Securing Asia 2012, was a unique Asian Homeland Security and Counter Terror initiative held alongside a well attended Trade and Technology Exhibition, for the first time in London’s prestigious QEII Conference Centre, from the 25th to 27th of June 2012. This exclusive event – with both a cerebral and business quotient – had a conference with an impressive array of internationally recognized speakers, as well as an exhibition that provided bespoke matchmaking opportunities through facilitated 1-1 meetings between invited Asian purchasers and international technology suppliers, with a number of well, know companies.
The event not only enabled high-level networking with stakeholders and government authorities but provided exclusive access to market data and research, covering security requirements and threat analyses on a country-by-country basis. The speakers included Rt. Hon Jack Straw, former UK Home & Foreign Secretary and James Brokenshire, UK’s Minister for Crime and Security, Professor(s) Lawrence Freedman, Stephen Cohen and Michael Clarke, along with exdiplomats G Parthasarthy and Maleeha Lodhi, as well as Meghalaya CM, Dr Mukul Sangma and mythologist Devdutt Pattnaik.
In addition, there were a number of renowned international experts who spoke on the more practical aspects of battling the threats of terrorism over three days of the conference. Securing Asia, covered each Asian region, with the first day on South Asia; the second day on East and South-east Asia, and the final day on West Asia, as also the legal dimensions of doing business in Asia.
Securing Asia: Connecting nations
Securing Asia accordingly drew delegations from 27 Asian countries from their defence, police and para-military forces, as it provided a much-needed platform for direct interaction and dialogue with the most innovative Western Original Equipment Manufacturers/Original Designed Manufacturers (OEM/ODM) willing to respond to the growing security threats in Asia. Moreover, the initiative helped many suppliers to understand and some even received contracts for the large number of opportunities that are on offer in Asian markets. In India alone, the Federal and State Governments have increased their Homeland Security Budget by 35% to US $28.34 billion.
The projections, according to Securing Asia, conference, for the next 5 years in India, will undoubtedly be several folds more. Even though European and International businesses develop and own much of the innovative expertise sought by Asian countries to predict and protect against the threat of terror, the procurement process in the Asian Homeland Security sector is complex. However “Securing Asia 2012” was the first dedicated Asian Homeland Security and Counter-Terrorism event that offered the Asian Homeland Security stakeholders, in a neutral country setting, a much-needed platform to Western Manufacturers (OEM/ODM) to understand the often labyrinthine and sometimes fragmented federal and provincial agencies that make up the police, paramilitary, government, private and public/private Infrastructure stakeholder groups.
This alone presents a major obstacle and challenge for European Technology and Service suppliers to enter the Asian markets.
