LONDON, UK: As the doors closed on the 18th Infosecurity Europe Show in London last week, it became clear that with a recorded 13,200 visitors (pre ABC Audit) attending during the three day event - Infosecurity Europe truly is the most important event in the European calendar for IT security. Not only does it bring together the entire security community, with many attending for at least two days, but it’s where companies choose to reveal new innovations and launch products, and industry thought-leaders present visionary seminars and keynotes.

 

The 2013 show attracted a 6% increase in visitors compared to last year, as well as a record number of global representatives, with over half of the vendors coming from overseas and visitors from over 110 different countries – coming from as far as South Korea, Australia, Singapore, Turkey and Hong Kong. The show also provided a showcasing platform for over 50 new exhibitors, including a larger French pavilion and brand new Russian and German pavilions, which housed a range of new IT security vendors.

According to Claire Sellick, Group Director Infosecurity Portfolio for Reed Exhibitions, the organisers of the event, the increase in attendees was driven by Infosecurity Europe’s unrivalled Education Programme, as well as a significant increase in security awareness from public and private sector organisations.

“We are delighted with the results from the event. Infosecurity Europe this year reflected the growing importance of information security within the global business community as it continues to rise and anchor its position firmly on the business agenda of enterprise and SME organisations. With a total industry attendance including visitors and vendors of over 24,800, not only have we seen a significant increase in international suppliers successfully using Infosecurity Europe as the platform to launch and showcase their technology, there was also a notable volume increase of international attendees especially from emerging markets, as well as an increase in the seniority of end users from the enterprise and SME community.”

The show also saw a significant increase in people revisiting over the three days, which highlights the impressive and thought-provoking education programme – the show included 17 keynote sessions, all of which are specially selected by Information Security Hall of Fame members, guaranteeing delegates ground-breaking and innovative topics.

Visitors to the show also benefited from 31 sessions in the Business Strategy Theatre, 31 sessions in the Technical Theatre, 14 in the Information Security Exchange, 17 IT security workshops as well as 24 seminars in the Technology Showcase Theatre.

Some of the key highlights included: a presentation from the UK’s Minister for Political and Constitutional Reform with responsibility for cyber security – Chloe Smith – who delivered a keynote speech covering the government’s determination to keep the UK safe from cybercrime; and Symantec ran a hacking challenge where IT security professionals were asked to observe other experts testing their skills and knowledge in a 'capture the flag' style cyber attack simulation, where players competed against each other to solve IT security problems.

This is what some of the exhibitors are saying about the show:

“Better leads than last year, with many looking to do business.” Richard Turner, Technical Director – First Option Technologies

“Very glad to have exhibited, spoken with many manufacturers by chance who are interested in our products – that was a great added bonus. The main idea was to promote our company and show how our products can prevent hackers – however the show achieved far more than I had ever hoped.” Michael Kondratieve, Owner of RNT Russia

“It was excellent being in the new exhibitor zone because people are looking for new technologies which is a key differentiator so they came looking for companies like ours. We’ve had great traffic which has been fantastic.” Tom Head, Director Login People

“Visitors were far more engaged - refreshing to see the curiosity and interest – we saw lots of qualified leads, with masses of activities around the stand drawing on the customers.” Amer Deeba, CMO, Qualys

“We’ve seen a lot of existing clients that have bought along other potential customers so it’s an event we’d never miss. We’ll definitely be here next year.” Jim Hansen, EVP Marketing, PhishMe

“Infosecurity is ground zero for thought leadership in IT security and we’re happy to be at the heart of it.” Tamar Newberger, VP Marketing, Catbird

Almost 200 Press and analysts attended the event and this is what the Press are saying:

“Fantastic to have a range of views from different parts of the industry all under one roof, all of whom have focused on telling visitors in simple terms, why what they do is crucial, in a friendly way.” Dan Simmons, Tech Reporter, BBC News.

“Enjoyable and informative – a real education.” Mark Johnson, Community Editor, The Economist.

“Generally very well organised on both PR and conference fronts. Signage on conference floor much improved, so it was easier to find booths.” John Leyden, Networks Correspondent, The Register.

“Plenty of editorial leads on and off the exhibition floor, plus opportunities to interface with key cyber security mavens willing to share technological insight and market intelligence.” James Hayes, Technology Features Editor, Engineering & Technology (E&T) Magazine.

“Good panel sessions.” Sooraj Shah, Reporter, Computing magazine.

“As always, Infosecurity Europe proved itself to be a barometer of the information security industry. The size of the event, the increase in visitor numbers and the seniority of attendees were all a reflection of the increasing importance of information security. The increase in C-level attendees reflects that infosecurity is now a broader business concern, commanding the attention of senior executives and board members.

The education programme was the most impressive and engaging to date, with an array of highly-qualified industry expert speakers and an agenda which covered all of the hot topics. It’s no surprise that the keynote theatre attracted more attendees than ever before.” Eleanor Dallaway, Editor and Associate Publisher, Infosecurity Magazine.

Speakers alike were equally impressed by the show this year with comments from:

“I thought it was quite interesting with diversity of speakers, not just tech people from tech industry and an analyst perspective, a wide range of professions really added to the richness of the keynotes. Spent 2 days at the exhibitions, really good with a lot of marketing techniques and can tell security has become a bigger issue with helpful vendors. All in all a really good experience and highly recommended for anyone in the security industry.”

Michela Menting, Cyber Security Senior Analyst, CBI Research

“Very good, very interactive sessions, panel sessions went really well, very lively, would do it again.”

John Milne, Head of Business Continuity Management, Bank of England

“It appeared to be bigger and better than previous years and offered some great networking opportunities with vendors and peers alike.”

Javvad Malik, Security Analyst, 451 Research

“A much more mature event compared to previous years – this event has helped the industry mature. As it is being held every year, there are more mature informed vendors who are not just trying to sell their products and give goodies away. Attendees take away real nuggets of information, not just free pens.”

Amar Singh, CISO, News International