Volume 30

Volume 30 | October 10, 2023

Hello, and welcome to Brief #30! And also, for my sports fans, the same number of teams in Major League Baseball (MLB) and the National Association of Basketball (NBA).

Back to the Brief titled: ACS23 Themes and Trends.

This Brief is all about the Access Control Summit in Washington DC on September 27th and 28th. More on that below.

Last week, I sent out Brief #29, which had the links to access the first release of the 1:1 Firesides and Panel discussions, don't worry. That release included 17 videos, 10 panel discussions, and 7 1:1 Fireside Chats. We will have the balance of the panels and 1:1s posted soon.

The videos are hosted on your membership page:

Go to https://www.leeodess.com/acs23-videos
Just log in.

If you go to https://www.leeodess.com/

Click "Login" in the top right corner, then select "Sign In."
Hover over "Individual" or "Corporate" (depending on your membership) in the top right corner, and a menu will appear.
Click on "ACS23 Video."

The URL for the videos is https://www.leeodess.com/acs23-videos.

Upcoming Engagements & Exclusive Opportunities

We have a whirlwind of events and exclusive meet-ups I'll be part of in the coming months. Let’s connect, collaborate, and meet up:

1. CONSULT, Louisville, Kentucky (USA)

Date: October 15
Highlight: I'll be moderating a panel, "The Rise of the New Stakeholder: The End User," from 1:15 PM to 2:30 PM. Delve deep with Michael Wong (Genea), Robert Lydic (Wavelynx), and Sanjit Bardhan (HID) as we explore pivotal industry transformations.
Come If: You're keen on understanding past trajectories, imminent impacts, and design futures for our sector.

2. Securing New Ground, New York (USA)

Dates: October 17-18
Collaboration: We've teamed up with SIA to curate at the show interviews and content. Interested in being interviewed? I’ll have my gear with me. Just reach out!

3. SECTECH, Stockholm, Sweden

Dates: October 24-25
Agenda: I'm heading to Stockholm to connect with top access control and smart lock firms, delving into market intricacies and emerging trends.

4. ISC East, New York (USA)

Date: November 16
Don't Miss: I'll be moderating "From Physical Security to Proptech Solutions: How Today's Security Technology Enables Smarter Buildings Tomorrow." Join Dan Cremins (Delta Electronics) and Josef Šachta (Sharry) in room 1A07 from 11:30 AM to 12:15 PM.

5. Exploring India

Dates: November 27 - December 1
Connect: If your are operating in India, let me know and let’s meet.

6. Security Investor Conference, New York (USA)

Dates: December 13-14

7. Intersec, Dubai

Dates: January 16-18
Exclusive: We're collaborating with Intersec on the Thought Leadership Pavilion. If you're attending or considering participation, let's discuss how you can be a part of this unique initiative.

Looking forward to inspiring interactions and promising partnerships!

Thank you for being a member. Our community is continuously growing, and I appreciate your trust in me. I am grateful for this opportunity and will strive to continue delivering. If, for any reason, I am not meeting your expectations, please feel free to let me know.

Thank you!

PS: I am sure some of you may forward this on but please do so sparingly and encourage others to sign up here. Thank you!

Click Here To Go To ACS23 Videos

Let's get into the Brief with my ACS23 Themes and Trends.

It has been over a week since we held the Access Control Summit 2023 in Washington, DC. Last week, at the start of every call, I would be asked, "Have you recovered from ACS23?" And my usual answer is "Getting there, but in reality, no. I am not sure I will." Sure, physically and mentally, I needed some massive sleep. It was a physical and emotional roller coaster that, in the end, was pure joy and put me on a high. It was many years in the making and checked two boxes of desires - a desire to host an event one day at the AIADC and a desire to bring together a community I believed needed its own thing.

The AIADC is a special place to me and my family for several reasons. When my wife and I owned our integration company in DC and we helped specify and procure the audio, video, and lighting controls for its grand opening, we said we would host something one day. I don't know why we had such a desire, but it has something to do with the fact that it was early in our marriage, that the AIADC put our company name on the wall, and it is also a positive moment in our lives together that we reflect back on often. It meant a lot to us. And that desire played out in real life last week.

I also had a desire to bring our industry together because we have desperately needed to tell better stories, communicate our point of view, and create a space where networking can happen unlike anywhere else. In the end, it was successful. The networking was noticeable. From Wednesday night at the reception, where 150 people showed up all day and night Thursday at the Summit, to Friday, where I know many people continued meeting, the networking was next level. One attendee said they got a year's worth of meetings in one day. I am ecstatic.

