The International Security Conference (ISC) East will now be known as the National Summit on Security, as show organizer Reed Exhibitions is rebranding the event in an effort to regain exposure and increase attendance.
According to a letter sent to the industry by Dean Russo, vice president of Reed, the show organizer spent the past six months analyzing and re-evaluating ISC East’s current model. “What has become evident to us is that new business opportunities now exist that require security dealers and system integrators to work more closely than ever with government and emerging market security professionals,” he says.
Last year’s ISC East was held in Orlando, Fla., for the first time, as Reed hoped to gain attendance by moving it from its long-standing New York venue. Although Reed did not provide attendance numbers by press time, that show visibly had much lighter foot traffic than before.
As ISC East was expected to return to New York this year, the Security Industry Association (SIA) made the announcement during the show that the 2003 event would be held in Washington D.C. Beth Blake, spokesperson for Reed, told Security Sales & Integration in August 2002 that the move was influenced by the events of 9/11 and potential business opportunities from the government. “It is just as imperative for the government to have security products close to them as it is for security companies,” she said.
The NSS will still be part of the ISC event family, with a specific focus on broadening its reach to the manufacturers that are the core group of ISC event exhibitors. “While we will continue to serve, expand and cultivate our core audience, NSS will begin to provide solutions for emerging markets where security issues are rapidly becoming a top priority,” Russo states in the letter.
New audience segments for the 2003 National Summit on Security will be federal and state government security practitioners, corporate security end users, building and facilities managers, human resource executives, and decision-makers within the education field. Key alliances/affiliations with relevant associations include American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS), International Facility Management Association (IFMA) and International Security Management Association (ISMA).
The NSS will take place Oct. 1-3 at the Washington Convention Center.
