From the moment the Security Industry Association (SIA) opened the submission process for this year’s SIA New Product Showcase in late 2018, entries began rolling in, and more than 40 companies submitted their products for consideration. This afternoon, they’ll learn if their hard work paid off when the winners of the 40th annual New Product Showcase are announced at 3:30 pm on the ISC West Main Stage.

The technology wave has hit and keeps on rolling in and I saw it for real in the LG booth at CES 2019. Their curved video wall measuring well over 100 feet by 30 feet, delivered a nature experience in a whole new way with a waterfall pouring around and towards you over curved screens. Yes, I just returned from Las Vegas where I spent the week with more than 188,000 of my “closest friends,” including more than 63,000 from outside the U.S. CES 2019 was the biggest show yet with 2.9 million square feet, featuring more than 4,500 exhibiting companies. In addition, about 1,200 startups pitched their concepts in the Eureka Park Marketplace.

November was a big month for the security industry — one full of acquisitions, conferences and expansions.

Yesterday’s Keynote speaker, Philip Halpin, senior vice president and head of global security, Brown Brothers Harriman (BBH), invited attendees to think critically about the concept of transformation in his presentation, “Friend or Foe? Technology Disruption and the Physical Security Industry.”

There was a time not so long ago that ISC East was considered a small, regional show not as relevant to the bulk of the security and public safety industry. It hasn’t lost its regional flavor; but with three co-located events covering some of the hottest topics in the industry (ISC East, Unmanned Security Expo and Infosecurity North America); both attendance and exhibitor space up; and even more educational content than before, it’s safe to say ISC East is not only “catching its stride,” but quickly becoming a not-to-be-missed event in the fall tradeshow lineup.

ISC East started with a bagpipe — now let’s end it on a high note! While day one was packed with fun, there’s still plenty left to look forward to for day two. After Will Wise, group vice president of the security events portfolio at Reed Exhibitions, gave the opening remarks and kicked off the convention yesterday, attendees headed down to the show floor, where they found those exhibiting for ISC, Unmanned Security Expo New York and Infosecurity North America.

James Gagliano is a retired FBI supervisory special agent, CNN law enforcement analyst, doctoral candidate and adjunct assistant professor at St. John’s University. He will present the day two keynote, “21st Century Best Practices: Reporting from the Front Lines on How Law Enforcement and the Security Industry are Confronting Emerging Threats.” ISC East eNews spoke with Gagliano ahead of the show to find out what he plans to talk about and what he hopes attendees will take away from his keynote.

ISC East 2018 officially opened this morning with a ceremony announcing it bigger and better than ever. For the first time, this year’s event is co-located with two other very timely and relevant events: the Unmanned Security Expo New York and Infosecurity North America.

ISC East ’18 is here, and while everyone is buzzing about featured areas and cocktail parties, it’s important to make time for professional development, education and peer2peer knowledge sharing. Whether you want to learn about a new product, participate in a hands-on workshop or even earn some relevant continuing education credits, you’ll find what you’re looking for at this year’s education program.