My Point of View: Secured Cities is More Than a Concept

Oct. 21, 2013
Secured Cities Conference the best of public-private partnership initiatives

I'm not going to lie to you folks. This month’s column is a blatant advertisement for our upcoming Secured Cities Conference, November 14-15 in Baltimore’s Convention Center. Why am I taking up space to discuss “another” security conference? Because I sincerely think this is worth your time!

In my 26 years in this industry, I’ve attended a lot of conferences, exhibits, seminars and vendor or association affairs passed off as meaningful events. Unfortunately I find way too many of them long on schmooze time and short on substance. And if you are lucky enough to latch on to a conference that seems to feature tangible content, it will usually cost you a small fortune to attend!

So here’s the deal with Secured Cities and what makes it an event I highly recommend and certainly urge you to consider:

  • It’s content-driven
  • It covers all the hot security verticals – municipal and regional government, campus, healthcare and transit
  • It is the only event in the industry featuring public/private partnership initiatives that include technology, funding and budget issues
  • There are more than 60 concurrent sessions packed into two days
  • It is the only conference that compliments your classroom sessions with live tours of real facilities hosted by the security professionals that staff them
  • It is a peer-to-peer event that doesn’t allow vendors to attend unless they are sponsors
  • It is a small venue that allows for intimate interaction with your peers and more than 50 solutions providers you want to see
  • And—it’s affordable!

That’s right. A conference with substance your budget can handle. This is the 5th Secured Cities event, which initially launched as a niche municipal video surveillance best practices conference. But we quickly saw that the ecosystem of urban public and private partners spanned many areas, as security directors and campus police chiefs from major colleges and universities, public school system administrators, security managers at large healthcare facilities and security directors for city transit authorities joined the event as attendees.

That’s why we expanded the umbrella to include all of these stakeholders in new Secured Cities Conference for 2013. This year’s comprehensive session tracks are laser-focused to include specific technology and management classes for those in the campus, healthcare, transit and public safety sectors. Most of the sessions are peer-led and interactive.

On the conference’s final day, we are hosting on-site tours of Baltimore Police Department’s impressive CitiWatch Command & Control Center, where you will get a behind-the-scenes look at both technology and operations; the acclaimed R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center, which is one of the highest volume trauma centers in the country; and finally, the Maryland Department of Transportation Authority’s control center, which serves as the security and public safety hub for state-wide operations. These tours will be limited and are included with your registration!

Secured Cities is also excited to have Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley serving as a keynote speaker at our luncheon on Friday, Nov. 15. Mr. O’Malley is the former mayor of Baltimore and was a huge supporter of the city’s world-class video surveillance system.

So make plans to join us at Secured Cities – the security and public safety conference that provides the most value for your participant dollar! Not only does your registration fee provide access to invaluable educational opportunities, but it also includes all meals and a network reception.
Register today at SecuredCities.com and enter promo code SC2013 and save! There are special rates for government attendees, as well as for IAHSS, ASIS and Infragard members, so check the website.

Need to make hotel reservations? Reserve your room through our housing partner, OnPeak, to ensure you pay the lowest price and get the best service with reservation protection.

As conference director, I look forward to seeing you in Baltimore (www.securedcities.com).