Electronic Security Expo kicks off 6th annual event in Nashville

June 17, 2013
Security industry’s hottest show headlines opening of the brand new Music City Center

The sixth annual Electronic Security Expo (ESX), the security industry’s most important tradeshow, networking and education event, opens a week of activities in Nashville’s brand new Music City Center starting on June 17 until June 21. The event, designed for security integration and monitoring companies, is the industry’s only tradeshow owned and sponsored by the leading associations, the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA) and the Electronic Security Association (ESA).

 
ESX returns to Nashville for the third time in its six-year history, one year after being held in the Nashville Convention Center and five years after the inaugural event held in 2008 in Music City. The country’s leading security companies will head to Nashville for a week of education, networking, meetings, and discovering new opportunities.
 
“The electronic security industry prides itself on being innovative, entrepreneurial and service oriented, with a long history of delivering solutions that provide peace of mind, safety and convenience for customers,” said George De Marco, ESX Chair. “ESX provides a unique ecosystem for security integration and monitoring companies to come together once a year to share best practices and learn about new products and services that help improve safety and security while enriching their customers’ quality of life.”  

The week of events includes association meetings, a focused tradeshow floor where business gets done, the industry’s leading conference and education program, special events and networking opportunities, along with celebrations honoring longtime contributors to the industry.
 
ESX begins on Monday, June 17 with a packed lineup of association meetings for both CSAA and ESA at the new Music City Center, ending the day with the annual ESA Professional Groups Kickoff Reception at Nashville’s Whiskey Bent Saloon. The reception is proudly sponsored by ADI, Alarm Capital Alliance, Altronix, Axis Communications, GEM Electronics, Honeywell, Interlogix, Linear, Monitronics, Security America RRG, System Sensor, Telguard, The Decal Factory and Tri-Ed Distribution.
 
Tuesday, June 18 begins bright and early with the ESA Eye-Opener Breakfast, presented by ESA’s YSPs, sponsored by ADI, Alarm Capital Alliance, Altronix, Axis Communications, Honeywell, Interlogix, Security America RRG, System Sensor, Telguard & Tri-Ed Distribution, where Robert Owens, international speaker and leadership development coach will discuss the skills required to lead and to be a positive influence. Owens, a former United States Air Force serviceman and Special Ops team leader, has lectured on leadership development in more than 30 countries and has completed eight Ironman Triathlons in four countries.
 
After additional association meetings, the ESX Industry IceBreaker Luncheon will welcome Newtown, Conn. police Chief Michael Kehoe, who was a first-responder at the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in December 2012. Kehoe will share his thoughts on how the public and private safety sectors can work together to protect schools and communities. The Luncheon will also feature the presentation of the CSAA Marketing Marvel Award, Security Industry Alarm Coalition's William N. Moody Award and PDQ Awards and the ESA Youth Scholarship Award, sponsored by Vivint.
 
Following the Industry IceBreaker will be the Conference and Education program, where more than 90 of the industry’s top minds will contribute to sessions on topics ranging from sales and marketing to central station operations and more. The nine seminar tracks in this year’s program are:

  • Business Development & Management, sponsored by Elko and Associates, Ltd.
  • Central Station Operations, sponsored by SurGard
  • Central Station Technology, sponsored by OneTel
  • Installation & Service Management, sponsored by Security Dealer & Integrator and SecurityInfoWatch.com
  • Mobile Apps & Interactive Services, sponsored by Alarm.com
  • NexTech, sponsored by SDM
  • RMR, sponsored by Winland Electronics, Inc.
  • Sales & Marketing, sponsored by ADT’s Authorized Dealer Program
  • Technology & Applications

Tuesday afternoon will also feature the Spouse’s Outing, which heads to Arrington Vineyards, the rolling hillside winery founded by country artist and ESX 2012 Keynote speaker, Kix Brooks. Located 25 minutes south of Nashville among the beautiful hills of Arrington, Tennessee, the rustic lodge is housed on 75 relaxing rural acres. Tuesday night features the annual ESA Weinstock and Jackson Awards Celebration, where ESA's top volunteer leader and a lifetime contributor will be honored.
 
The event, held at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, will honor David M. Koenig, Partner at Capital Fire & Security, as the 2013 Morris F. Weinstock Person of the Year, sponsored by Interlogix. The Sara E. Jackson Memorial Award, sponsored by Honeywell, will also be announced at the Celebration.
 
Wednesday at ESX begins with free Exhibitor Offered Trainings and the annual CSAA Central Station Excellence Awards Breakfast, where the top central stations and personnel will be honored for their contribution to the betterment of the alarm industry and the alarm profession. The Breakfast will also include a featured presentation on “Why People Burglarize.” Criminology experts Dr.Kristie Blevins, associate professor of Criminology at Eastern Kentucky University, and Dr. Joseph Kuhns, associate professor of Criminology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, will discuss their research on “Understanding Decisions to Burglarize from the Offender’s Perspective.”
 
The Conference and Education program and association meetings continue in the morning. This year, the Conference and Education program includes two “Super-Sessions,” where attendees have the opportunity for longer-form learning with actionable take-home advice and materials.
 
The morning’s activities are followed by the ESX Keynote Luncheon, sponsored by Security America Risk Retention Group. The keynote speaker will be marketing guru Roy Spence, founder of GSD&M, who has been named “Ad Man of the Year” and “Idea Man of the Century” for his work helping clients such as Southwest Airlines, Wal-Mart, DreamWorks, the PGA TOUR, BMW, the U.S. Air Force, LL Bean and the Clinton Global Initiative.
 
“We’re thrilled to welcome Roy Spence as this year’s featured keynote speaker,” says ESX chair De Marco. “Inspiring and changing leaders in every sector, Spence gets owners and executives to think differently about leadership, branding and a company’s true purpose.
 
“His experience and brilliance in articulating the steps it takes to develop a purpose-driven business helps transform organizations into extraordinary ones. He will be a tremendous resource for security professionals attending ESX.”
 
Spence, who is the co-author of the Wall Street Journal bestselling book “It’s Not What You Sell, It’s What You Stand For: Why Every Extraordinary Business is Driven by Purpose,” currently works with businesses and people to help them discover and live their purpose through his consulting firm, The Purpose Institute.
 
When the keynote is complete, the ESX Show Floor will open, with nearly 200 vendors exhibiting and sponsoring the event. With a trade-only focus and real decision makers in attendance, the ESX Show Floor is the best place in the industry to get business done. This year, the show floor will include a special Robotics Zone, the Security Partners RMR Learning Center, the NexTech Zone, and the famous Bosch truck exhibit.
 
On the show floor, the annual Maximum Impact Awards will be delivered to the companies producing the products and services having a real, bottom-line impact on the businesses of security integration and monitoring companies. A panel of industry judges evaluates each entry for the impact it has when awarding the honors in multiple product and service categories.
 
The ESX Happy Hour will take place on the show floor on Wednesday afternoon, in preparation for the ESX Crawl, the most fun night in the industry. Sponsored by ADI, Honeywell and TNESA, the Crawl will take thousands of ESX attendees and sponsors through Lower Broadway’s hotspots, including The Stage, Honky Tonk Central and Tequila Cowboy. At this year’s Crawl, the first annual Best Dressed Contest will celebrate crawlers wearing the best country western gear.
 
Thursday morning kicks off with the ESX Rise and Shine Breakfast, sponsored by Qolsys and Security Systems News. The session, “Industry Giants in the New SECURE+ Era,” will feature a panel of companies that are changing the game of security across the nation with innovative offers and massive marketing muscle. ESX Chair George De Marco will moderate a discussion between Bill Horrocks, VP, Product Management, Xfinity Home, Jamie Haenggi, Chief Marketing & Customer Experience Officer, Protection 1 and Todd Pedersen, CEO and Founder, Vivint, Inc. is a session you won’t want to miss.
 
The ESX Show Floor will re-open for more one-on-one conversations and product demonstrations, followed by the ESA Industry Luncheon and Annual Meeting. Sponsored by Interlogix, the Luncheon and Annual Meeting will welcome Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and author of the best selling Ninja Innovation. During his presentation, he’ll share insights and anecdotes from Ninja Innovation as well as a vision for more effectively embracing innovation in the security industry.
 
Thursday afternoon continues with the Conference and Education program.The event ends on Friday, June 21 with ESA’s Board of Directors Meeting, sponsored by Honeywell. Even though the time in Nashville comes to an end, all of the special events and select seminars from the conference program will be captured and shared online at the year-round ESXperience.