This year’s Global Security Exchange (GSX) conference will be held in Orlando, Florida from September 23rd to 25th. GSX is an annual gathering of professionals in the security industry to discuss, share, and flesh out the latest topics related to keeping people safe via technology, mindset, strategies, and more.
The conference is presented by ASIS International, a professional membership organization for the security sector, and will see nearly 20,000 participants attending both in-person and virtually, as well as 470 companies and organizations exhibiting.
The first annual meeting of what would become GSX took place in 1955, which was also the inaugural year of ASIS International (then known as the American Society for Industrial Security). Although that initial meeting only had 32 attendees, it would grow to 10 times that size by 1957, becoming an annual seminar from then on. By 1973, the meeting grew to a full-blown exhibition that included various seminars; then, in 2018, it became known as the ASIS Global Security Exchange.
The name change was made to recognize the event’s increasing global presence and considerable size in terms of participants and events, as well as the thousands of connections and exchanges made and the content generated therein, that take place over the yearly conference. GSX takes a 360-degree perspective of security in all aspects (physical, cybersecurity, corporate, et cetera) to provide attendees with a wealth of information and practical applications for the latest security solutions.
The theme for GSX 2024 is “Taking Security Higher,” which will see a focus on the elevation of skills and abilities as well as the security profession itself, and on creating a more resilient global society. The topics on display at this year’s GSX range from the macro to the micro, with global security taking a center stage position, as well as leadership and accountability therein. With ASIS International being a global organization, Chief Global Learning Officer for ASIS International Christine Peck says of the conference that everybody is there to do important work—they are about the business of making the world safer.
“We are proud that our global event has established itself as an essential industry gathering, renowned for both its significance… as well as its commitment to inclusivity,” she says.
The programming of this year’s GSX is in service to this theming, with additional topics including school security and safety, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, cyber information security, critical infrastructure, civil unrest, risk management, and more. There will also be additional sessions centered around professional development, like mentorship and leadership, road mapping a successful career, and executive presence.
Several keynote speakers will be featured throughout the conference: Sanna Marin, former Prime Minister of Finland, who will speak on the role of geopolitics in global security; Commander Kirk Lippold, a retired U.S. Navy officer, who will educate on the importance of leadership and integrity during challenging times; and finally, Dr. Rana ed Kaliouby, an Executive Fellow of Harvard Business School, will explore the risks and opportunities related to human-centered approaches to AI (artificial intelligence).
As always, many providers and experts will be sharing information and new technology around security and protection in specific areas. The conference boasts a range of organizations that are vast in terms of the types of groups that exhibit and produce education at GSX, Peck says. On the GSX show floor, there are four stages of education and events by vendors and subject matter experts who submitted content proposals specific to each stage. Vendor partners and organizations both large and small host their own educational programming in both their booths and in classroom spaces at the host hotels.
Peck says that GSX is not just a chance to hear about what’s happening in security, but an opportunity to interact with the newest concepts personally. “There is not a time during GSX where there is not a learning experience taking place,” says Peck. Attendees will have the ability to take technologies, processes, and critical thinking and use them immediately upon returning to their organizations.
One topic that has been of concern to the security sector in recent years is the use of AI and ML (machine learning) in introducing new security technologies and improving tried-and-true methods. GSX will feature many companies furthering the responsible use of AI in the industry and looks to feature several sessions throughout the conference on the responsible usage of these tools, the potential benefits of them in areas like data and risk management, and even case studies and tangible examples of the ways in which AI and ML are already being used in the field. There will hardly be any opportunity better for security professionals to learn about these burgeoning tools than at this year’s GSX.
Another method of exploring hot topics in security today will be through the conference’s Game Changer sessions, centered around the idea of Black Swan risks, being extremely hard-to-predict events that can be hugely impactful. A handful of speakers representing organizations like the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, California School of Forensic Studies, Global Center on Cooperative Security, and more will look to educate security professionals on Black Swan subjects ranging from organizational resilience in the face of such situations, to combating organizational mistrust, to the reaffirmation of the importance of security in a global context.
There is also a cultural aspect to security that will be represented through various talks and panels at GSX. These sections will speak to the mindset one must cultivate for working and being successful in the industry, as well as how it continues to present opportunities for historically marginalized people. Peck says that the world is not getting any less risky these days, and security professionals are on the frontlines in the most troubling and high-stress situations in both physical and digital domains, like school shootings, weather disasters, data theft, and cybersecurity breaches. Several sessions during the event are focused on maintaining mental health as well as physical and mental resilience.
Many GSX members have transitioned from global industries closely related to security (i.e. military, fire safety, law enforcement) which in turn helps them become successful security professionals. However, the stressors of these situations take a toll and are felt daily, which jeopardizes the safety of individuals, their families, and their organizations. Mental health and well-being, therefore, must be made a priority to support them and it is an aspect of GSX that is shared throughout the year with members.
Similarly, ASIS is dedicated to inclusion at all events and in all situations, Peck says, and wants to build a security community that is as dynamic as the world that security professionals strive to protect. This year, sessions and community meetups are in place to highlight the role of women in the security industry, as well as for the promotion of inclusive work environments and challenges faced by those attendees in the LGBTQ+ community and all those who wish to make the industry more welcoming for new voices and ideas.
GSX executives and organizers aim to continue to be thought leaders in—and megaphones for—the industry, using their leverage to give security professionals a voice. For nearly 70 years, GSX has set the standard for security excellence. “This is where the global community comes together as leaders and to create a more secure world,” says Peck. This year’s conference, as always, promises to equip attendees with the necessary skills to combat security threats and let them come home feeling refreshed and renewed, ready to make their businesses more resilient for a market in need of their security services.
