ISC West 2015 Filled with Food and Laughter
- By Ginger Hill
- Apr 17, 2015
I welcomed the second day of ISC West 2015 with food…and lots of it! Waking up very early, I prepared for the ASSA ABLOY Integrator Breakfast and upon arrival, I made a beeline to the coffee station. Black gold poured out from the carafe and I decorated my liquid with creamer and sugar, the perfect combination for tradeshow success.
ASSA ABLOY's breakfast was filled with yellow fluffy eggs, crispy bacon, pan-fried sausage, fresh-squeezed juices, perfectly baked pastries and the message of a company that is successful by adding value and simplifying door opening solutions. This truth was backed up with four integrators who gave real life use cases, all of which indicated the risks of trying something new with unique installations and how ASSA ABLOY came alongside them for success.
Afterwards, I made my way to the Grand Lux Café in the Venetian to meet with Middle Atlantic's marketing team, two ladies who have innovative ideas and a message of "always be customers first," putting themselves in the customer's shoes as well as the integrators and working to achieve a trusting partnership for security success. I want to leave this meeting for a bit of a surprise for later, but watch for Security Today and Middle Atlantic to partner for some amazing things!
Oh, and the food…Grand Lux Café quite possibly has the best French toast on the planet. The bread is literally 3 inches thick and submerged in a creamy, citrusy custard like liquid before pan-friend to golden perfection. And, not to fail to mention the homemade sugar syrup served warm, ready-to-pour upon arrival to the table.
After lots of fun laughter, to the point of tears in my eyes and a snort of too, and about 3 cups of black liquid gold with Middle Atlantic, it was time to hit the showroom floor for day two.
Two themes emerged as I met with various companies to learn about their products: integrator-centric and customer focused.
Starting with Kwikset, this company listened to the people they serve with their locking technology, who wanted the ability to download an app to their device to interact with their lock, but didn't want a keypad entry. So, Kwikset responded by creating Kevo Home Connect, a physical key lock, motorized by Z-Wave so that it has remote arming capabilities, with various finishes to highlight any home's décor.
After a few hours on the showroom floor, it was time to meet with Genetec for lunch, oh yes, foodie time! We went to Otto in the Venetian Canal Shops, and we first indulged on the sweetest tomatoes, tender and juicy, coupled with the creamiest hand-crafted mozzarella cheese, only the best from Italy. Of course, lots of laughter ensued, before the thin-crusted gourmet pizza arrived topped with smooth tomato sauce, creamy cheese, fresh arugula and prosciutto.
Our conversation turned to the security industry as we fed our bellies and talked safety. Genetec sees the market coming back to life with innovation and an IT mindset. Because of this, Genetec wants their established integrators to grow with the industry, so they are extremely dedicated to their integrators.
The marketing team literally travels world-wide, interacting with Genetec integrators, seeking the answers to the hardest security questions and compiling that data into programs that truly help and support all Genetec integrators. You see, to Genetec, it's about integrator success, end user happiness and a world of safety and security, then the money will follow.
My afternoon was filled with back-to-back meetings.
Altronix, manufacturer of electronics and high technology components for alarms, access control and CCTV, was one of those. After learning about their new IP Management System that is browser-based with "tree" functionality so that the user can name all locations and devices as well as message and see video in the screen at the same time, I asked about customer satisfaction and how Altronix meets that need.
Kirby Han, art director, Altronix, with sincere honesty told me that Altronix listens really listens to their customers' needs. He proved this by also saying that Altronix meets the overall majority needs by providing semi-custom products along with their portfolio. Additionally, Altronix engineers, design team and the actual manufacturing process all happens at the same office. This means product development flows as all hands are on deck.
I concluded day two with a fabulous meal at Carnevino. Served family-style were things like bruschetta topped with mint pesto, a mound of melted mozzarella cheese and sweet, juicy cherry tomatoes, al dente bow tie pasta tossed in green pesto served with oven-roasted pine nuts, bone-in ribeye drizzled with cold-pressed olive oil and of course, dessert. I shall leave this final course to the imagination.