ISC East, at the tender age of 44, has gone through a complete rejuvenation and retooling process — not just a face-lift — and emerged from trade show rehab a changed entity: ISC Solutions. As ISC West expanded over the years and moved from Anaheim, Calif. into Las Vegas, its growth began to overshadow ISC East to become the “premier ISC brand,” said Ed Nichols, vice president at Reed Exhibitions, the company behind the ISC Events. Some began to see ISC East, which had been an international show, as a regional event. This year, rather than try to change industry perceptions about the event, organizers set out to develop an event with a clear value proposition that complemented the ISC West event. The new ISC Solutions will take place Nov. 3 and 4 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City.
“We determined, or rather industry input determined, that the show in the fall would be the application of new products and solutions launched in ISC West,” Nichols stated. “We’re taking new products and discussing them through education and through the most robust vertical segments of the industry.” ISC announced that those verticals are healthcare, education and campus, and government for 2010 and may change annually to reflect industry trends and potential.
The result of ISC’s efforts is a show designed to reflect the needs of the security industry and to complement the ISC West experience — a kind of essential, practical follow-up. Additionally, the new focus will bring in more end-users, as well as dealers and integrators, creating new networking as well as sales lead opportunities. According to Nichols, much of the feedback received from manufacturers dealt with wanting further interaction with security end-users, a sentiment shared by the dealer and integrator communities that have attended the event in the past. ISC Solutions will host a networking reception to allow attendees to capitalize on its expanded audience.
The layout of the event has changed as well, with education as a focal point. There will be two educational theaters in the “central hub” of the event, focused on “real-time day-to-day application in vertical sectors,” said Nichols. The center of the show floor will feature case studies and “the display area will be broken down by product type on the perimeter,” he added. These product categories are: video surveillance, access control, and perimeter protection/public safety. Exhibitors who manufacture products in more than one category will be grouped in a general area of the show floor.
ISC Solutions has partnered with organizations such as SIA and PSA amongst several others to help coordinate and contribute to the ISC Solutions educational lineup, which target the three vertical markets that theme this event. Some of the sessions offered for dealers, installers and integrators will be: “Considerations for Healthcare Security and Access Control,” “The Essentials of Campus Safety & Security,” “Securing Critical Infrastructure, Government and Mass Transit Facilities,” and “Remote Video Monitoring: The Real Solution.” Also, individualized peer-to-peer roundtable discussions will take place throughout the event as well as educational sessions geared towards end-users on topics ranging from mass notification to electronic tracking systems.
“We’ve both broadened and tightened the focus of the event,” said Nichols, explaining that while the show will target a larger audience and explore broader themes, reevaluating goals has established a “clear definition of what the event is about. It’s about the application of what’s new and connecting all components of a channel to make that work.”
For information and event registration, visit www.iscsolutions.com