Largest ever edition of Intersec 2013 comes to successful close

Trade visitors, buyers and major corporate companies were present in strength while 990 exhibitors from 54 countries showcased their offerings as the region's premier security and policing event underlined its significance to the community.

"This is the biggest edition of Intersec we have had in its 15 years. All of the world's top 10 security companies were featured here. We had exhibitors from over 50 countries and from every aspect of the entire spectrum of security," said Ahmed Pauwels, CEO of organiser Epoc Messe Frankfurt.

"It is unbelievable the products you could find on the show floor. There was everything you would expect from a security event and more - safety equipment for the construction industry, car park passes and management for large scale developments," he added.

The success of Intersec as a mega event that attracts the participation of the entire safety and security community in the region has over the years enjoyed the unstinted support of Dubai Civil Defence, Dubai Police and relevant local authorities.

Dubai Police was exhibiting in a range of sectors and emphasised their services in aviation, general and commercial security. Col. Humaid Al Ansai, Deputy Director, said, "Dubai Police are glad to support Intersec and meet other companies that assemble here. The exhibition highlights vital new trends in industries vital to overall security. Among the areas we are paying close attention to is airport security which is growing in importance with more than 50 million people travelling daily worldwide. We are also closely examining methods to reduce traffic accidents."

The show floor witnessed transactions aplenty, business inquiries being made and answered, supplies being sourced, new products being evaluated and prospective partnerships being explored. At the end of a hectic three days of discussions, demonstrations and business development, exhibitors were overwhelmingly positive about their participation.

"We have had great deals with potential customers mostly Asians and local," said Marc McNicholl, Applications Engineer of Tyco Security Products. Tyco launched the brand new Emerald Access Control and Video Surveillance technology, which uses smart phone apps with an inbuilt intercom.

Jalaal Abu Hassan, Regional Sales Manager Middle East for Flir Systems, who have been Intersec regulars for the past seven years, said, "We are extremely satisfied by the visitor flow and high traffic. We have made over 200 potential customer leads and are looking at further expanding our business here through Intersec. We mainly featured thermal cameras which detect IR radiation from any object and can be used in medicine, airport security, at borders, ports etc."

Trade visitors and key decision makers from the wider Middle East consider Intersec a must-visit event as it presents such a wide range of products and services from the world's top security companies. Intersec 2013 looked set to break previous visitor records given the large numbers that flocked to various exhibits on the show floor.

Reactions were optimistic with a large number being highly satisfied at what was available at the exhibition. Salam Khalife, Project Manager at System Engineers (Saudi Arabia) said, "He found many good deals and favourable proposals in the access control and CCTV fields that he was interested in."

Also looking for deals in commercial security, access control systems, monitoring systems and fire alarms was Abdulla Hussein, Managing Director, Electronics Experts Est. Saudi Arabia. "I've found four extremely positive suppliers for my new projects," he said.

The Intersec conferences held alongside the main event highlighted key issues affecting the international security and safety community. Fire Safety Regulations, hazards, strategies to prevent fire and minimise fire damage, fire safety in large constructions and ways to minimise risk and the spread of fire in high rises, were topics that were discussed at the Fire Safety Forum on the first day.

Security issues that affect the booming aviation industry in the region were under the spotlight on the second day, with a range of eminent industry personalities throwing light on the latest strategies and methods to safeguard existing and future aviation infrastructure as well as discussing some of the latest systems that enable swifter processing of passengers and cargo. The final day featured a Dubai Police workshop on video surveillance systems which welcomed approximately 500 delegates.

The 4th UAE Fire Fighting Challenge Championships held in the outdoor arena also proved highly popular with visitors. Top teams of emergency responders and firefighters from the GCC and Europe competed with each other in tests of strength, tactics and skill in simulated emergency conditions.