SICUREZZA and SMART BUILDING EXPO welcome 20,542 visitors from 69 countries
James Thorpe
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Artificial intelligence, digitalisation, cybersecurity, sustainability, professionalism: these are the drivers of the 2021 editions of SICUREZZA and SMART BUILDING EXPO, which closed on 24 November with great enthusiasm on the part of companies and visitors attending the three-day event that brought innovation on stage at Fiera Milano.
Big numbers: 20,542 operators from 69 countries met the 380 exhibitors, 20% of whom were foreign, in a climate of great turmoil. But, in addition to the numbers – actually even higher, given the possibility for visitors of the contemporary Made expo to have free access also to SICUREZZA and SMART BUILDING EXPO – the high quality of the exhibition offer and the profile of the visiting operators were appreciated.
The event proposal
SICUREZZA and SMART BUILDING EXPO showcased the best in innovation for security & fire and systems that make buildings and cities “smart”.
There were two main trends on offer: integration, which is now moving beyond the concept of a single product to the benefit of management platforms and complex ecosystems and digitalisation.
These trends are profoundly linked, because digitalisation is the universal language that allows all technologies to respond to the needs of interconnectivity that are today the basis of security and building automation systems.
The solutions are now, in fact, all integrated – from home automation to anti-intrusion and, great news, to fire-fighting systems – so they can be managed remotely via app and the same maintenance can be done online or in the cloud.
Another feature is the smart potential: in the CCTV field, many proposals have been presented with onboard artificial intelligence and deep learning systems, which allow complex reading and analysis of collected data that previously required human intervention and a great deal of effort to be carried out automatically and in a short time. The eye camera is becoming more and more intelligent and can be integrated into solutions tailored to each environment, such as advanced access control systems, which are now essential for managing and monitoring possible crowds or for authorising access to controlled areas.
The same trends are also emerging in the building sector.Networks, software, sensors and IOT platforms now work together to provide each core of the building and the city of which it is part with a thinking brain, which collects data, reads them and optimises them, allowing first of all savings, both at macro (buildings) and micro level (a smart home system can save up to 20% in the bill).
The home – thanks to the potential of broadband and new systems – can be managed through a single platform that integrates security, lighting, energy, heating, optimising energy consumption and increasing comfort for the occupants, who now just need a mobile phone or a voice command to activate each function. All this with an attentive eye to design, increasingly refined in the shapes and materials of the components installed on the walls.
And every little part of the city is also becoming smart – because it is connected. In the park, the furniture starts “talking” (the bench becomes interactive, thanks to a solar-powered information panel and the bin, through a sensor, warns if it is full and urges you to empty it); in the public car park, access control is managed by systems that can identify the authorised user simply by framing the licence plate; in large spaces, video surveillance, thanks to video analysis solutions based on complex algorithms, also becomes a tool for collecting data at the service of law enforcement or public mobility.
Training
The more than 50 training events held over three days were particularly well received: associations, organisations and companies focused on the needs of a sector that is renewing itself at a very fast pace.
Special attention was given to the rich programme dedicated to cybersecurity: in a world of connected solutions, data protection is strategic. It becomes the variant on which the very stability of the business depends, since cyber threats are constantly increasing: in the first half of 2021, serious cyber attacks grew by 24%, according to Clusit.
The Cybersecurity Arena, organised by Business International, provided in-depth information on the subject and useful advice on how to avoid falling victim to traps and naivety that can cost dearly. The events took place at the Cybersecurity Arena and allowed us to take stock of the state of the art of IT security in Italy, between the objectives already achieved and the many risks still to be faced.
The certification of professionals – from private security guards to installers – was also at the centre of several debates, in which it emerged that many professions are changing and the evolution requires greater awareness at all levels, but also a formal recognition of qualifications, roles and responsibilities by institutions.
During SMART BUILDING EXPO, the Milan Smart City Conference returned and, through three half days of work, focused on the ideal smart city model based on the interoperability of systems, investigating the relationship between buildings and cities and expanding the debate to topics such as sustainability, energy transition and the potential of the National Research Programme, on which the challenge of the coming years will be played out.
MADE expo
SICUREZZA and SMART BUILDING EXPO were held for the first time at the same time as MADE expo, Italy’s leading event for the construction sector.
The three events, with a total of 700 companies present, provided a 360° view of materials, technologies and regulations for the building and urban environment, with an overall attendance of over 45,000 visitors who took advantage of the opportunity of a single entry ticket for the three events, visiting an “extended” event, designed as a supply chain logic.
A positive synergy that will be renewed for the next edition too. SICUREZZA and SMART BUILDING EXPO will be held from 15 to 17 November 2023, MADE expo from 15 to 18 November, maintaining the traditional four-day duration.
