including Christine Marzano, the new president of the NJESA and Gould, the president-elect.
Attendees were unanimous in their praise for the Symposium. John P. McClellan, the owner of Blue Knight Security Systems said, “I thoroughly enjoyed this year’s Symposium. As usual, it was well organized and well run. The CEU course selections and content are improving constantly. I am already looking forward to next year’s Symposium.”
Joseph Cioffi, III, vice president of Bergen Protective Systems added, “It was a fantastic Symposium!” While Mark Withers of ABE Alarm Service stated, “It was really nice! Good location, excellent food, rooms and trade show …”
In addition to the positive comments, the association added 30 new members and collected for a political action committee (PAC) fund.
Sponsors for this year’s Symposium included Promo Sponsor, COPS Monitoring; Badge Sponsor, Security America Risk Retention Group; Lanyard Sponsor, eDistsecurity Distributing; and Break Sponsor, Kurtz & Revness.
“The larger number of attendees and positive feedback clearly indicates that we’ve struck a chord with our exhibits and training, making the NJESA Annual Symposium an ideal format for this professional gathering,” stated Marzano.
“The NJESA Annual Symposium has been the biggest and most successful show we have had. The feedback we get from attendees and exhibitors is extremely important to us, as it helps keep us in touch with their needs as we plan future symposiums and other events,” added Higgins.
While no specific date has been selected yet for the 2019 NJESA Annual Symposium, initial thoughts are to continue in March at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City.
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