ISC West 2018 biggest ever

LAS VEGAS—ISC West 2018, sponsored by the Security Industry Association, continued the momentum it has built over the past few years with its biggest and most successful conference to date.

As the largest security event of the year, ISC West 2018 brought in more than 1,000 exhibitors and brands, 30,000 industry professionals, 85 educational sessions and 25 special events, making it an overwhelming success, ISC West said in its announcement.

Sherida Sessa, industry vice president of ISC Security Events at Reed Exhibitions, and Will Wise, group vice president of the ISC security portfolio, sat down with Security Systems News for an ssnTVnews video interview (see the live video interview below) during the show, noting that the conference was a huge success.

“The show has been fantastic,” Sessa told SSN. “We are very lucky to have a larger exhibitor floor than we have had in past years and it continues to grow on an annual basis. And we are also seeing an increase in attendance.”

Will Wise pointed out during the video interview that in addition to growth in all areas on the show floor, there were “notable increases to our conference program,” he said. “The conference program attendee numbers are going through the roof. It reflects where we are helping the industry go with our comprehensive security for a safer connected world theme � and vision.”

On the heels of ISC West being named to Trade Show Executive's Next 50 List for Attendance Growth in 2017, this year included a larger show floor with more exhibits than ever before (an additional 4,000 square feet from last year), growth in featured areas (Unmanned Security & Safety Expo sponsored by Knightscope, Connected Security Expo, Public Security & Safety Expo, and Connected Home sponsored by Alarm.com, plus the addition of the brand new Emerging Technology Zone that had 40 companies participate), 120-plus new products displayed in SIA's New Products Showcase, 6 percent growth in overall attendees and 10 percent growth of the coveted ISC Executive's Club.

“The enthusiasm of our attendees, loyal returning exhibiting companies and the 250 new exhibiting companies continue to inspire us to put on the best show we can,” Sessa said in the announcement. “We're so pleased with the turnout and want to formally thank everyone—attendees, exhibitors, speakers, our media partners and sponsors, and most importantly, SIA, for helping to make this year the biggest and best show we've had yet.”

Some of the most highly-attended sessions were Access Control and Video in the Cloud, The Evolution of Credentials and their Use in the IT, OT, and Physical Security Environment, Connected Home - The Future is Now, and The Future of Physical Security: The Decade Ahead.

This year's keynotes each commanded a packed house, with Dr. Douglas Maughan of the Department of Homeland Security explaining how the DHS Science and Technology division is re-inventing cybersecurity, and Jeff Crume, distinguished engineer and master inventor, IT security architect at IBM talking about the dark side of the IoT.

ISC West 2018 also had several special events on the agenda, including tours of the new Emerging Technology Zone to showcase next-generation products on the market; SIA's New Products Showcase awards ceremony, where over 120 product entries were pitched to leading industry experts and winners were selected in nearly 30 categories; the Security 5K Run/2K Walk, where all proceeds were donated to Mission 500, a non-profit charitable organization focused on the security industry and dedicated to serving children and families in need across the U.S.; the SIA RISE Happy Hour and SIA Autonomous Security Robotics Reception where security industry professionals had the chance to network with each other; and the inaugural committee meeting of the SIA Women in Security Forum, a place for women to engage, mentor and empower other females to enter the industry.

“There's nothing better than hearing someone on the show floor say, 'ISC West is like the Super Bowl of security events,'” Wise said in a prepared statement. “At the end of the day, it's so rewarding knowing that exhibitors and attendees—from end-users to integrators to dealers/installers to consultants and engineers—feel that ISC West made a measureable business impact for them. We're looking forward to the Cyber:Secured Forum in Denver in June and are already setting our sights on ISC East in New York City in November!”