Success for The Security Event

22nd May 2019

Alex Lynn

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The first edition of The Security Event, was launched at the NEC in Birmingham and ran for three days from 9th to 11th April. Alongside its already established cousins, The Fire Event, The Health and Safety Event and The Facilities Event, The Security Event complemented them perfectly and with a cry “designed by the industry, for the industry,” set itself a very high bar for success.

The designed by the industry piece is easy to explain, Anixter, Assa Abloy, Avigilon, Comelit, Honeywell, TDSi, Texeco, Tyco, Videcon, all founding partners who helped set the foundation on which the event was built.

John Davies the Managing Director and owner of TDSi, said: “The ability to work with the show organisers to properly shape the event to what our needs and objectives are for a show like this, was extremely refreshing and has been incredibly rewarding. For once we are being listened to.”

Birmingham was a good location to unite and reconnect security professionals. Jarod Booth, Strategic Relationship Manager, Security, Anixter commented: "There is a gap in terms of opportunities to connect with integrators, end-users and installers outside of London and the South of England, and we feel that the location of The Security Event helped bridge that gap.”

The educational seminars drew a lot of interest with over 12,314 requests to attend sessions from registered. Panel discussions and talks ranged from convergence in an increasingly cyber enabled age, aimed at the skills installers needed, to behavioural detection and analysis which saw a queue of people waiting to talk to Andrew Palmer from Gatwick Airport and Darren Stanton, The Human Lie Detector even after their programme ran 20 minutes over.

Tony Porter, the Surveillance Camera Commissioner outlined his latest guidance and a designing out crime panel brought the West Midlands Designing out Crime, Regional Organised Crime Unit, CSSC, together with Jaguar Landrover and Warrior Doors. Something for everyone.

Forty-three educational sessions kept the 5,912 Visitors and 100+ exhibitors up to date with the latest thinking over the three days and it was clear that many of the visitors were on a quest to source products for large and small projects.

One such global retail brand was looking to upgrade its entire security infrastructure for its tens of thousands of outlets globally and choose The Security Event as the platform to source this solution stating that the ‘Quality of exhibitors and the content’ drove the decision. The quality of visitor walking around the show lead to a 112% re-book for the 2020 edition including eight new companies booking onsite who did not exhibit in 2019.

The Security Event was not just focused on the here and now. Looking after the next generation is being driven by The Security Institute’s Next Generation in Security initiative and they arranged for over 50 police cadets to visit and get insights into security manufacturing, installation, designing out crime, software provision and so much more.

Networking and the ability to get together as an industry was at the heart of The Security Event and the drinks on the first and second nights from 16.00 to 17.30 gave the industry a chance to network and do business amongst themselves packing out the central networking bar as expected and The Bierkeller on Broad Street in Birmingham welcomed over 400 VIP’s and exhibitors for an Industry party sponsored by Honeywell.

“Great to see a major security event back in the Midlands, and incredible line up of exhibitors, educational opportunities and close interaction with Police and business through the Designing Out Crime initiative,” said Barrie Millett, the Head of Operational Resilience with the Birmingham based Wesleyan Group and Chair of the West Midlands CSSC.

The Security Event will return 28th to 30th April 2020.