14th edition of South Asia’s largest Security event IFSEC India begins today at Pragati Maidan

New Delhi, December 9, 2021: The International Fire & Security Exhibition and Conference (IFSEC) India Expo, South Asia’s largest security, civil protection and fire safety show by Informa Markets in India commenced its 14th edition today at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi today. The three-day exhibition (December 9th – 11th) brought together internationally renowned exhibitors, consultants, business experts and key government officials under one common platform.

The event was inaugurated by Chief Guests - Shri. Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma, Minister MSME Govt of India and Shri. Kaushal Kishore, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India along with Mr. M.S. Upadhye, IPS, Chief Security Commissioner, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, Lt. Gen. Anil Chait, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, former Army Commander & Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, Mr. Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, Informa Markets in India and Mr. Pankaj Jain, Group Director, Informa Markets in India amidst an industry gathering.  The dignitaries present paid their respects to India’s first CDS Bipin Rawat who breathed his last yesterday due to an Air Force helicopter crash. 
                                                                                                                                                                                            
The expo over the three days is expected to witness over 8000 business visitors and has over 150 brands as participants such as COFE, HIKVISION, PRAMA, TIMEWATCH, TRUEVIEW, SYROTECH, MARKON, MAS-TEL participating as Premier Plus Partners; ATLANTA, AXESTRACK, GODREJ, GTROPY, TVT & UFFIZIO as Premier Partners and notable International brands like AJAX, FAAC, TOSHIBA, TP LINK to name a few. This year, the expo is supported by associations such as APSA, ASIS Delhi, ASIS Bangalore, CAPSI, ESAI, ELCINA, FOCUS, GACS, IISSM, World UAV Federation India Chapter along with MitKat Advisory as knowledge Partner.

Shri.  Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma, Minister MSME Govt of India, addressing the gathering at IFSEC 2021 said, “IFSEC India 2021 is all about showcasing novel technologies and equipments in the security industry and bridging the gap between companies participating from around 40 nations. This is a great platform to highlight vital dimensions in surveillance, for a place as small as a public store to as big as an airport, defence corridor etc. We are all aware of the slowdown that the market witnessed due to COVID-19, and the wheel of our nation’s economy was kept churning by the MSMEs. In order to ensure their sustenance in the long term, our PM approved Covid relief fund of around 4.5 lakh crores to MSMEs. Our ministry is looking after the smooth implementation of the same for the betterment of well-deserved businesses and enterprises.  We also have a 45 day policy and addressal mechanism for all the individuals to take their due benefits.”
  
Beginning his speech with a reference to 1945 World War II and elaborating on the action plan of countries who fought and changed the global dynamics, Shri. Kaushal Kishore, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India said, “Japan’s two most prosperous industrial hubs- Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed by US, however the Japanese government did not take it as a set- back, instead, they came out much stronger and are presently leading in terms of technology adoption, security and defence services. He further added, “China is one such other nation that received its Independence in 1949, two years later than our nation, and it went on to become one of the leaders in supply chain globally. Our PM began the campaign of ‘Made in India’ and the vision and power of it to position India on the global front is unimaginable and yet to be explored in the full glory. We have just started and plan to herald a strong wave to make India a nation that becomes a leader in global supply chain by increasing the export potential to its maximum capacity. Security industry being one of the most pivotal one, will be presenting myriad job opportunities to our citizens.”

Lt. Gen Anil Chait, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, former Army Commander & Chief of Integrated Defence Staff appreciated the theme of event-New Age threats to Security and elaborated upon the nuances of it for the audience. He mentioned a poignant historian Thucydides’ famous quote (480 BC) – ‘Strong do as they will and weak will suffer as they must.’ This ancient philosophy is still applicable, and continues to exist not just in between human relationships, but also among businesses, and nations. Security has acquired a new hue with contactless technology integrations but will continue to rest on age old principles of safety and protection.  Egyptian civilization was the first one to introduce the concept of locks, and then Pharaohs later employed guards to protect. The need is as old as the evolution of mankind, however now in order to deal with threats we must employ the tools of cooperation, conflict, competition and collaboration. Events like IFSEC India by Informa Markets in India are the appropriate avenue.” He ended his speech by mentioning that in order to make India an economy of 5 trillion, digital connectivity and security is important and as a catalyst we all must be very careful of the virtual world built around us.
  

Speaking at the inauguration of the 14th edition of IFSEC India in the in-person format, Mr. Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, Informa Markets in India said, “Increasing population, growth in urbanization, expansion of trade, infrastructure and mass transportation systems are fuelling expectations for greater security measures, predominantly in critical national infrastructure projects.  The federal government of India’s initiative of building vital infrastructure projects including new airports, mega ports, highway projects, metro systems and the development of smart cities across the country is allowing an ecosystem where businesses can develop and grow. This is also the age of smart technology and to match the pace of smart cities, the need for smart security and surveillance system is very critical. With our return in the in-person format, we look forward to the industry's support and encouragement, to take this a notch higher in the days to come. IFSEC India year-on-year aims to support industry players to collectively ideate, innovate, spot trends and enable the shift in India’s security paradigm from a defensive approach to a monitoring and a responsive one.” 

This year, IFSEC India is showcasing cutting edge technology pertaining to products like CCTV & video surveillance, biometrics & RFID, integrated systems, access control, cyber security, GPS Systems, video management, traffic management & parking automation, physical security, perimeter protection, fire detection systems, intruder alarms and more. The business visitor attending the expo are professionals such as CSOs, Admin Heads, CIOs, CTOs, Facility Heads, Purchase Managers, System Integrators and Dealers & Distributors of organisations. 
 
Significantly, in an industry where up-gradation of technology is the very key to surviving competition, the IFSEC India Expo provides high-impact, informative demos and a wealth of opportunities for the visitors to network and learn about new technologies, industry best practices and trends, challenges, market insights and discover the best solutions to keep their business and clients secured. Day 1 of the conference discussed relevant insights gained in the domestic and global security market with the theme: New-Age Threats to Security alongside the exhibition. Some of the trending topics were  –  The Future of Defence, Homeland and Corporate Security in a Tech-Intensive World, ‘Make-in-India’ Manufacturing Roadmap and Smart security Technologies, Emerging Risk Landscape, the New Normal in Security, Promoting Diversity and Inclusion in Corporate Security, Safety & Loss Prevention, PRAMA's Indigenous Manufacturing Mission for a self-reliant India ( Atmanirbhar Bharat) and a panel discussion on Taking a standards-based approach to security. Day 2 will see sessions and panel discussion on Technology-Enabled Disruptions, Emerging Paradigms in Security Architecture and Securing Digital Assets in a Virtually Connected World, Technologies that make Security Systems Smarter, Intelligent and more Versatile, Mitigating the threat from drone attacks and a Masterclass on Converged Security. 

IFSEC India 2021 is amply supported by its AllSecure & Travel Safety Guidelines – a safety standard initiative by Informa for its exhibitors, attendees, visitors, speakers or sponsors, customers who visited to the event. This has been introduced to conduct physical trade exhibitions amidst the new normal and has a detailed set of enhanced measures. AllSecure provides attendees the reassurance and confidence that they are participating in a safe and controlled environment. These international protocols are based on the broader principles of Physical Distancing, Protect & Detect, Cleaning & Hygiene and detailed Communications on these principles.