| Intersec 2013 saw an increased demand for HD CCTV and PSIM solutions |
Intersec Dubai 2013, the premier business and networking event for security, safety and fire protection in the Middle East recently concluded its 15th and largest yet edition. Featuring 990 exhibitors from 54 countries, Intersec 2013 was 7% larger than the previous edition and welcomed 21,615 visitors from 118 countries, enjoying a 10% growth in trade visitor numbers.*
Intersec 2013 was inaugurated by His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who was accompanied by senior officials from Dubai Civil Defence, Dubai Police, Dubai Police Academy and Mr. Hans-Joachim Otto, the German Parliamentary State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. The top five visiting countries after the UAE were Saudi Arabia, Iran, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait.
Ahmed Pauwels, Chief Executive Officer, Epoc Messe Frankfurt, organiser of Intersec, said: “The response to Intersec was very positive. Our numbers were strong and exhibitor feedback was that there was real quality in the trade visitors present. It was clear that everyone worked hard to make the best of the three key business days during Intersec.”
2012 Top Security 50
This year’s mega event featured 10 of the world’s top 10 security companies as ranked by a&s magazine in 2012 as well as 33 of the top 50. This included Honeywell Security, Bosch Security Systems, Safran, ASSA ABLOY, HIKVISION Digital Technology, FLIR Systems, AXIS Communications, Samsung Techwin, Tyco International and Dahua Technology.
Rida Hamza, General Manager, Honeywell Security Group, MENA, summarised the general atmosphere during the exhibition: “Intersec has been outstanding. The arrangements were great – the environment, the atmosphere, the people, the traffic – it was amazing. It is a great platform to meet partners, new customers, government representatives and influential corporate leaders.” Similarly, Jalaal Abu Hassan, Regional Sales Manager Middle East for FLIR Systems, 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.” Meanwhile, Philip Verner, Regional Sales Director, EMEA, for CEM Systems, a Tyco International Company, commented: “Intersec is a major event in the Middle East calendar. The show has been a good success and we have been solidly busy.”
Country Pavilion Focus
Intersec Dubai 2013 featured 13 country pavilions, namely China, UK, Germany, Italy, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, India, Bahrain, France and the USA.
Mr. Pawan Singh, Sales & Marketing Coordinator for the Indian Pavilion, commented: “Intersec 2013 was a very successful show and all Indian exhibitors have been satisfied with the outcome of their participation.” Similarly, Caroline Strickley, Export Services Executive at the BSIA’s Export Council, which organised the UK pavilion, saw a record turnout of UK security companies at the event. She commented: “The strong UK presence reflects the growing importance of the region. The level and quality of enquiries at this year’s show has been very promising.”
Industry Trends
“Intersec is a major event in the Middle East calendar. The show has been a good success and we have been solidly busy.” |
Some of the notable trends at Intersec spanned from the rising increase in demand for HD CCTV and PSIM (Physical Security Information Management) solutions to hybrid security solutions and biometric security. This also reflected the results of the BSIA (British Security Industry Association’s) Export Council research carried out prior to the show.
Each of the four show sections – Commercial & Information Security, Fire & Rescue, Homeland Security & Policing and Safety & Health – highlighted some of the latest trends in their respective industries. The Commercial Security section was populated with CCTV cameras and access control solutions for all industries. Discussions on the merits of IP versus Analogue devices continued from the Conference led by the Department of Protective Systems, Dubai Police held on the sidelines of the exhibition, onto the show floor. Aviation Security was another hot topic at the exhibition and conference, attracting much attention from local, regional and international aviation authorities.
The latest technologies available were on show with many first time exhibitors participating such as Canon, Jaguar & Land Rover, NEC, Schott, Penstair and WH Bence.
