Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on November 26 was the venue for a British Security Industry Association (BSIA) conference and exhibition.
Supported by Scottish Enterprise, the Scotland: Secure for Business event welcomed 175 delegates, with 20 exhibitors to provide Scottish-based businesses with advice on security.
Speakers included Shane Grennan, Regional Manager for Fortinet and Luke Simmons Director of Security at Glasgow 2014. Bill Matthews, a Scot and chairman of the Security Industry Authority (SIA) gave a presentation titled โBusiness Licensingโ which advised on working towards a new regulatory regime.
Delegates also had the opportunity to attend an exhibition where a range diverse of security companies promoted their products and services.
A new element was added to the event this year, with a free workshop to provide companies interested in exporting with advice on the challenges and benefits. Speakers there included Bill McMillan of Scottish Development International who provided โtop tipsโ for growing companies preparing to take their first steps into export markets.
Chief Executive of the BSIA, James Kelly, formally introduced the event, and says: โAs we look forward to 2014, exporting will play a crucial role in supporting economic recovery, and the BSIA is committed to supporting its members โ and the wider business community โ to prepare for the challenges and opportunities that exporting can bring.โ
Opening the event, Scotlandโs Minister of Energy, Enterprise and Tourism, Fergus Ewing MSP, pictured, said: โAs the Minister of Enterprise, I want to learn from you further what we can do to develop your sectorโฆ Your sector is very important to us and it helps to generate a huge amount of money to the Scottish Government.We want to do what we can to assist you and that means through our agencies, Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Development International, in relation to exporting because the opportunities to export are enormous. The Scottish Brand has been built up over centuries and that is one that can be used to enhance exports and other security developments.โ
Video clips from the event are available to view through the BSIAโs YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheBSIA
