After a year of major events being cancelled across the globe, The Security Event returned to the NEC in Birmingham earlier this month and delivered exactly what the industry needed – a chance to reconnect. Alongside its already established cousins, The Fire Event, The Health & Safety Event and The Facilities Event, The Security Event was recognised as the central hub for security trade and exceeded expectations for both exhibitors and attendees
‘Designed by the industry, for the industry.’
While the main aim of the event was to promote a re-grouping of the security sector, which has been too long divided due to Covid-19, The Security Event provoked various themes throughout its run. Artificial Intelligence was definitely one of the most trending terms at the show, due to the disruptive technologies that are currently impacting the security industry. It is vital to get to the bottom of what AI actually means for the sector as well as what implications it will have on the future and the various panel discussions across the three days further inspired this conversation.
In addition, police crime prevention made a prominent appearance at the show through the ‘Designing Out Crime Zone.’ Organised in association with Secured by Design, Police Digital Security Centre (PDSC), Alarms and Police Crime Police Academy (PCPA), this new feature for 2021 showcased the latest police techniques to reduce crime and keep local communities safe with talks from leading experts, providing a deep dive into the techniques and ideas behind this initiative.
Above all else, it was the technological enhancements that really got engagement levels rising at the show. Spurred by the effects of the pandemic, the advancements within access control, surveillance, biometrics were exceedingly impressive from stand to stand. From the insightful content to the exclusive product launches and live demos, the Security Event did more than reconnect – it reassured the sector of its worth, capability and incredible resiliency.
Exhibitor Feedback
Cloudview
“The Security Event was an overwhelming success for us at Cloudview,” says George Georghiou, Marketing Manager at Cloudview. “Having the opportunity to connect with existing partners and introduce ourselves to potential new ones after so long was fantastic and meant we could fully showcase our platform’s capabilities on a larger scale. It was evident throughout the event that the technology advancements taking place within the security industry show no signs of slowing down and we are excited to play a prominent role in that. We look forward to returning in April 2022.”
Comelit Group
“We all eagerly awaited the return of The Security Event and we are naturally delighted to have seen it through, welcoming a high number of quality visitors to our stand and the opportunity to present our latest products and services,” comments Francesca Boeris, Managing Director at Comelit Group. “Our growing portfolio of smart security systems, all designed to be controlled via our Comelit app, illustrate how we are listening to our customers and creating solutions that offer high performance, still with simple installation capability. Our fire detection display was also well received, with The Security Event being the perfect platform to illustrate how it complements our globally recognised security product portfolio.”
Morphean
“The Security Event was very successful for us, we really enjoyed talking to new customers and our community of partners,” says Sebastian Berumen, Marketing Executive at Morphean. “We had our UK team present on our big, bright yellow booth and we experienced how keen people were interacting with our live demos. It was great to see how much people are nowadays interested in the benefits of the cloud and how cloud security can open a world of possibilities, not only for security integrators and installers, but the end-users. We got to showcase first-hand how we bring video surveillance, access control and business intelligence into the Morphean Platform, sharing how businesses can save money and get more out of their security systems.”
Redvision CCTV Ltd
“Following 18 months of internet meetings where one can only visualise a face and shoulders, it was a breath of fresh air to exhibit at the show,” comments Dr Guy Hucker, Operations Manager. “From the off, there was an electric atmosphere through the hall; partly due to the excitement of “being out” and, of course, the product offering on show. At the Redvision stand, we had fantastic interest in our new PTZ, the X4 COMMANDER; resulting in a busy stream of visitors and exhibitors throughout the week. This presented a great way to engage with many punters from all sectors of the industry. The year ahead is certainly an exciting one at Redvision.”
Fortus Group
“The Security Event was the first trade show Fortus had ever attended and it didn’t disappoint,” says Brian Honan, CEO of Fortus Group. “The show gave us the perfect opportunity to re-engage with our installers, as well as meet some end users looking for project information. The purpose of us being at the show was to raise the profile of our brand and introduce RE:SURE monitoring to the UK audience – both of which we achieved. Next year, I’m looking forward to seeing our suppliers demonstrate their latest products and, in turn, we can’t wait to show everyone how much our business has grown.”
Envisage Technology Ltd
“Envisage Technology decided to focus on demonstrating the VMS product produced by Network Optix, (Called NX Witness), The AI integration by VCA, with some AI integration from Vivotek Cameras,” says Glenn Fletcher, Sales Director at Envisage Technology Ltd. “As it was the 1st proper event really since lockdown began in 2019, and international visitors were mainly staying away, we were not sure how well the event would be attended and what the quality of attendees would be like. However, we have already had to quote customers for projects involving the solutions on show, and even had Teams conference meetings this week with new partners.
“For Envisage Technology, it was a successful event and we will be attending next year – but this time with much more hardware to show off, including Ip cameras and server technologies, along with VMS and Analytics. As we will be spending more budget and bringing over some international travellers (Vivotek etc.) I’m hopeful for slightly better footfall than this year provided.”
Calipsa
“The Security Event 2021 exceeded our expectations,” comments Emily Atkinson, Marketing Director at Calipsa. “Due to Covid, we weren’t sure what to expect but the show was a fantastic experience. It was great to connect with existing customers and meet a host of new names, and we were pleasantly surprised to see such a high volume of foot traffic at our stand. We were delighted to get the opportunity to present a talk in the Innovation Theatre and share some of knowledge with the industry. These learning sessions are a fantastic way to educate the industry on the latest developments and we look forward to seeing more of these next year.”
A word from the organisers…
“We have been overwhelmed by the positive response to The Security Event last week,” said Tristan Norman, Group Exhibition Director of Ninteen Group. “There was a unique atmosphere at the show with a real sense of reunion as an industry. Furthermore the feedback from our exhibitors was that there was a huge pent up demand for new products and solutions for upcoming projects culminating in it being the most successful edition of the event to date! Next year we will be moving back to our traditional dateline 5-7th April 2022 and with over 100 companies confirmed for next year already it promises to be BIGGER and BETTER then ever reconfirming its status at the UK’s No.1 event for the Security Industry.’”
Security on Screen is currently accepting additional comment submissions on The Security Event, so if you have a comment and image to contribute as an exhibitor or attendee, please get in touch with our Content Editor, Zoe Deighton-Smythe – zoe@securityonscreen.com