Having already doubled in size from 2010 to 2012, the Fire & Rescue section at Intersec enjoyed a further 33% growth for the 2013 edition. Belal M. Sayeen, Business Development Manager, SFFECO Global, said: “Intersec was really good – a very well organised event. We had customers, distributors and suppliers visit our stand and do business.” Similarly, long time exhibitor Naffco was extremely pleased with Intersec. Mr. Faisal, Brand Project Manager, NAFFCO, stated: “Intersec is an ideal platform to develop new business and interact with our partners.”
Tyco Fire was present for the first time with its own stand. Phil McGowen, General Manager, Middle East, said: “For Tyco Middle East, fire represents a significant growth market. We launched a new range of fire protection products.” Similarly, Panasonic was at the exhibition with a new range of fire alarm devices.
Visitor Profile
Enjoying growth for the third successive year, Intersec Dubai 2013 welcomed 10% more trade visitors than the previous edition, with 118 countries represented. Trade visitors and key decision makers from the wider Middle East consider it a must-visit event as it presents such a wide range of products and services from the world’s top security companies. As well as the top five visiting countries, other prominently represented visitor groups were Pakistan, India, Egypt, Lebanon and Iraq.
Exhibitors noted a welcome shift in the type of visitor with many reporting positively on the number of end users and diversity of nationalities present. Marwan Khoury, Marketing Manager, MEA for AXIS Communications, said: “We are now seeing more end users from a wide variety of industries who are looking for the latest technologies. We also see a lot of technology providers here looking to integrate their solutions with ours and that has really stood out at this year’s edition”. Meanwhile Syed Murtaza Husaini, Regional Marketing Manager, ME for ASSA ABLOY, said: ‘We met lots of system integrators and end users which is what we were looking for,” and Niek Bragt, Managing Director, NEDAP, commented: “We’ve seen a lot of change in the amount of people we have here – a lot of Jordanians, Syrians, Turkish. I like the mix, we see a lot of companies coming to Intersec willing to travel so the show really covers the Middle East region.”
Trade visitors also reported a successful show. Waleed A. Al Mansoor, Executive Manager, Security + Safety Corp, KSA, said: “Visiting Intersec is an education. It gathers all global companies and so you can do more efficient business by visiting the show.” Similarly, Abdulla Hussein, Managing Director, Electronics Experts Est., KSA, said: “At Intersec I found some extremely positive suppliers for my new projects.”
Product launches
“Visiting Intersec is an education. It gathers all global companies and so you can do more efficient business by visiting the show.” |
Some of the new launches that attracted much attention at Intersec included Avon Barrier Company’s vehicle blockers and crash barriers, ASSA ABLOY’s wireless locking systems, Asis Technology and their IP Access Control solutions, Artec ID’s latest 3-D facial recognition systems, CEM Systems emerald, a multi functional intelligent access terminal, Gantner’s mobile access smartphone and Kaba’s global launch of a drugs and explosives sniffing cabin – a worldwide innovation.
Paul Jeffrey, Managing Director, Avon Barrier, said: “The Middle East is a key region for us and Intersec offers the opportunity to showcase our latest products.” Similarly, Philip Verner, Regional Sales Director, EMEA, CEM Systems, said: ‘We have just launched emerald™ – it is going to bring something new to the industry and was met with great response at Intersec.”
RRC Middle East launched its range of materials and courses for construction professionals in Arabic. Hasan Al Aradi, Managing Director, RRC Middle East, said: “Arabic courses have been in demand so we used Intersec to provide what visitors wanted. Networking is very important and in one single event, at Intersec, you meet the specialists in three days. If you are a key player in the region then Intersec is a must attend.”
Fringe Programs
Taking place on the sidelines of Intersec was a series of high profile conferences which drew wide participation. The Fire Safety Standards and Regulations Forum covered issues relating to the protection of people and assets. The International Water Mist Association Seminar looked at fire fighting with water mist while the Aviation Security Summit tackled serious discussions on passenger processing and the security of cargo and people. Finally, the Department of Protective Systems, Dubai Police discussed the various aspects of migrating from analogue to digital surveillance systems at a conference held in conjunction with TAVCOM which welcomed over 500 delegates.