The Glasgow gathering at The Lighthouse on Wednesday 14 September, which ran as part of this year’s regional COIE Series (for which Risk UK is the Official Media Partner), included a range of educational Workshops, demonstrations and input from speakers.
The value in each COIE is their point of difference. This is a view shared by COIE Glasgow attendee Eric Brunger, senior innovation analyst for SP Energy Networks:
“The Cortech Open Innovation Event was different to any events that I had attended in the past, providing a focus around the presentation of live events and actual scenarios that are relevant to our market. The speakers at the Workshops also provided added value in respect of education and learning. It’s this format that makes these events work. I’ve passed on the details to our teams so that they have visibility of the opportunity to learn more and ultimately benefit our customers.”
During the Glasgow event, delegates were encouraged to adopt a collective outlook on the challenges they face when operating and managing multiple technologies, while also giving due consideration to wider market influences. Attendees were encouraged to engage in cluster groups to share experiences and interact with technology experts from a range of leading organisations including not only Cortech Developments, but also Bosch Security Systems, Harper Chalice, Intech Solutions and Stentofon-Zenitel UK.
The cluster groups provided a forum for discussion on a number of topics. These included the impact of cyber security, the influence of ‘Smart Cities’ and how emergency management can be integrated into one system or application. Engagement also centred on bespoke systems versus ‘off the shelf’ solutions, reducing risk with multiple technologies across multiple sites and the monitoring of unmanned sites by dint of solar and wind power technology.
These challenges and market influences were given consideration as part of the event demonstrations that involved live scenarios and managed incident response. They were also discussed as part of the ‘one to one’ engagement sessions with technology experts.
The cluster groups and live demonstrations provided real value for another COIE Glasgow attendee, namely Stephen Fleming (physical security manager at The State Hospital).
“I’ve been to previous Cortech events and have always found them to be of great value,” stated Fleming. “The latest event in Glasgow was no different as it was well-organised with quality partners. It’s an excellent networking opportunity where you have the chance to discuss the different challenges across the security sector. I thought the presentation focused on the mitigation of risk associated with the operation and management of multiple CCTV systems was extremely impressive.”
Similarly, fellow attendee Allan Rowan, senior building services engineer at Pick Everard, enthused:
“Attending one of the Cortech Open Innovation Events is a fantastic way of keeping up-to-date with the latest thinking and developments across the field and participating in stimulating exchanges of ideas and experience. The interactive demonstration was both informative and interesting, and offered an insight into how new and old systems may be brought together under a single interface. This has particular relevance for my profession and industry, as the realisation of not only energy efficiency, but also the significant savings to be made in maintenance and the effective prioritisation of alarm activations is key.”
To read the full article by Brian Sims (editor of Risk UK) click here and refer to pages 10 and 11
