Another Exciting Year at The Security Event 2023

The end of April saw the return of The Security Event to the NEC in Birmingham England – a major event in the UK security calendar. I am delighted to say that it stood out as (probably) the most successful year of the event so far and has cemented itself as the premier Security Trade event in the UK.

An expanding event

The Security Event just keeps growing – this year it was 50% bigger than 2022. TDSi is a Founding Partner of the event and we have taken part in all five editions of it so far and we were honoured to receive an award from the event organisers, Nineteen Group, to celebrate our association with the event right from its launch.

When an event is held over several days (in this case three) it is always interesting to see how footfall changes over the whole period. The first day was steady – but we met some fantastic potential customers – whilst the second and third days we were rushed off our feet! We were pleasantly surprised to see the high levels of footfall remain pretty much to the end of the event, testament to the popularity and enthusiasm of visitors to The Security Event.

Meeting the public

I always maintain that one of the most useful (and enjoyable) things about a live show is meeting people and having a good conversation about potential projects, technology, business, and the general state of the world. The Security Event 2023 perfectly encapsulated this, we had some great interactions with existing and new potential customers and met with some new security integrators, which will present some very exciting possibilities.

The Security Event is always a perfect opportunity for some networking, and with this in mind this year we sponsored the networking drinks event at the end of the second day – something which is always well received and gives us all a great opportunity to have a slightly less formal conversation with other likeminded people.

Unveiling GARDiSVU 

The jewel in TDSi’s crown at the event this year was the launch of our exciting new GARDiSVU hybrid-cloud CCTV VMS solution. We had a dedicated ‘pod’ on the stand to showcase this, along with its integration with our GARDiS web-embedded access control system.

It is very quick and simple to install and commission and we were delighted by the great reception it got from visitors, not just security integrators and customers, but also from our distribution partners including ADI and Anixter – where we believe GARDiSVU will be particularly well placed to cater for the needs of end users.

Plenty to see

Another pleasure of being at The Security Event is seeing what new technology and innovations other providers have on show. With the integration of security systems seemingly becoming more and more complex each year, it’s just as fascinating for us providers to walk around the stands as anyone else!

Something which particularly caught my eye at this year’s event was the Access Control Theatre, which was put together and hosted by Lee Odess, CEO of The Access Control Executive Brief and a world-leading authority in the access security industry. The programme gave fantastic insights into the most pressing security questions and explored global observations, trends, and theories.

Equally there was some exciting technology on display from providers such as Wavelynx, that uses Apple Wallet as an access control credential rather than a traditional card, and Sentry Interactive where the credential is stored on the door and a mobile device is used to open it. Certainly, mobile credentials have a lot of scope in terms of high security levels teamed with ease of use and deployment.

It is exciting to see disruptive technologies coming into the access control space and it’s great to see these new technologies (many of which come from the US, which is a highly fertile space for new technology) gaining traction in the UK and starting to change and evolve the whole access control landscape.

Even bigger and better for 2024

The success of The Security Event 2023 means that the event organisers have already booked an additional hall at the NEC for 2024 – an exciting prospect indeed. TDSi will be doubling the size of our stand next year and we will be bringing some friends with us in the form of our fellow VITAPROTECH Group members and expert security providers such as RECAS (who we have already worked closely with to develop GARDiSVU) and Prysm command and control software on the PSIM side of things, along with SORHEA and Harper Chalice on perimeter protection solutions.

Although it is just under a year away, we can already feel the buzz around the next event, which is particularly noticeable after the restrictions on live events only a few years ago. It’s great to be promoting the security industry, and exciting to see new technologies continue to evolve and capture the interest of buyers.

John Davies, Managing Director of TDSi