Informa Markets announces substantial visitor growth for IFSEC 2019
James Thorpe
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Informa Markets has announced further growth for the 2019 edition of IFSEC International, FIREX International, Safety & Health Expo and Facilities Show.
Taking place on 18-20 June 2019 at ExCeL London, the shows demonstrated notable visitor growth, representing 39,188 unique visitors – including thousands of international visitors from 128 countries – boasting an overall combined budget of £45.7 billion.
IFSEC International welcomed a total of 34,756 visitors, seeing growth in high-quality visitors representing 117 different countries and a combined annual purchasing budget of £23 billion showing the potential scale of investment visitors were in a position to make. IFSEC also saw a substantial increase in visitors coming in from neighbouring shows – FIREX International, Facilities Show and Safety & Health Expo – and engaging with exhibitors.
This year saw a huge volume of installers and integrators attending the exhibition, a significantly higher number than any other UK event. In particular, IFSEC attracted thousands of installers from London and the South of England, with a combined spending power of over £470 million to spend on new products. Representation from large installation companies and TFMs this year included Pointer, Kings, Banham, Mitie, Frontline, Secom, Magnum and Trinity.
IFSEC’s growth was also demonstrated in a greater increase of distributors and channel partnerships, with the diverse range of international visitors allowing exhibitors to establish buying chains in a number of new territories, in particular the UK, Italy, Spain, Belgium, France, Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, Israel, the Nordic countries, Japan, the United Arab Emirates and more.
The growth in security end users could be particularly felt in the construction and real estate sectors, with representation from Kier, Costain, Ballymore and Mace – among others – as well as critical national infrastructure and government organisations such as Arriva Rail, Dubai Police, UK Power Networks, the United Nations, the Ministry of Defence. These numbers are particularly encouraging for next year’s co-location with Counter Terror Expo.
The positive response to IFSEC International was driven by a number of key highlights, in particular the first ever Surveillance Camera Day, launched by Tony Porter, the UK’s Surveillance Camera Commissioner. This centred on a new minimum requirement for surveillance cameras – Secure by Design – which was introduced and discussed by Porter across several well-attended keynote sessions.
Simon Young, Exhibition Director commented: “IFSEC International 2019 was another huge success. It’s encouraging to see the security market shift in a direction that better signifies the complementary relationship between the installer, the distributor and the end user, but also the increasing importance of the auxiliary markets in the security buying process, including facilities and health and safety. This is a goal we’ve worked hard to meet and we’re thrilled to see it reflected in this year’s results.”
The year ahead
These strong numbers represented the four events’ continued centrality to their respective industries. Showcasing the most innovative products, providing education and helping connect thousands of professionals with hundreds of leading exhibitors, each has proved itself an essential part of the industry calendar, reflected in the visitor growth and their continued innovation.
Next year, IFSEC International, FIREX International, Safety & Health Expo and Facilities Show will take place on 19-21 May 2020. The date change, announced earlier this year, has been made so that all four events will better reflect the industry calendar and give exhibitors and visitors a longer period of time in which to continue their conversations before the summer period – don’t forget to add it to your diaries.
Smart Buildings Expo will expand to become its own event alongside Facilities Show, and the Smart Buildings Experience in association with Vanti will return with a new, wider remit aiming to integrate even more suppliers into its programme.
Joining the events at ExCeL London next year will be Security & Counter Terror Expo, which previously took place at Olympia London. Together with IFSEC International, this will create an even more comprehensive and diverse global hub for the security industry, giving attendees a unique opportunity to access all segments of the market.