You won’t be packed in like sardines — standing shoulder to shoulder without a care among throngs of industry comrades from the Americas, Europe and beyond — but won’t it feel good to enter the exhibition venue again on opening day at ISC West 2021?
You might expect layers of emotion to be tracing through your veins: Gleeful to experience some semblance of normality, greeting friends and peers for the first time in well over a year with the cancellation of the 2020 installment. Energized at the thought of getting back to work, in-person and engaged faced-to-face, albeit appropriately distanced.
Possibly a fare dose of apprehension could be expected; maybe butterflies, even. No matter … carpe diem!
In fact, to help you seize all three days while in Las Vegas we bring you this overview of the conference, held at the Sands Expo & Convention Center July 19-21.
ISC West, sponsored exclusively by the Security Industry Association (SIA), was originally scheduled to take place March 23-26, but of course was delayed due to restrictions and concerns related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Concurrent with the in-person event, ISC West will also stage virtual programming that will include in excess of 50 sessions, online product showrooms and more for security professionals to stream remotely.
As far as the exhibition floor goes, don’t expect it to look anything like that of years past. Far fewer exhibitors and health & safety guidelines will result in a vastly altered show floor layout.
Still, organizers say attendees can expect hundreds of exhibiting vendors and brands with well over hundreds of product and solutions covering access control, biometrics, video surveillance, IoT-enabled devices, cybersecurity, public safety, drones & robotics, and more. Let’s dive in for a closer look.
SIA Education@ISC, Tec@ISC Presented by PSA
Organizers of the SIA Education@ISC program have assembled more than 65 sessions among some 15 tracks of vendor-agnostic physical security and network training.
The curriculum qualifies for continuing education (CE) hours with various relevant industry accreditation bodies. Certificates of attendance will be distributed to all session attendees after the show. Participants who complete sessions through SIA Education@ISC may be eligible to receive ALOA education credits (AEU), ASIS continuing professional education credits (CPE) and NICET continuing professional development points (CPD).
Gagliano is slated to address recent responses to contemporary challenges such as active shooters, bombings, domestic terrorism, as well as pandemic issues by identifying and disassembling the ever-evolving threat matrix.
Two-time racing champion Julia Landauer will keynote the Women in Security breakfast and networking event on July 21 at 8:30 a.m. In addition to racking up wins in many different racing series over the years, Landauer was selected as an honoree for the Forbes 30 Under 30 2017 list in the sports category, and she was the only female member of the highly selective NASCAR Next class of 2016-2017.
Expect her keynote to address risk analysis and working with fear, the importance of STEM education, women’s empowerment, and leadership.
Networking & Assorted Activities
Numerous networking events, product showcases and other related activities will be held throughout ISC West. Here is a selection, with additional details still to be released:
Mission 500’s The Great Las Vegas Scavenger Hunt
The nonprofit charitable organization is slated to host a different of type fundraiser at ISC West 2021 than its normal activities to help raise funds for children and families in need across the United States. The scavenger hunt will take place on day 2 of the show and cost $200 per team of four participants ($50 for individuals) and includes an event medal and a T-shirt. The event will begin in front of the ISC West exhibit hall and conclude at Harrah’s Carnaval Bar. Instructions will be handed to each team at the start of the scavenger hunt and teams are expected to go to each individual designated spot and take a group photo as evidence. The first team to gather all location group pictures and return to the finish line wins.
New Product Showcase
Established in 1979, SIA’s NPS program recognizes winners in more than 30 product and service categories along with the Judges Choice and Best New Product awards. Given ISC West’s later than normal scheduling this year, organizers recognized it is still important for vendors to introduce their latest products into the marketplace prior to reconnecting again in-person. Therefore, judging was to be held virtually the week of June 7, followed by a virtual awards ceremony on June 17. An NPS product display will be staged onsite at ISC West.
SIA RISE Happy Hour at Topgolf
Join SIA’s RISE community for young security professionals on July 20 for a lively happy hour outing at Topgolf Las Vegas with tomorrow’s industry leaders. Swing some golf clubs and enjoy cocktails and networking with other young security professionals and those new to the industry. Free.
SIA Data Privacy Breakfast
The breakfast meeting on July 20 will give attendees an opportunity to start their show day by learning about a topic that presents compliance and market risks and opportunities, and that is having a growing impact on the deployment of security technologies. The meeting is free and will be hosted at the Sands Expo Center.
SIA OSDP Verified Event
Hosted on July 20 at the Sands Expo Center, SIA will present its annual networking function to showcase various efforts of its standards program. During the SIA InteropFest attendees can see how technology providers are incorporating interoperability into their devices by leveraging the Open Supervised Device Protocol (OSDP). Free.
SIA Women in Security Forum Breakfast
Close out your ISC West experience by joining SIA’s Women in Security Forum for a complimentary breakfast event at the Sands Expo Center. The Forum is open to all SIA members and offers programs, professional development opportunities and networking events with the goal of supporting the involvement of women in the security industry.
If you are looking for the SAMMY Awards, they were held virtually this year. You can view the finalists and winners here. The MVP Award winners will be announced online during the show.
Health & Safety Guidelines
ISC West organizers have implemented new guidelines and policies to help support a safe experience. This includes following all directional and distance markings and signage. Attendees are asked to greet each other without shaking hands and avoid hugs. Everyone in attendance, including customers, vendors and staff, are expected to comply with requirements that also include:
Face coverings
Everyone is required to wear an approved face covering. All face coverings must, at a minimum, fit properly and snuggly, fully covering your nose and mouth, and securely under your chin. Not permitted: exhalation valves, bandanas, neck gaiters, mesh materials and costume masks.
Temperature screening
All attendees will be required to undergo a temperature screening prior to entering. Anyone with a temperature above 100.4° F will not be permitted to enter.
Physical distancing
The venue layout has been adjusted to implement exhibitor guidelines and requirements to promote physical distancing. Attendees must maintain a distance of six feet (two meters) between themselves.
You can read more about the event’s health and safety protocols here.
Keep an eye on this page as it will be updated with relevant information as it is released leading up to the event. Click here for ISC West registration information.
This article originally appeared on our sister publication Security Sales & Integration‘s website.
