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.
Many of these exhibitors, like Ghost Robotics, were new to the show floor.
“I’m pleasantly surprised at the quality feedback from customers on use cases,” said Jiren Parikh, president and CEO of the company. “This is very new for us, so we weren’t sure what to expect.”
Autel Robotics, which sponsored the 4 p.m. Crack the Tap networking event, was also a first-time exhibitor located on the Unmanned Security side of the floor.
“We’ve had lots of traffic and lots of interest from groups coming through,” said Jeff Powell, vice president. “I’m surprised at how busy it was; every time you do a show you haven’t done before, it’s a bit unknown.”
One booth that was flooded all day was Mission 500’s. A nonprofit organization that works closely with the security and IT industry to serve the needs of children living in severe poverty in the United States, Mission 500 was asking attendees to fill bags full of necessities like hair combs and soap for impoverished children in the city.
“There’s been a lot of different streams of people that have come through here today — a lot more than expected,” said Kevin Mahaffy, who was volunteering at the booth. “We’ll have filled 300 bags at the end of these two days, and we’re already more than halfway there. We’re all about corporate responsibility and how we can give back.”
If you haven’t already filled a bag for impoverished children, head over to the Mission 500 booth today — the supplies are already there, the organization just needs people to write notes to children in need.
Infosecurity’s side of the show floor also had many newcomers, excited to meet with this year’s attendees.
“We’re surprised to see the traffic we got,” said Idan Koren, head of marketing at Verkada. “It’s clear that the market has been well-received at ISC East.”
And the main ISC East show floor of course had its happy exhibitors.
“There’s been a lot of genuine intent so far in our product,” said Jeff Long, director of marketing and operations at Streamlabs. “We’ve met a lot of people — we’ve been really busy all day. For new companies coming into the security space, this is a great show. This confirms the product research we’ve done.”
Andrew Rinaldi, co-founder of 3-month-old company Defendify, was also happy to see his product well-received at the show.
“We’ve found ISC East to be very attractive as it’s brought together the crossroads of cyber security and small business, and we want to bridge the gap between those worlds,” said Rinaldi.
The keynote speaker and many educational sessions of day one also drew their own crowds.
After the show floor closed, many ISC East goers traveled to the Chelsea Piers for the annual SIA Honors Night from 5-9 p.m.
Pat Comunale, former CEO and president for Tri-Ed Distribution, received the George R. Lippert Memorial Award; Larry Folsom, co-founder and president of I-View Now, received the Jay Hauhn Excellence in Partnerships Award; Guy M. Grace Jr., chair of the Partner Alliance for Safer Schools Steering Committee and director of security and emergency planning for Littleton Public Schools, received the Insightful Practitioner Award; and Eddie Reynolds, president and CEO of Illuminar Inc., received the SIA Progress Award. Receiving the Women in Biometrics Awards were Kelly Gallagher, senior account manager of the NEC Corporation of America; Lisa MacDonald, director of the identity capabilities management division of the Office of Biometric Identity Management, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS); Colleen Manaher, executive director of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, DHS; Lora Sims, senior biometric examiner at Ideal Innovations Inc.; and Anne Wang, director of biometric technology research and development at Gemalto Cogent. Paralympic ski medalist, Fortune 500 business consultant, Rhodes Scholar, former White House official and best-selling author Bonnie St. John was the keynote speaker for the evening.
Today, make sure to hear the announcement of the featured products showcased in C Hall, Booth #47 at noon.
You also don’t want to miss keynote speaker James A. Gagliano, retired FBI professional with a quarter-century experience in mitigating criminal and terrorist threats, from 1-2 p.m. in room 1A30.
And make sure to check out any exhibitor booths you’ve missed before you leave. To help with planning out their show attendees can download the official ISC East mobile app for access to the exhibitor list, interactive show floor map, new products, show specials and more (sponsored by ASSA ABLOY). Download the app for free at www.isceastmobile.com or visit the Apple App or Google Play Stores.
