The Rise and Rise of The Security Event

It’s incredible to think that we are almost halfway through 2024. One of the highlights for the security sector so far this year has been The Security Event, which took place between 30^th April and 2^nd May at the NEC in Birmingham. Always a highlight in the UK and international security calendar, the Security Event 2024 outdid itself again this year!

Attracting the crowds

Each year since its inception in 2019 The Security Event has attracted more and more visitors, and 2024 certainly saw a considerable increase in the numbers of people visiting the TDSi stand. Now encompassing an impressive 15,000 square metres, the growth of The Security Event is highly evident in its move from the NEC’s Hall 3 to the larger Hall 5. The organisers also reported a significant increase in international visitors, with representatives from 64 countries. We spoke to visitors from both the UK and around the world who had travelled to Birmingham to experience the latest and best in security.

We recorded a significant increase in leads from interested visitors than last year (which itself was an improvement when compared to the previous year) showing that people visit the event for advice and help with improving their security provisions – rather than just ‘kicking the tyres’ to see the latest systems and solutions.

The demographic of our visitors was interesting too – with a good mix of existing customers who visited TDSi to discuss specific project or find out about new solutions, and a large number of potential new customers looking for help with their security needs. It’s always exciting to meet new customers and to present TDSi’s systems to them, but equally, it is also very important to us that we retain loyal customers by providing the systems and support they need.

Partnerships

One of the key highlights for TDSi at this year’s The Security Event was sharing our stand with our fellow VITAPROTECH Group sister company Harper Chalice. As a leading Perimeter Intrusion Detection manufacturer, Harper Chalice’s technology perfectly complements TDSi’s access control solutions to deliver multiple layers of security at any given site. Having both our technology offerings (and experts from both companies) on the stand together gave visitors the perfect opportunity to explore the potential applications and to speak to the experts.

Working together on the stand this year was just the start – the aim is to include more of the VITAPROTECH Group companies next year to provide an even broader range of technology and advice – be that access control, CCTV, or perimeter protection. Being able to demonstrate an integrated and comprehensive ecosystem of combined security systems is great for visitors and also offers TDSi and our sister companies even more scope to grab market attention.

Access control themes at this year’s event

Several common themes were evident at The Security Event 2024. In the access control world, visitors were showing considerable interest in technology and solutions that move secure credentials away from traditional cards and tokens towards mobile credentials, using Apple and Google Wallet to securely store and share these. The popularity of using Apple and Google Wallet on smartphones (for payments and event entry tickets for example), perfectly lends this technology to highly secure but easy-to-use and deploy security credentials. Certainly, our GARDiS Bluetooth Low Energy Reader (which utilises mobile credentials) has proven to be very popular by embracing this approach.

Another popular trend that noticeably caught people’s attention at The Security Event was the deployment of AI systems (a technology that is proving to be popular and sometimes controversial well beyond just security applications). The benefits of processing security information and rapidly acting upon it are obvious, especially for security operators looking to maximise the effectiveness and efficiency of their investments.

The use of cloud-based security systems also continues to be a key trend and was very evident at The Security Event 2024. Storing data and hosting systems securely in the cloud is a popular approach that the security industry has embraced wholeheartedly. It delivers greater flexibility, in terms of sharing data and services across different locations, whilst staying highly cost-effective. It is also the basis for a Security as a Service approach, which is an attractive proposition for many security operators looking for greater purchasing flexibility that doesn’t compromise on protection.

It’s interesting to compare and contrast the systems on offer at a European-based event such as The Security Event, compared to North America for example – which in some cases is several years ahead in terms of adoption and usage of these key technologies (although Europe is catching up rapidly!) A key part of this is the user experience – something which is arguably more important than the actual technology itself to most security users. The ease of use of software, how easy it is to collect and use data, and how these systems interact with other systems within the built environment are fundamental considerations and highly important in a modern interconnected world.

What was particularly evident at The Security Event 2024 was that the security market wants full solutions, not just the elements of security in isolation. We are very excited to return in 2025 with even more on offer – watch this space!