The Latin American Security Association (ALAS) was founded in 1997 with a clear purpose in the minds of its founders: to educate, set standards and raise the level of professionalism in the security market in Latin America.
When we think of 20 corporate years it seems to us that a great period has passed, however it is a trajectory that still has a long way to go; but when we try to remember where we were 20 years ago, exactly in 1997, we go back and pass beautiful family, school, work memories, among others that if we look carefully have changed our lives and we have not been the ones we remember at that moment in our history for a long time.
Where was he in 1997?
We do not know where you were, but we can tell you that in June 1997 the Latin American Security Association, ALAS, was born. A dream that materialized in the hands of its founders and those who envisioned a competitive and integrated future of the Industry at the same time.
George Fletcher, who was also the promoter, promoter and one of the founders of WINGS tells how the idea of creating an Association that would support the Industry in the region came about: "I remember a trip we shared to South America. After the first country, he looked at me (Mark Rosentock, President of ROC Exhibitions INC.) and said – George, what you do is missionary work – it was like 5 years after I entered this Industry and I said – It's true! It's the kind of work that a company that wants to enter the market has to do."
And Mark, for his part: "We produced a security fair for Latin America and we thought this was an excellent marriage. People were very motivated to do what they could to create new markets."
The need to work together for the Industry
In 1999, after 2 years of having been founded WINGS, Andrea Ferrando joined the direction of the Association, she says that: "The greatest need there was to communicate, to talk to each other without noticing that at the table were 2 competitors together; if not in exchanging problems, situations, challenges that they had within the Industry".
And even after 20 years of that inspiring moment of the Industry, this is still the main purpose of the Latin American Security Association, which from all its approaches has tended to the growth of the Industry, that is why to date, more than 9,300 professionals in Electronic Security have been certified in different countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, In addition, nearly 500 partners around the world demonstrate that working together can make the Security Industry a great market and help the region itself move forward at an accelerated pace.
Fletcher adds that: "the birth of WINGS arises from the work of 'missionary' because it was there that I quickly came to the conclusion that the market needed structure, professionalization, a forum where professionals could come together, unite and seek common interests and improve the market."
20 years for sure
More important than knowing where we come from, is to know where we are going, and as George and Mark envisioned in principle, the Association grows day after day and welcomes its partners to help its development in terms of marketing and positioning. For ALAS, the partners are its raison d'être and it works every day to highlight the importance of our Industry in a territory that needs so much of what we produce and that does so much good to the development of Latin American countries.
10 years ago, Andrea Ferrando, in celebration of 10 years of WINGS, said that: "The success of the future depends on the ideas and work that we and the partners bring to the Association." And so we want to continue advancing, step by step, hand in hand with the partners and professionals united, pulling towards the same objective, the updating, professionalization and growth of the market in Latin America and the Caribbean.
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