And the content was superb. It exceeded all my hopes and dreams. By checking out the recorded videos, you'll see that the topics were fresh, new, informative, and thought-provoking. We wanted this to be the first omni-channel show where the in-room networking was strong and the content could be brought online. A two-in-one situation. And it delivered.

Here are some of the testimonials sent to us after ACS:

I have always felt like the Access Control industry has lacked an event that is for executives, so this was perfect. Nothing like your typical sales conferences, nobody was there to sell, but everyone was sharing insights, learning and talking about partnerships. I would 100% come back again.

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ACS is the new place where access control executives meet once a year for a state of the union. It’s an amazing, collaborative atmosphere as everyone is interested in propelling the industry forward which can only be achieved together!

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Far too often, "Industry Events" are diluted due to venue or sponsorship. Tradeshows are massive and getting a unique opinion or view point is nearly impossible. Company sponsored events good but are usually slanted toward the point of view of the sponsor. ACS23 was none of that. In fact, this was the most impactful, educational and thought-provoking "Industry Event" that I have ever been a part of in my 22 years in the Security Industry.

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ACS spoke about specific topics that I did not have much prior knowledge of. This created a unique learning experience for me. I likely would not have heard from 90% of those individuals at others conferences. I havent taken notes at a conference in quite some time, but I did at ACS!

ACS23 Themes and Trends

I can summarize the overall themes and trends as positive, encouraging, and energetic. The changes happening in our industry were palpable. You could feel it and hear it in the presentations on stage and conversations off of it. It was impossible to walk away feeling down or concerned about where we are at as an industry. Don't get me wrong, there is a ton of work that still needs to be done, but what is also clear is that this group sees it and is up for the task.

There was a full day of panels and 1:1 fireside chats, so there is much content to digest. I plan to break each of those down separately, but I wanted to start with an overview of similar themes and trends observed across all of them.

I encourage those in attendance to share yours, and I plan to have a further and more in-depth discussion on Slack. Please join me there.

Here are my overall themes and trends:

Identity and the Consumers (formerly called End Users) took center stage and had a vibrant discussion around the Consumer Experience.
- Steve Van Till mentioned this, and you can hear it in different discussions throughout the day: we have shifted from the door to the consumer. Steve said user, but I will call them consumers moving forward. I thank Sal D'Agostino
  
  for pointing out the language difference and need. Although "end user" and "consumer" are similar. The language difference is nuanced enough that by labeling them as consumers, you drive more of a "human concentric view." We are also confused about who an "end user" is. Some believe it is the admin, while others believe it is the consumer. In the end, no one is wrong. But we need to catch up on what the consumer needs if we call them an end user. We will build, communicate, and treat them differently if we see them as consuming versus using.
- Speaking of consumers and a focus on them, the panel that had the most attention was the one that focused on accessibility. I won't do it any favors by summarizing it. I suggest you watch it for yourself.
- I heard on multiple panels that the shift our industry is on where we are now building for the consumers AND the admins of the systems, not just admins anymore. This shift makes the complexity of design, resource planning, and talent far more significant and must be appreciated and funded. There is a ton of upside as the collective view is that we are at the beginning of value creation when it comes to the end user, but it was also a collective view that we can do much more to capture it. One of the significant changes needed is to move from being engineer- and security-driven to consumer-driven. Being consumer-driven goes way beyond focus groups. It is a culture shift.
- Often seen as a concept and yet to be in practice, Self Sovereign Identity (SSI) caught many people's attention. The panel shared real-life adoption by sharing that it is in the market already at three hotels. It is hard to argue the value of SSI. There are differences in how it is applied, but overall, as an industry, we should work together, get behind the inevitable reality, and participate in NFID Foundation.
Overall value creation beyond keeping bad people out, locking and unlocking discussions centered around two areas: Workflows & Automation.
- It does not matter the vertical or geography. Companies focused on delivering safety and security plus, enhancing workflows, and automating processes and systems are the bellwether companies of our industry if you do not have a strategy to support this and are forever focused on high security, locking, unlocking and keeping bad people out, good luck.
- The "wallet" is just the beginning of something much bigger.
There is a need to show up properly with an integrated marketing approach.
- The need to go beyond product marketing is critical. It starts with prioritizing it.
Data: Indirectly and directly discussed throughout the day.
- There was a robust conversation about the importance of data and a recognition that unrefined data does you no good. The recommendation was to start small but put a strategy in play as end customers will only demand it more.
- And at a minimum, you need to make data accessible to third-party systems. If not, it does not look suitable for companies that make it difficult for customers to get their data out of the system easily.
Regarding talent, it was evident that ACS brought an excellent sample set of people from different career titles, experiences, diversity, backgrounds, and geography. We showcased the five different generations working under one roof in our industry.
- Companies need a comprehensive program to integrate the five generations in the workplace.
- It was also clear that Gen Z is not enough of a focus and is quietly disrupting our industry's norms regarding learning, networking, discovery, and communication.
Other tidbits I found interesting. There were a ton more, but these stood out:
- Incumbents are focused on new and innovative products and services. It just takes longer because they have to do it at scale.
- The Secure Building Council was launched at ACS23 to advocate for and support secure design practices in the construction and renovation of buildings. They aim to achieve this by developing a certification program that building owners can obtain to demonstrate compliance with industry best practices for crime prevention and resilience to human-made threats. The program addresses various threats, including unauthorized access, theft, vandalism, terrorism, cybersecurity, and workplace violence, and aims to encourage building owners to go beyond code requirements to prioritize community safety.
- We are still in the early stages of understanding how our industry will deal with the need for technical standards that support the business needs of companies being asked to adopt them. There is a need for Interoperability; this topic will only get more complex, and many companies are looking at offering seamless integrations between hardware and software. Will they do it on their own, through partnership, or both?

