ASIS Reports Nine Percent Drop In Attendance At 2009 Event

More than 19,300 security professionals from industry, government and law enforcement, along with product manufacturers and service providers from around the world, turned out for the ASIS International 55th Annual Seminar and Exhibits, held in Anaheim, Calif., Sept. 21-24.

Hosted by ASIS, the leading organization for security management professionals worldwide, this annual forum is the most comprehensive education and networking event in the security industry.

“In these difficult economic times we are pleased that so many security practitioners were able to attend this important professional-development event,” said ASIS President Michael R. Cummings, CPP. “By all accounts the Seminar and Exhibits was a huge success, with attendance down less than 9 percent, despite a vast majority of the industry reporting dramatic cuts in travel and training budgets. As we have done in the past, we are conducting a full independent audit of our registrations and will post the final figures as soon as they become available.”

“Our exhibitors told us that they were pleased with the high quality of our attendees, many of whom are committed professionals with purchasing authority. As the world’s leading security event, ASIS 2009 continued to offer superb educational sessions and the latest technologies, products and solutions, as well as incomparable networking opportunities.”

The Exhibits, which covered more than 230,000 net square feet of the Anaheim Convention Center, offered a one-stop opportunity for key decision makers who rely on this annual event to assess new products and plan security purchases for the coming year. More than 715 companies exhibited thousands of cutting-edge technologies, products and services relating to biometrics, IP technology, thermal imaging, robotics, explosives detection and much more.

The wide-ranging education programs offered more than 160 sessions covering security topics and critical issues, as well as core security management best practices and strategies. Attendees were able to select sessions from 15 tracks -- which included crisis management, critical infrastructure protection, crime/loss prevention, physical security, homeland security, government/military security, and investigations -- to design a personalized program.

ASIS collaborated with the Information Systems Security Association this year to expand the depth of security expertise for members of both organizations. In keeping with a partnership between the two groups, ISSA endorsed a track of 30 information security sessions.

Keynote speakers Condoleezza Rice, former secretary of state and national security adviser under President George W. Bush, and author, actor and cultural icon Ben Stein enlightened and entertained audiences. Capt. Richard Phillips, who became the center of an extraordinary international drama when he was captured by Somali pirates, was the keynote speaker for the CSO Roundtable, the invitation-only group of top security executives from the world’s largest companies.

ASIS 2009 welcomed attendees from 90 countries, including special delegations from Korea and Japan. Additionally, a Federal Aviation Administration security group, also meeting in Anaheim, attended Seminar events, including keynote presentations, the Exhibits and general sessions.

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