In the Shadow of 9/11, ISC East Shines: Sept. 11, New York
Opening its doors on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, International Security Conference (ISC) East provided an appropriate stage for many in the security industry to gather and put on view the wares and willpower they provide in helping forge a more secure future for us all.
Event organizer Reed Exhibitions reports about 11,000 security professionals filled the main floor at New York’s Jacob Javits Convention Center — a turnout fueling credence in the event’s resurgence after much tumult in recent years. Indeed, Security Sales & Integration spoke with many vendors and attendees during the two day conference, a great majority of whom expressed positive feedback during the show.
“Attendance was better than expected. It certainly exceeded my expectations,” said Mike Fisher, senior vice president of business development for Criticom Monitoring Services.
A good deal of ambivalence about attendance began to swirl in the days preceding the show’s opening. Some worried a quadruple whammy —pending thunderstorms, the Jewish Roshashona holiday, the 9/11anniversary and the closely calendared ASIS Int’l seminar in Las Vegas — could derail many attendees’ plans to be present at the conference.
“Despite all that, this has been a good show. I thought I was going to be in here talking to myself,” Fisher said. “But volume has been good. I am hopeful that ISC East is on a rebound.”
Industry players devoting a large presence on the exhibit floor included ADI, Altronix, HID Global, Honeywell, NAPCO Security Group and Speco Technologies, just to name a few. Elsewhere, Pelco’s Mobile Product Showcase (MPS) truck, parked in front the convention center, served as the company’s exhibition space.
Among the companies new to the security industry, Seagate Technology made its first ISC East appearance to showcase its portfolio of hard drives engineered for video surveillance applications.
According to Seagate Segment Marketing Manger Mark Wojtasiak, ISC East provides unique access to the dealers and systems integrators companies rely on to help educate end users about new products.
“So many of the integrators have a tight relationship with the end user. If the end user has had a problem, then the integrator can make them aware of an alternative that has been designed just for their needs,” Wojtasiak said.
In all, more than 400 manufacturers displayed the latest in electronic security technologies, including access control, alarms and monitoring, biometrics, CCTV, fire/life safety and more. For the second year, although this time sharing the same floor, ISC East was co-located with IT-centric Infosecurity.
Many attendees SSI spoke with, such as George De Simone and Debra Foley, walked the exhibition floor with the intent to familiarize themselves with a broad range of technologies.
De Simone and Foley are full-time active duty members in the same New York Army National Guard unit assigned to homeland security detail in the transit sector. They were demonstrating a mobile video surveillance tool in the form of a flashlight when SSI caught up with them.
“This is a great opportunity to see what technology is out there,” De Simone said. “We’re not looking for anything specific. But there might be a technology that we can use as individuals or bring back to our group.”
Many security professionals also took advantage of the educational sessions taught by the IP Institute, while members of the Security Industry Association (SIA) and the National Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA) took part in their respective group meetings and activities.
Orlando Oliveras, a sales manager with Alarman Security in Manhattan, said he has been attending the conference many years to help stay ahead of the steep technology learning curve.
“Technology changes so fast, every six months. It’s important to be here to see how technology is evolving. There is always something new to see,” he said. “This is how I stay informed”
Frank Santamorena, a Physical Security Professional who works in ASSA ABLOY’s Integrated Solutions Specialist Group, summed up the ISC East conference as an event replete with “men and women with a great deal of integrity committed to securing life and property.” And an abundance of sales leads and long hours aside, he says, what’s not to like: “It’s New York!”
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