I recommend watching the videos and digesting the content yourself. In a future Brief and in Slack, I will break down each panel with additional thoughts, questions, and highlights.

Upcoming Access Control Summits: US, Europe, Asia Pacific

Following the resounding success of ACS23, many have been eagerly asking: "Will there be another ACS event?" The answer is an emphatic YES – in fact, there are plans for three more.

ACS US Edition:
- Overview: Serving as our flagship event, this conference will offer both a North American and Global perspective.
- Location: Annual hosting in Washington, DC. While the venue will rotate, the central theme remains unchanged: an emphasis on trends impacting the industry and experience.
- Dates for 2024: October 9th & 10th.
ACS Europe 2024:
- Overview: This summit will cast a spotlight on the European access control and smart lock industries.
- Potential Locations: While we're currently considering Dublin, Prague, and Amsterdam, there's also potential for a Birmingham venue, especially if we can align with The Security Event. Final decisions will be announced shortly.
ACS APAC:
- Overview: There's been a lot of debate about hosting an ACS event in the Asia-Pacific region. While plans for 2024 remain a coin toss, we are fully committed to launching ACS APAC in 2025.

Stay tuned for further details. We're excited to continue our new tradition of hosting premier events, and we look forward to seeing many of you there!

Some ACS23 Stats

🌍 166 fabulous attendees from 15 (or maybe more!) countries around the world convened in one space! 🌍

🎤 14 insightful panels, 1 groundbreaking keynote, and 9 intimate fireside chats! That's a lot of wisdom shared! 🧠

🍹 At the welcome reception, we had 150 attendees making merry and raising their glasses. A whopping 534 drinks poured out! You all surely know how to party! 🥳

And now... 🥁 the top 5 drink choices of the night:

🍷 Land of Saints GSM - The red wine that had everyone's heart!
🥃 Old Fashion - For the classic souls among us.
🍺 DC Brau The Corruption - Cheers to the beer enthusiasts!
🍻 Pacifico - A close second for the beer lovers.
🍷 Pra Soave - The white wine that danced on everyone's taste buds.

Cheers! 🥂 Here's to many more gatherings and great conversations!

Updates & Announcements Made at ACS23! 🌟

We're thrilled to share some exciting news from ACS23! As we continue to evolve and adapt to our industry's needs, we're launching four game-changing initiatives for 2023-2024:

1. AC Alerts 📰

Website: www.acalerts.co

Stay in the loop with AC Alerts – a tailored news source for everything access control and smart locks. Whether you're keen to stay updated or have news to share, AC Alerts is the place for you.

For Readers: Enjoy a free, curated news feed tailored to our industry.

For Sharers: Spread the word at a nominal fee.

2. AC Enablements 🛠️

Ever thought, "I love this idea, can someone help me implement it?" Well, AC Enablements is your answer. From marketing strategies to firmware design, we're here to help! Next time you're pondering, "Do you know someone who can assist with X?", remember - we've got your back.

3. AC50 Index 📊

Change the way our industry tells its story through data! The AC50 Index is our inaugural data aggregation tool reflecting our industry's true pulse. Let's move away from unreliable analyses and step into an era where our data speaks for itself.

Special Note: Your data privacy is our priority. Let's collaborate, aggregate, and create resources valuable for all stakeholders!

4. #accesscontrol Summit 🌐

Mark your calendars! The first-ever Security Industry Influencer Summit, titled #accesscontrol, is on its way. Whether you're an influencer, a budding one, or a company aiming to tap into this network, this summit is your way. Watch out for more details soon!

These initiatives are just the beginning. We look forward to your active participation, feedback, and collaboration. Together, let's make 2023-2024 monumental!

Volume 30

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