IFSEC gets some wind in its sails again. After Norbain and Pelco both issue notices to the press that they wouldn't attend the 2009 IFSEC tradeshow, both are now back on track to support IFSEC. Pelco came back aboard the 2009 show a month ago and the IFSEC show promoters announced this week that, while Norbain is not in for 2009, they will be back for the 2010 show.
Norbain's managing director said that IFSEC has always been "a valued part of our marketing mix". (So valuable that the company could walk away from exhibiting at the 2009 show? Well, either way, Norbain has signed some sort of long-term deal according to UBM Live, the group which manages the show.)
That's a good thing that Norbain returns in 2010, because at the 2008 IFSEC, it seemed like Norbain was the cornerstone booth of the show ... replete with "booth babes" (what is it about UK tradeshows that exhibitors hire so many?), a speedboat giveaway and a continual stream of traffic from show attendees. The company is UK's leading security products distributor, so IFSEC without Norbain would be like ISC West without ADI.
According to many vendors, this is a very expensive show to attend, so while it's likely that UBM Live courted Pelco and Norbain back into the show, you still have to wonder how many smaller companies aren't attending and weren't courted back by UBM.
On a similar note, and on that IFSEC can probably compare itself to, ISC West, while down in traffic and with significantly wider show aisles (a move that made the show seem larger than it was), seemed to feature the right kind of attendees according to many vendors we spoke with. It seemed only to be the vendors in the back corners who were glum about that show, but back corner attendees usually are glum about traffic even in a very good year.
Here's hoping for a strong turn-around in late 2009 and all of 2010 for the security industry and the world economy.
-Geoff
