Got to Get to Dallas—ASIS 2010If you make one trip this fall it should be to ASIS 2010. Slated for October 12-15 in the fair city of Dallas, it’s shaping up to be one of those events to remember. I was privy to a special media junket to the city just a couple of weeks ago and I have to tell you that the venue is nothing that I remember it from in 2004 when ASIS had its Annual Seminar and Exhibits there. It’s bigger and better and bolder and chock full of people in the security industry dying to meet you. I got an inside look at the city representing ASIS 2010 and walked away with a special appreciation for all it has to offer and especially—its people, including the Host Committee--Steve Castor CPP and chair; Greg Lilyhorn, vice-chair of the ASIS North Texas Chapter; John Watson, chairman of BearCom; Martin Cramer CPP and director of Public Safety for Downtown Dallas Inc.; and Charles Baxter, chair of the ASIS North Texas Chapter. Cramer and Baxter showed us many highlights of the growing metropolis and we met with police officials and public safety personnel and security directors and end users and risk compliance managers in a whirlwind two-day tour of the Dallas Museum of Art; AT&T Performing Arts District; Dallas Fusion Center and Police Department; Dallas Cowboys Stadium; city of Fort Worth and camera system; Scottish Rite Hospital; Frito Lay; and of course, the old city hall.It was in the old city hall that I stood in the jail cell where Lee Harvey Oswald was held and then, in the parking garage where Jack Ruby fired the shots decades ago. Lieutenant Ken Houston chillingly said that really nothing had changed in the garage since that event changed history and sent the conspiracy theories swirling. Here’s an inside secret, they had an armored car to transport Oswald but it couldn’t make it past the concrete ceiling in the garage. The rest is history. And I’m sharing it now. Get geared up for Dallas ASIS because I can sense it’s going to be one of the best conferences because of the venue…and the company. Now, you won’t get to see everything the city has to offer when you are in Dallas (there’s just too much to see and do) but fear not—there’s going to be tons to do at the ASIS conference and oh yes, it’s all about the education and the training, I forgot! But I know that’s going to be equally good as well. Thanks to all who made such a good impression; I can’t wait to get back. – Deborah O’Mara, editor, Security Dealer & Integrator magazine
