«

»

After all these years, my first conference-why now?

I am not afraid to say that up until this year I had no desire to attend any industry related conferences.  This was part in parcel due to the fact that up until this year the conferences that I had received information appeared to be more of a networking anf hob nob sessions of the elitist.  Through my years in this industry executive protection always appeared to be that step-child that everyone knew was around but never recognized.  In fact this step-child was the sibling with the most talent and responsibility, yet it was glossed over in conversations.

This year’s Protective Service Council Conference Wednesday – Friday * May 16-18, 2012-Tremont Plaza Hotel  Baltimore, Maryland seemingly is an EP conference with seminars specific to the craft.  As a disclaimer, I am not saying that this is the first EP specific conference, but this one caught my eye after the rave reviews of the last year’s conference.  Moreover, after collaborating with Larry Snow of SJC Web Design and The Business of Security I got a better understanding of the conference and its intent.  The other reason is that I feel compelled to be there in order to meet others that approach the industry the same way that I do.  BPI Security’s social media presence has almost put me in a “must attend” status.

What do I hope to glean?  I have signed up for seminars to see how other speakers view some topics that I have a certain view on.  I am curious to find out what others feel and how they advise EP contracts should be written.  The contract we use is one that has been implemented with additions and revisions over the years based on sound agreements.  There are certain clauses that should be in EVERY EP contract and if you try to submit one to a Fortune 1 or 5 company they will send it back with revisions to add it in there.  There are other disclaimers that need to be in there to protect you and your company.  I am extremely curious to see if and how this is broached.  I am also curious to see how the topic “Road Trip!!! Planning & Executing a Multi-Location Protective Operation”, which will be given by government Agents will be translated to the private sector.  For the sake of the conference attendees, it has to be.  From the private sector perspective we have to deal with logistics [travel, lodging etc] from a total different approach.

Lastly, I am looking forward to meeting others that I only know by name, by tweet, or by comment on social media.  Oddly as it may sound, me and Bob Oatman operate our companies in the same state, within a 45 mile difference in loaction.  We have served on our respective police departments during the same time and yet I have never met him.  I also look forward to meeting others that have agreed with me, some that I have not always seen things the same way.  The most important part of the day will be the one on one conversations where I can pick the brains of the other leaders and specialists in the industry and they can do the same with me.  This is an exciting time for the industry and if you can foot the cost it is a must attend conference and the place to be to rub elbows with the who’s who in our industry.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *