United States. From Security Sales magazine we had the opportunity to have an exclusive interview with Mary Beth Shaughnessy, vice president of events at ISC West, who shared news, expectations and details of what is expected from ISC West 2023.
VDS: What's new for the 2023 edition of ISC West?
Mary Beth: This year, an exciting new area we will introduce is the Workforce Development and Career Zone, a hub
Dedicated to young professionals and next-generation leaders in the security industry. It will have a professional study of photographs of faces, workshops on mentoring, personal branding and social networks, as well as a "cornhole area" to establish contacts.
We understand the need to attract young talent. We're in exciting times: Technology is constantly evolving and security is at the forefront of many conversations, so we need to think about how we'll communicate that to the next generation of security specialists.
In addition, we are expanding and elevating SIA's New Products and Solutions Awards (NPS) area. The SIA NPS Awards are the security industry's premier product awards program. New products and solutions are reviewed by a panel of judges with extensive industry experience, and participants compete for awards in 36 categories, as well as the prestigious Best New Product and Judges' Choice awards.
The Bridge, the main destination of the ISC West stage, is also an exciting feature of the exhibition hall. Located in the center of the exhibition floor next to the SIA NPS Awards, this highly traveled theater is designed to highlight innovation, new technology and partner integrations in the industry and will host special events such as the SIA NPS Awards and Mission 500 5k Correr award ceremonies.
VDS: In your experience, what are the market demands that have most influenced ISC West's core offerings and themes?
Mary Beth: Each year, we review the Security Megatrend report developed by SIA, the leading trade association for global security solution providers, to determine important topics in the industry as we prepare for ISC West. In 2022, cybersecurity ranked as the No. 2 megatrend; This year, it climbed to the top spot and is considered the No. 1 megatrend for 2023.
That said, one focus for the program will be convergence of security and how to take a holistic approach to challenges. Companies now need to merge the concept of cybersecurity and physical security to protect their organization's assets and critical data infrastructure. Therefore, as a novelty this year, the Connected IOT highlight area will include cybersecurity to better reflect the type of exhibitors/content that have been added to the show and support attendees' demand for cybersecurity-related solutions and content.
ISC West is a one-stop shop for physical security teams working closely with their IT security teams in an organization.
VDS: How many visitors are expected at this year's event and what can they expect from the SIA Education@ISC West program?
Mary Beth: We are working to return to pre-pandemic levels and expect more than 20,000 industry professionals and also an increase in international attendees.
At ISC West 2023, the SIA Education@ISC educational program will have more than 80 educational sessions and more than 170 speakers. Every year we have a very strong conference programme, and this year we will be presenting two high-level keynote addresses.
In addition, there are new education tracks, including a Leadership and Workforce Development track, the ever-popular Security Megatrends track, and cybersecurity-related tracks. ISC West is also partnering with several new organizations, including the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers Association, which will offer additional educational sessions.
VDS: What are the challenges of your new role as Vice President of Events, ISC Security Events?
Mary Beth: The toughest challenge I had to overcome in my career in XR was working through the pandemic and learning how to communicate effectively and stay engaged with our clients. In this new role, I now look forward to returning to pre-pandemic levels, expanding show offerings, and working to reinvent and reimagine ISC Security Events as the industry and technologies continue to evolve.
VDS: What do you expect from Latin American visitors at the fair?
Mary Beth: I know it's probably been a couple of years since many visitors from Latin America were able to attend ISC West, so I hope you'll enjoy the enhanced features of the show, the additional educational sessions we've curated, the many special events taking place over four days, and of course, the time to network with your peers. We are very excited to be working with all of our partners again and truly appreciate the support of our customers over the past few years. I can't wait to see everyone at ISC West again!
