ASIS Europe – From Risk to Resilience (Rotterdam, NL, 21-23 March) provided an ideal platform to engage and energise a community with the shared objective of making organisations more secure and resilient.

From high level keynotes to deep dive case studies and interactive workshops – the content addressed a wide range strategic, security and managerial challenges.

Conference co-chair, Inge Huijbrechts, Global Senior Vice President Sustainability, Security and Corporate Communications, Radisson Hotel Group, commented, “Globally operating companies – and especially their security leaders – need to be ready for anything in today’s volatile and uncertain world. At the same time, we have to build long term resilience for our organisations. I was very pleased to see how the conference programme could address both big picture strategic thinking and day to day risk mitigation.”

Opening keynote Cecilia Bonefeld-Dahl, Director General of DIGITALEUROPE, took the resilience discussion beyond company operations to the societal level. She looked at the role of digital technologies in Europe’s future – from business to sustainability to security – and explored how the forces of innovation and regulation interact.

Catherine De Bolle, Executive Director of Europol was the keynote on day two. Her session focused on how law enforcement and the private sector can collaborate better, the evolving hybrid risk landscape, and how to develop the skills and teams needed to address tomorrow’s challenges.

After the plenary session concluded, Mrs. De Bolle spent the rest of the morning onsite. She took the opportunity to meet ASIS CSO Center members and volunteer leadership, and attended several education sessions.

The keynotes were carefully selected, as conference co-chair Gavin Henderson, Regional Chief Security Officer, Mastercard explains, “Public-Private Partnership in security is an increasingly important topic. The war in Ukraine has made protecting Europe’s critical infrastructure – including digital infrastructure – top of mind for governments, law enforcement and companies which rely on it.

“Both our keynotes addressed the topic from complementary viewpoints and I’m sure provided hugely valuable insights for our delegates.”

In addition to the keynotes, attendees heard CSO case studies from Porsche, ArcelorMittal, Egis amongst others, plus a host of real-life experience, insights on AI and other technology developments, new techniques and recent research from leading practitioners and advisors.

Interactive workshops provided a platform for challenging debates such as; how to collectively improve the procurement and supply of quality guarding services; recruiting and retaining younger and more diverse security professionals; and how geopolitical risk is viewed differently by corporate management compared to security teams.

With more than 850 registrants for the onsite event and over 1,100 when adding online registrants, the attendance list read like an A-Z of world-leading organisations – from Amazon and BMW, to Louis Vuitton and Porsche, to Unilever and Zurich Insurance.

Although senior to mid-level security leaders form the core audience, a diverse, multigenerational crowd was a key feature – a new initiative this year saw 20 students sponsored to attend thanks to support from the professional community in Europe.

The 11+ hours of dedicated networking time built into the programme was put to great use. The buzz of conversations and contacts being made was ever present from the welcome reception through to the farewell drink.

ASIS Europe is the regional flagship gathering for ASIS International – the world’s largest membership organisation for security management professionals. ASIS CEO Peter J. O’Neil FASAE, CAE commented, “This event has been another highlight in an exciting 12 months for ASIS in Europe.

“After the launch of European Regional Board and passing the 3,000 member mark in the region, gathering so many established and aspiring security leaders gives us the perfect chance to demonstrate the knowledge in our community and connections it can make.”

This gathering of corporate security leaders provided an ideal opportunity for over 40 exhibitors and sponsors to engage with strategic buyers and thought leaders, and showcase technology and service solutions essential for security leaders facing complex threats.

Headline sponsors for the event were Nedap, Everbridge and F24.

ASIS Europe 2023 will conclude with an online event on 27 April and next year’s onsite event will take place in Vienna on 20-22 March 2024. For more information, visit: https://asiseurope.org/