With confetti raining down, attendees streamed onto the show floor following yesterday’s Grand Opening.

From the moment the beach balls appeared, followed by cheerleaders from nearby UNLV shortly afterward, yesterday’s Grand Opening ceremony was an exercise in excitement, energy and enthusiasm.

The ceremony was the first of two Grand Openings at this year’s ISC West, both sponsored by Allegion (formerly Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies). The theme of yesterday’s event, “Celebrating our Industry,” was evident, as ISC West’s Ed Several was flanked on stage by some very recognizable faces who were representing the security industry’s associations.

A second Grand Opening, “A Salute to Attendees,” is scheduled for Thursday morning. The size and energy level that this year’s ceremony delivered was fitting for what Reed Exhibitions says is the second-largest ISC West in history.

It all led up to the “big moment” – Several’s annual countdown to the confetti canons that serve as an auditory and visual signal that the ISC West show floor is open for business. The ropes dropped and attendees, the majority of whom had been unable to get near the Grand Opening ceremony and waited in the packed lobby, streamed onto the show floor to make the rounds of the 1,000-plus exhibitors.

Naturally, it didn’t take long for aisles to be crowded and the volume in the exhibit hall to intensify as exhibitor booths filled with people and conversations. Despite the crowds, however, traffic was able to keep moving, as this year’s show floor has once again been laid out with ease of navigation in mind.

Based on the foot traffic and general buzz that filled the exhibit hall right up until it closed at 5 p.m. (and continued out into the lobby and beyond), today and tomorrow should be just as busy as the thousands of attendees continue to navigate the show floor to connect with product experts, view demonstrations of products and technologies, take advantage of the learning opportunities of the SIA Education@ISC program (which boasts record attendance this year), and seize on the plentiful networking opportunities that only ISC West can provide.