ASIS Draws More Than 20,000 To Dallas
More than 20,000 security professionals from more than 90 countries, attended the ASIS International 56th Annual Seminar and Exhibits, held in Dallas, October 12-15.
“Security practitioners from around the globe look to the Annual Seminar and Exhibits as their single source for the latest evolutions in security management tactics, techniques, and technology,” said ASIS President Joseph R. “Bob” Granger, CPP. “From education to networking to products and services -- ASIS 2010 delivered on its promise and, by all accounts well exceeded the expectations of attendees and exhibitors.
“Organizations continue to demand a solid business case for investing their money. With paid and exhibits-only attendance up by more than 8 percent this year, it seems evident that this event is conveying the right level of ROI sought by security practitioners and their organizations. A full independent audit of our registrations is being undertaken and the final figures will be announced as soon as they become available.”
Covering more than 230,000 net square feet of the Dallas Convention Center, nearly 700 companies exhibited a wide array of security solutions for the event’s public and private sector practitioner attendees. Leading-edge innovations in access control, IP-based video surveillance, and explosion detection were among those demonstrated, as were new and enhanced service offerings.
More than 160 sessions spanning 18 tracks offered practitioners the option to gain new knowledge, best practices, and strategies in security management. Crisis management, critical infrastructure protection, crime/loss prevention, physical security, homeland security, info/IT security, and investigations were among the subject matter areas of concentration at ASIS 2010.
ASIS partnered with four professional organizations in 2010 to expand the depth of educational offerings in the area of information security. These organizations included: (ISC)2; The Information Technology-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (IT-ISAC); Financial Services -- Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FA-ISAC); and, ISACA. The International Association of Professional Security Consultants (IAPSC) also partnered with ASIS and facilitated The Successful Security Consultant, a two-day pre-seminar program. A session on workplace violence was also delivered by the International Facility Management Association (IFMA).
International hero and pilot Chesley B. Sullenberger III addressed a crowded general session on Wednesday, Oct. 13. Sullenberger, who safely guided US Airways Flight 1549 to an emergency water landing in New York City’s frigid Hudson River in Jan. 2009, stated, “I was a regular guy who had done a pretty good job of preparing himself for whatever might come.” In describing his experience, he observed, “Fear is normal. Fear is human. Courage is the discipline and the realistic confidence to do what is required in spite of fear.”
On Thursday, Oct. 14, keynote Pervez Musharraf, former president of Pakistan offered his vision for a modern, democratic, non-fundamentalist Islamic Pakistan. “We are at the threshold of making a decision of whether to quit or not to quit in Afghanistan,” Musharraf told a packed hall at the Dallas Convention Center. “I have told you about the blunder of the past. I pray to God that we do not make another blunder.”
Handouts from the educational sessions at ASIS 2010 are available online at for paid attendees at http://asis.confex.com/asis/ansem2010/webprogram/meeting.html.
Plans for the 57th Annual Seminar and Exhibits, to be held in Orlando from Sept. 19-22 (Monday through Thursday), are underway. More than 75 percent of the booth space is already sold. The deadline for the call for presentations is March 1.