Are You Ready for the Show?

• By Ralph C. Jensen
• Mar 15, 2022

Got your bags packed? Have you made all necessary reservations for a few days in Las Vegas? It is time to dip your toe back into the waters of tradeshow mania.

ISC West is about to happen, and it will be exciting and interesting to see where the in-person tradeshow business is at this year, and where it is headed following a two year hiatus.

Maybe it is time to say farewell to COVID-19 and throw caution to the wind. It’s tradeshow season.

I expect tradeshows for 2022 will be climbing back to pre-COVID levels. Here’s a recap of last year’s events, from my perspective. A small team of Security Today attended ISC West, in Las Vegas, in July.

Hot doesn’t even begin to describe that event. Not a lot of foot traffic at this event but for me it was good to be able to visit with those exhibitors that braved the pandemic. Worthy of note, all attendees wore face coverings, and so it appears this year that masking is optional.

On the flip side, my co-worker Brian Rendine and I had dinner at Mon Ami Gabi one evening, and not a mask in sight.

Also on my agenda last year was a trip to Orlando for GSX. I believe the tradeshows fared about the same in terms of exhibitors and attendees. GSX seemed to have higher foot traffic, but it was later in the year and the grip of the pandemic seemed to be loosening its hold.

On to ISC East in New York. What’s happened to New York? The Times Square area is a mosaic of crime, trash and law enforcement. I bumped into a couple of strangers who asked rather forcefully for money. I declined, and one of the city’s police staff stepped up to intervene. On the up side, New York pizza is still the best on the planet.

Yes, there was a tradeshow, and it seemed to me as though tradeshows were recovering. It was well attended, the floor space was filled with exhibitors whether it be smaller spaces or not. ISC East was a first step in the right direction.

Looking forward to next week’s ISC West opening. I believe it will be that necessary step in restoring the tradeshows of yesteryear.