Industry@Work

Set Apart From the Rest

• By Michelle Bowles
• Mar 01, 2006

YOU'LL be seeing a totally brand-new concept this year at ISC West, and you won't want to miss it. In fact, by taking part, you just might be a witness to history in the making.

This year, ISC West is introducing Urban Security, a show within a show that will feature the latest products, services and solutions used by federal, state and local governments; in institutional and industrial facilities; and at other large public facilities, including airports, stadiums and universities.

Urban Security attendees can view the newest architectural barriers, bollards, fences, detection equipment and intelligent software -- James Bond-esque cutting-edge products, as Bob McFarland, group sales director for ISC events, calls them. Exhibitors will be organized into five categories: perimeter/barrier protection, detection, urban services, city emergency and crisis management, and port and cargo.

The main hall at the Sands Expo and Convention Center will remain as usual, but a new hall?located off the main hall?will be opened up to house Urban Security, said Dean Russo, vice president for ISC events.

Recognizing a Need
These days, ISC West has reached a significant size and status, and has become a broad event that covers all segments in the security industry, Russo said. More than a year ago, show officials began to see the need for some segmentation on the show floor.

"To grow it, that needs to happen," Russo said.

And ISC West provides a solid foundation from which to grow. Urban Security is designed to play off ISC West's diverse, built-in audience.

"Our focus in 2006 is to use the show's status as a platform to expand into some vertical markets," he said.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, smaller events focusing on urban security issues have popped up left and right, though many have quickly come and gone. Keeping a watchful eye on these successes and failures, however, were ISC West officials.

"We looked very deeply at the attendees of those shows and realized that those people were already coming to ISC," Russo said.

The need for a show located in a venue other than Washington, D.C., was apparent. Virtually no urban security shows exist west of the Mississippi River, McFarland said, thanks in part to the common notion that all shows like this must be held in the D.C. region. Show officials hope that Las Vegas will serve as an attractive alternative for government officials who aren't regularly given the opportunity to travel there?not to mention the city and state government officials that are spread out across the country.

Convincing Exhibitors
Once it was decided that a segmented Urban Security show was the way to go, the next step was to convince the exhibitors. But, so far, show officials have been met with an excellent reaction. Many existing exhibitors have chosen to move over to Urban Security in order to stand out in a specialized category. Moreover, the majority of exhibitors lined up for Urban Security are completely new to ISC.

"These companies were really excited about what we were doing," Russo said. "Many of them gave up good spots on the main floor to be a part of it."

For iOmniscient, the decision to exhibit at Urban Security was a natural one. The company produces intelligent surveillance software that is deployed in high-end applications ranging from train stations and airports, to government buildings and police stations. The company's technology can affect every person living in an urban city, said Ivy Li, iOmniscient vice president of business development.

"We're helping everyone's daily lives," she said. "Everyone takes trains and goes to airports."

Li anticipates that this year's Urban Security will put iOmniscient face-to-face with the decision makers in these high-end markets.

During the show, the company will introduce its newest intelligent surveillance technology, whereby by the software is placed on a DSP chip instead of a PC. This will allow cameras to have the intelligent technology embedded in them.

Urban Security will allow iOmniscient to better understand the market and its needs. Li hopes attendees will see the benefits of the company's products, and in turn, the company will be able to create an even better product.

"We want to give the latest information to the market and update them on what technologies are around so they can make the decisions they need to," Li said.

iOmniscient exhibits at several similar shows, like GovSec and other local shows in Taiwan and Japan, but Urban Security is poised to provide the company with a unique opportunity. ISC West allows the company to see a large number of existing and potential customers?end users, integrators and consultants.

"I like ISC West?that's why we keep coming back each year," Li said.

Unlike iOmniscient, an ISC veteran, International Entrance Control (IEC) will be making its debut at ISC West in the Urban Security portion. The company is a subsidiary of International Revolving Door and was launched in September 2005. It will be introducing a new security revolving door that incorporates the most current security technologies.

From the start, Urban Security seemed like the perfect fit for IEC's entrance into the industry, said Stephen Bryan, manager for IEC. Reed Exhibitions, producer of ISC events, was looking for the newest, most-innovative products for the urban security market.

"We couldn't think of a better place for our new product," he said.

Last fall, IEC contacted Reed to inquire about booth space. Reed then informed the company about the new area planned for the 2006 show.

"They told us, 'It sounds like you'd be perfect for this new area we're launching called Urban Security,'" Bryan said. "We thought that might be a good match for us."

Bryan hopes to use Urban Security to meet many access control integrators and high-end security professionals in the corporate and government sector. The way he sees it, Urban Security will provide an opportunity for exhibitors to stand out and receive some added attention.

2006 and Beyond
With 50-plus companies already on board for this year's show, the future of Urban Security looks very promising. In fact, Russo expects that number to jump to 75 or 80 exhibitors when all is said and done.

"And we think we can maybe double that in 2007," he said. "We expect to keep it and have it be a show within a show introduced in 2006 and kept as an annual part of ISC."

If all goes well, a condensed, regional version of Urban Security may become part of ISC East, as well. On top of that, ISC officials already are looking at two or three additional vertical markets to expand into in 2007. This segmented approach may very well be the wave of the future for major security shows across the country.