After the postponement announcement of IFSEC and FIREX, Fire Buyer catches up with the event organisers to discuss virtual and digital opportunities for the industry
Originally set to take place on 8–10 September 2020, IFSEC and FIREX exhibitions are now scheduled for 18–20 May 2021 at ExCeL London.
Chris Edwards, Group Director for FIREX International said: “We know how important our events are as a forum where our communities come together to learn, network and meet suppliers. We have a proud track record of hosting the largest gatherings of any event in our industry in the UK and often beyond, and no one is more disappointed in this decision than us, but after much deliberation we are sure that this is absolutely the right thing to do in the circumstances.
“Our focus over the beginning of the pandemic period has been on ensuring that we can provide a safe and secure environment for our visitors, exhibitors and staff and whilst we felt confident of achieving this we also have a duty to our customers to provide an event that matches the standards they expect of us. Additionally, as you know these events have strong international participation and this would be severely compromised given the current restrictions. After carefully considering the options and following discussions with exhibitors and event partners it became clear that postponement is the most sensible option.
“We welcomed many thousands of industry colleagues during our Digital Week in May and we have continued to develop our online platforms to offer additional ways of connecting with the wider industry over the course of 2020.”
“As each of our communities look to rebuild and recover in 2021 our team will also be working hard to ensure we return next year with an event that brings people back together for the reunion everyone will be crying out for. Details on how our events will continue to evolve and develop for next year will be forthcoming over the summer.”
Gerry Dunphy, Event Director, Fire and Security, Informa spoke exclusively to International Fire Buyer. Dunphy comments,‘’With the inevitable requirement to reschedule IFSEC and FIREX to 2021, we immediately looked into a variety of ways in which we could provide the professional fire and security sectors with options to stay connected during an incredibly challenging period. Our key commitment is to provide focused opportunities for buyers and sellers to engage on a regular basis, so we saw the Covid-19 restrictions as a motivation to develop new digital alternatives to help keep the sectors informed. This subsequently allowed us to tap into our significant www.IFSECGlobal.com customer audience to present bespoke online and virtual events which aimed to provide knowledge, training and product awareness. Throughout the summer we had a range of online opportunities which included keynote webinars hosted during Digital Week which focused on areas such as the current ‘State of the Nation in Security’ as well as a broad discussion around the ongoing Grenfell Tower situation. We also worked with our partners at Skills For Security and introduced Training Week which was a four day online training programme which provided complimentary training modules focused on areas such as Intruder Detection, Video Surveillance, Fire Alarms and Advanced Signalling. All sessions were CPD rated and we were delighted to welcome over 1,000 participants to each session.
“We also worked with Russ Timpson at the Tall Buildings Fire Safety Network to host a virtual version of the highly successful Tall Buildings Fire Safety Conference in October which welcomed over 450 online delegates from the international fire safety community. All sessions were CPD rated and ratified by both The Security Institute and the Institution of Fire Engineers.
“From a product promotion angle, we’ve introduced a brand new concept called Tech Talks which provides manufacturers with opportunities to present their products to a live audience which is then followed up by a Q&A session. Hosted by David McClelland, a professional media presenter, Tech Talks provide participating viewers the chance to ask questions about the products they’ve just seen. In addition the companies can add downloads and videos to add extra content to the sessions so in effect they become exclusive promotional vehicles. The idea behind Tech Talks is to give manufacturers an effective live shop window during a time when it’s not possible to meet the customers directly. Tech Talks therefore is a great substitute for the live event, although they’ve worked so well we’ll be introducing them as a regular offering in 2021. All Tech Talks will be archived on www.ifsecglobal.com so they will become online product resources even after the live events have happened.
“The main outcome of this whole period has been our realisation that online and virtual events are now a core part of our offering moving forward and will complement the live events. We are desperately eager to host IFSEC and FIREX in 2021 because these shows have long been the key diary dates for the security and fire industries and we haven’t hosted since June 2019. From our constant discussions with exhibiting and visiting customers, everyone is profoundly missing the chance to meet up face to face- these events are major ‘happenings’ in their respective sectors- so we’re looking forward to hosting the events in a safe and compliant way. We have a set of government approved protocols in place which will mean that visiting the shows will be exceptionally safe and in line with government guidance so we’re primed and ready to go!’’
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Media contact
Rebecca Morpeth Spayne,
Editor, International Fire Buyer
Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 922
Email: editor@firebuyer.com
