In-person is Back!

Isn’t it great to see people in person again, rather than on a computer screen?

Our latest News Poll indicates as such, as more security industry trade shows have returned to an in-person format following two years of dormancy brought on by COVID-19.

Let’s face it – conducting business or hosting meetings on Teams or Zoom calls is just not the same as having person-to-person interaction, whether in a workplace setting or on a trade show floor.

The News Poll results show that attending a security industry event in person, such as ISC West or our own SecurityNext conference, offers so many advantages that a virtual event cannot even come close to duplicating.

When we asked respondents what they liked most about traveling to conferences, nearly 65 percent said that networking with colleagues was their favorite part of the show, and more than 35 percent saying they enjoyed walking the trade show floor and learning about new security technologies.

I’ve been to many trade shows over the years covering various industries, and one thing I can say for sure when attending these events is that networking opportunities with industry colleagues face to face is invaluable.

Catching up with colleagues, some of whom haven’t seen each other in more than two years, has fostered more of a “festive” atmosphere, so to speak, at the shows I have attended in recent months with COVID restrictions eased a bit. I have literally heard business being conducted when walking the trade show floors at ISC East, ISC West, and SecurityNext, and that’s definitely not a bad thing.

When we asked respondents if they thought in-person shows were back after seeing the flurry of activity at ISC West, more than 64 percent said yes, with about 35 percent saying maybe. Not one industry professional gave a “No” response, which was a very encouraging thing to see.

Without question, our most overwhelming response in our News Poll came when we asked respondents if they were thinking of attending more in-person events this year.

A whopping 94 percent said “Yes,” they are traveling to more in-person events in 2022, with less than six percent saying that they were not sure if they would attend another show.

Heck, I’m about to embark on my third business trip in as many months as I head to Denver next week for PSA TEC 2022, and I’m very much looking forward to another opportunity to network with industry folks, sit in on the educational sessions and panel discussions, and even present a few awards while I’m there.

While virtual conferences are not going away entirely, with some conferences offering both in-person and virtual formats, the benefits of being able to connect with colleagues face to face cannot be understated.

For over two years, we sat looking at people contained in tiny squares on our laptop screens. Now we can see those same people live in the flesh, and it certainly makes quite a difference!

As I always like to quote music titles, here’s an appropriate one to close things out this week - Reunited, and it feels so good!