Securex 2017, held at Gallagher Convention Centre from 30 May to 1 June, again proved that it is Africa’s premier exhibition for sourcing security- and fire-related solutions all under one roof. With 121 local (75%) and 53 international exhibitors showcasing their solutions on 3 388 m2 of stand space, the 5 048 visitors (of which 1 147 were first-time attendees at Securex) were spoilt for choice.

“We welcomed 177 international visitors from 27 countries. Again showing that the exhibition has the ability to attract desirable customers, 16 African countries were represented in the visitor numbers. Given the fact that feedback from our exhibitors clearly indicates a desire to increase their footprint in other SADC countries, this is a very favourable statistic,” says John Sterley, Portfolio Director at Specialised Exhibitions.

Feedback from visitors has been extremely positive, citing high-quality products and knowledgeable stand personnel as two of the highlights.

“There were a number of exhibitor stands that really blew me away,” says Eduan Beetge of Evenflow. “We were very pleased at the large variety of security technology on offer and will be back again next year to view the latest trends,” adds Aubrey Hefele, City of Cape Town.

Similarly, the exhibitors expressed high levels of satisfaction at the level of decision making represented by the visitors. “Last year we exhibited at Securex for the first time and as a result of our presence there we won a large contract to provide a maintenance service on the X-Ray inspection equipment at a number of sites for a large South African parastatal.

I tell everyone who asks ‘Why Securex?’ that it is a completely worthwhile investment in growing your business. We are thrilled at the exposure the show provides us with,” says Naomi Sekae of Pabalelo Security.

While Securex is characterised by predominantly local content, two new overseas exhibitors were particularly happy with the response they received to their brands. “This was our first time at Securex, promoting our desk wall system. We have been inundated with the interest from visitors wanting to either distribute or buy our products. We have no doubt that we will return to Securex again as the market penetration into Africa is clearly evident here,” says José Garcia from Gesab in Spain.

“We felt that Securex would be the ideal platform to present our offerings to the African market and we have not been disappointed. We launched a number of our new products and there was great interest in our Mission Control product. The organisation of the show was excellent, with an abundance of marketing before the event driving a lot of traffic to Securex,” says Martine Billmann from Genetec in Canada.

Apart from the wide array of local and international security and fire offerings, Securex’s value–added visitor attractions again drew in the crowds. Speaking at the ESDA breakfast, Emma Sadleir drew a very sobering picture of the legal issues that can arise from social media, cautioning that for instance, screenshots have become a way of making what should be transient either semi- or even completely permanent. She added that there is evidence that we are chemically addicted to social media on our mobile devices.

Sadleir cautions social media users to be hyper aware that we are surrounded by people who over document which can lead to confidentiality issues. She warns that the law remains unchanged with regard to your social media post whether you delete it or not. Once it has been posted, it is in a public forum.

The InFIReS Workshop, hosted by FPASA, provided the insurance industry with an opportunity to interact with . Topics under discussion included an update on InFIReS and NatFIRe; Improvement of veld fire management through sector mapping; and The management and inspection of a pump and tank installation for fixed automatic suppression systems. Several vendor presentation took place and video footage of recent large fire incidents internationally was presented, with input supplied by the audience.

The Securex Seminar Theatre never fails to please its attendees and sessions were once again at capacity. For the first time, Genesis K9 Group (GK9) hosted a stand where regular live demonstrations of highly trained security and detection dogs captivated the visitors.

To exhibit at Securex 2018 from 22-24 May, please contact Zelda Jordaan or Grant Bydawell on: zeldaj@specialised.com or grantb@specialised.com or visit www.securex.co.za