Land transportation & border securityGovernment, industry to meet 21-22 May at Global Border Security event

Published 7 May 2008

More than 1,000 stakeholders from the public and private sectors will gather for Global Border Security 2008 conference and expo on 21-22 May in Austin, Texas; more than 100 companies will showcase latest border security technology

The multibillion-dollar border security market is readying for one of its premier event, the second annual Global Border Security Conference & Expo, to be held 21-22 May in Austin, Texas. More than 1,000 stakeholders from the public and private sectors will gather for GBS 2008, taking part in a conference and exposition which build on the success of the inaugural GBS event, which was held in May 2007 in San Antonio, Texas, but which also offer many new features. The conference will offer many high-level panels and discussions and displays of leading-edge technologies. GBS 2008 will also include new elements such as a U.S. Customs and Border Protection jobs fair, technology award presentations, and free border security training. “GBS 2008 is poised to be the finest, most comprehensive event ever to focus upon the pressing issues of border security and immigration,” said Michael Rosenberg, vice president of the Homeland Security Division of Bethesda, Maryland-based E. J. Krause & Associates Inc., a global player in exhibition and conference management.

In addition to organizing and managing GBS 2008, the E. J. Krause this year is also putting on other industry functions such as the seventh annual Maritime Security Exposition & Conference, set for 18-19 November in Long Beach, California, and, for the first time, its Port & Ship International India, scheduled for 23-25 October in Mumbai. “These events provide perfect opportunities for government and industry leaders to connect to discuss solutions and to explore prospects for working together in the multibillion-dollar global security marketplace,” Rosenberg said. “We are particularly enthusiastic about GBS 2008 and the vast procurement opportunities that it will afford.”

GBS 2008 attendees are required to complete a registration form — available online — whether they are planning to take part in the two-day program or are simply going to come for the free expo.

This year’s expo floor at the Austin Convention Center will showcase the latest in border security technologies from more than 100 solution-providers from around the world. For the first time, the expo will include two specially focused pavilion areas — one dedicated to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and the other presenting advanced biometric technologies.

Concurrent meetings of more than a half-dozen association and government entities mean that additional top-level procurement officials will be coming to Austin, expanding interface opportunities for GBS 2008 participants. Note that procurement seminars have been scheduled specifically for GBS 2008 exhibitors on Tuesday, 20 May, the afternoon preceding the show’s opening. Focus areas are slated to include SBInet, the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, opportunities in Canada and federal, state, and local grants.

The conference program is scheduled to include presentations on such topics as emerging border security technologies, border security in a new administration, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, fences vs. virtual fences, drug trafficking and violence at the border, and cross-border medical threats. GBS 2008 workshop sessions are to include discussions of detention and release programs, communication interoperability, use of UAVs, and biometric technologies.

Awards for excellence in border security initiatives will be presented at a Wednesday, 21 May, luncheon. Technology awards will be given out throughout GBS 2008. Technology award categories include best unmanned aerial surveillance, terrestrial surveillance, biometric identification, law enforcement, and “best of show.” The winning white paper submission will also be announced.

There will be free border security training offered for law enforcement professionals. It will be presented by Calibre Press and is accredited by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education (TCLEOSE). The six-hour “Street Survival Seminar” training course promises to be dynamic and intense.

The jobs fair being introduced at this year’s event is being presented by U.S. Customs & Border Protection.

The GBS 2008 program also includes a VIP reception to be held the evening of Wednesday, 21 May, at the Texas State Capitol.

GBS 2008 is sponsored by the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College. Corporate sponsors include IBM, Serco, General Dynamics, and Sprint, with the International Biometric Industry Association serves as association sponsor.

Additional information on the second annual Global Border Security Conference & Expo is available at the event’s Web site or by phoning 301-493-5500.