Security Journal Americas hears from Mary Beth Shaughnessy, Event Vice President at RX USA about the upcoming ISC West – taking place in March 2023.

The preparation for ISC West

“The planning for ISC West is in full swing and going well,” Shaughnessy began. “We’ve got great momentum as we lead into the show, from exhibitors and attendees and have already surpassed the number of exhibitors and the square footage of 2022. We are expecting over 600 exhibitors this year. There is a good deal of exhibitor optimism and the strong performance of ISC West 2022 has fueled demand for increased booth space from many exhibitors.

“We opened registration in mid-December, which was a bit earlier than usual, so we’re also tracking ahead of pre-registered attendees year over year.”

This year, she expects to see an increase in the number of international attendees. With the lifting of COVID restrictions worldwide, making it easier and more comfortable to travel, more people from around the globe are expected to head to Las Vegas.

“We’re expecting over 20,000 industry professionals which is great, slowly getting back to pre-pandemic levels.”

Themes for the show

One theme running through the show this year will be the convergence of security and how to take a holistic approach to challenges.

Companies now need to merge the concept of cyber and physical security together to protect their organization’s assets and data critical infrastructure. Therefore, new this year, the Connected IOT featured area will include Cyber Security to better reflect the type of exhibitors/content that have been added to the show to support attendee demand for cyber security related solutions and content.

“It can be a one stop shop for physical security teams who also are working with their IT security teams in an organization.”

New for 2023

“One exciting new area we are featuring this year is the Workforce Development and Career Zone,” Shaughnessy said.

The brand-new Workforce Development and Career Zone will be the hub for young professionals and next-gen leaders in the security industry. This new area of the show floor will feature a professional headshot studio, workshops on mentoring, personal brand-building and social media, plus a cornhole area for networking.

“We understand the need to attract young talent,” Shaughnessy said. “We’re in exciting times – technology is constantly changing. Security is at the forefront of many conversations, so we need to think about how we communicate that to the next generation of security specialists.”

A further novelty for 2023 will be the increased focus on the Security Industry Association (SIA) New Products & Solutions Awards and The Bridge. Both areas were located in the heart of the show floor in 2022 and will be expanded and enhanced for 2023.

The SIA New Products & Solutions Awards reflects the evolution of the security industry to include offerings beyond solely hardware and software, while still retaining the longstanding and highly respected SIA NPS brand. Shaughnessy explained that new products and solutions are reviewed by a panel of judges with extensive industry experience and entrants compete for awards in 36 categories, as well as the prestigious Best New Product and Judges’ Choice awards.

“The Bridge stage is an exciting show feature that is the hub of the exhibit hall,” Shaughnessy commented. Placed in the center of the show floor next to SIA New Product Showcase, she said that this highly trafficked theater is designed to spotlight innovation, new technology and partner integrations in the industry and will host special events like the awards ceremonies for the New Product Showcase and the Mission 500 5k Race.

Lastly, Shaughnessy touched on the SIA Education@ISC sessions and tracks available to attendees and exhibitors at ISC West.

“Every year we have a very robust conference program and this year we have over 75 educational sessions. We’ll also be featuring two high level keynote addresses,” she remarked. In addition, there are new tracks this year, which includes a new Leadership & Workforce Development track. The ever-popular Security Megatrends track is also back, as well as the cyber-related tracks.

“We’re also partnering with a number of new organizations, including the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers Association and InfraGard which will both be offering additional education sessions,” Shaughnessy said.

How to maximize your time

According to Shaughnessy, there are a few ways to maximize the time spent at ISC West. Her first piece of advice is to plan ahead and she suggests taking the time to explore the show’s website. This includes information about booking hotels and travel, special events and information on all the educational sessions.

“Of course, we also feature an exhibitor list, including booth numbers and company descriptions.”

The next suggestion Shaughnessy has is to use the ISC West recommendations program.

“If you are a registered ISC West attendee, you’re eligible to be matched with specific exhibitors who will provide the products and services that you are looking for,” she explained. “These recommendations are sent to you via email one to two weeks before the show, giving you the time to look through them and see if you’d like to book in meetings based on the services and the products they offer.”

The final piece of guidance Shaughnessy offered is to utilize the ISC West mobile app. This will be available in February and she highly encourages all attendees to download the app to help them navigate the show. The app will enable attendees to search for booth locations and products, keep track of personalized schedules and review recommendations.

“I would say these are the three top things that will help you to maximize your time at the show, ” she said.

Looking ahead to ISC West

“As we look to the future, we’re continuously looking to re-build and re-imagine ISC West, while expanding our exhibitors, brands, products and technology offerings to reflect the evolution of the entire physical, IT/IoT and converged security ecosystem,” said Shaughnessy. “For ISC West 2023 I’m excited to be collaborating with all of our customers and partners and getting back to pre-pandemic levels, with our international attendees as well. I personally cannot wait to see all our customers in person again!”

Register for ISC West at: www.iscwest23.com/SJA

About ISC West

Taking place on 28-31 March (SIA Education@ISC: March 28-30 | Exhibit Hall: March 29-31) at the Venetian Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada the International Security Conference & Exposition – also known as ISC West – is a comprehensive and converged security trade event in the US.

ISC West allows attendees the chance to network and connect with thousands of security and public safety professionals, learn from the SIA Education@ISC program, plus explore the latest technologies in Access Control, Alarms & Monitoring and Video Surveillance, while discovering emerging trends in Drones & Robotics, Cyber Security & Connected IoT, Smart Home and more.

This article was originally published in the February edition of Security Journal Americas. To read your FREE digital edition, click here.