The Book You Can’t Put Down
Nine years ago, in Sarajevo, the story began for what is now the largest gathering of security professionals in Southeastern Europe. That’s how long it took for the Adria Security Summit to return to the place where this narrative began. Today, this story is read worldwide in more than 40 countries. It’s compelling, dynamic, and holds readers' attention.
By Damir Muharemović
The author of these lines was there at that meeting when the idea of launching an exhibition and conference for the industry we’d been reporting on for a decade was first introduced. Nearly every member of the editorial team laid out reasons against it. Such a project wouldn’t succeed: we didn’t have enough capacity, resources, a strong enough market, or sufficient interest from global manufacturers. Trade shows across the region were already losing ground, and many would soon disappear. Even major European exhibitions, like those in Essen and London, were losing momentum. Too many reasons against it, and too few in favor of it.
Test of Quality and Perseverance
That year was, for a small group of people, a test of confidence and the quality of their work. It put relationships with companies and individuals to the test: how solid was this collaboration, and could we offer something new that would help businesses grow? This led to the idea of combining an exhibition, offering equal opportunities for all, with a strong conference program featuring the most skilled experts in the region. Regional chambers and security associations backed the project, and so did manufacturers, distributors, installers, integrators, and users. Thus, Adria Security Summit celebrated its first anniversary.
Twenty-four exhibitors filled the space, while 393 visitors toured the booths. Even today, compared to most regional conferences, it was a great success. The idea was for the Summit to become a truly regional story, with each chapter told annually from a different city and country—Belgrade, Šibenik, Ljubljana, Skopje, Zagreb... Each year saw a larger audience, more diversity, and greater challenges. Recognized by Messe Frankfurt, the organizers of Intersec, the Summit earned the "Powered by Intersec" distinction, growing its organizational efforts, using software platforms, expanding networking options, increasing team size, and widening its range of services.
A Record Number of Exhibitors
Today, after nearly a decade of work, Adria Security Summit returned to Sarajevo, its birthplace, gathering close to 3,200 guests and 170 exhibitors and sponsors. It has become the largest security industry gathering in Southeastern Europe, with growth of about 714% in visitor numbers and 608% in exhibitors since its first edition. Most importantly, it was filled with satisfied faces of industry professionals, buzzing with conversations, new distributorship and dealership agreements, and plans for future projects.
Almost an Equal Number of International and Regional Visitors
The growth in attendance compared to last year's edition in Ljubljana is noteworthy. Visitor numbers increased from 2,800 to 3,200, representing a 14.29% rise, while exhibitors and sponsors grew from 150 to 170, a 13.33% increase. Visitors from the host country, Bosnia and Herzegovina, made up 34.54% of the total, followed by guests from Croatia (5.89%), Serbia (5.31%), Montenegro (4.93%), and Slovenia (4.39%). Notably, the Summit attracted a record 43.70% of visitors from outside the Adriatic region, a considerable increase from last year’s 17%. To illustrate, the number of non-Adriatic visitors rose from 476 in Ljubljana to 1,398 this year, marking a 193.7% jump. This year, the doors of the Hotel Hills Convention Center in Sarajevo welcomed attendees with travel documents from over 40 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, China, Taiwan, Germany, Spain, Austria, France, Netherlands, Turkey, Norway, Canada, Poland, Russia, Greece, United Arab Emirates, and more.
Across all nine editions of the event, this proportion naturally varies, with Bosnia and Herzegovina (18.72%), Croatia (17.20%), Serbia (17.06%), and a combined 22.01% from Slovenia and Montenegro making up three-quarters (exactly 74.99%) of visitors. Guests from outside the Adriatic region account for 22.14%, with the remainder from North Macedonia and Kosovo. It’s important to note the recent surge in international visitors and the fact that the Summit was only held once in Skopje, affecting overall attendance from that country.
Thus, Adria Security Summit has truly become an international event while retaining the advantage of rotating host countries, as local visitors still account for around one-third of attendees each year. This approach significantly shifts the composition of security professionals each time, creating great benefits for those seeking new partners by connecting with new people annually. The Summit has affirmed its position as the leading regional event for knowledge sharing, innovation, and business opportunities in security and related sectors.
Also, it is important to highlight that nearly a quarter of attendees (22.04%) are decision-makers (owners and directors), with an additional 18.19% having significant influence in decision-making, totaling 40%.
Doubling of Cybersecurity Representation at the Event
From its inception, Adria Security Summit has developed as a dynamic reflection of industry trends, which is also seen in the spectrum of participants and exhibitors representing various products and verticals. Video surveillance maintains its leading position with 21.09%, representing about a fifth of exhibitors and attendees combined, a ratio that has remained stable across all nine editions (20.24%). Globally, this technology also holds a central role in the security industry, so the presence of recent innovations in this segment at the Sarajevo event comes as no surprise.
The most significant change, though not unexpected given global trends, is the number of cybersecurity solution providers, which more than doubled from last year’s 10.19% to 22.35%. Including professionals in the IT and ICT industries (11.36%), almost a third of attendees and exhibitors at the Summit (33.71%) are from fields beyond physical security and manguarding. This shift is significant, as protection against cyber-attacks has become a major concern within the security industry, with such attacks increasing in frequency and complexity. Physical and cyber security are thus increasingly intertwined, complementing each other. This adds depth and quality to the Adria Security Summit.
Fire Alarms Also on the Rise
There was also a notable increase in fire alarm professionals, rising from 10.61% last year to 16.05% this year. The rest of the attendees represented access control (7.46%), smart city and home solutions (5.02%), intrusion prevention (4.55%), perimeter protection (2.79%), mechanical protection (2.35%), and public address and evacuation systems (1.25%).
Regarding roles in the supply chain, most attendees were system integrators (17.79%), about the same as in previous years, followed by installers (12.79%), end-users (11.18%), distributors (10.89%), and manufacturers (6.64%). The remainder consisted of service providers, consultants, developers, and employees across various vertical markets.
In the Company of the Best
A record 170 exhibitors and sponsors filled the exhibition hall at this year’s Adria Security Summit, the largest in the event's nine-year history. This included numerous security companies from the prestigious Security 50 list of top global players, as well as leading regional firms. Most exhibit their products and solutions annually, underscoring the Summit's effectiveness as a fertile environment for business growth. The diamond sponsors, Alarm automatika and Konica Minolta, and platinum sponsors, including ACS, Bosch, Canon, Check Point, El.Mo., Huawei, and Suprema, held special places among exhibitors, along with gold sponsors like Advancis, AFP, ASSA ABLOY, Atlas IT, BH Telecom, EGAL, Hikvision, ISS, KM Trade, Middle Point, Motorola Solutions, SALTO, SEC ONE, Tecnoalarm, Telemach, and Tenzor.
Buyer Delegations
Pushing the organizational envelope is now an established practice at the Adria Security Summit. This year, end-users had the opportunity to participate for the first time in a dedicated buyer delegation program. Over 150 end-users from various industries visited manufacturers’ booths and negotiated partnerships with the assistance of Summit staff. This initiative was well-received by exhibitors, whose goal was to reach the right people to showcase their offerings. For this purpose, a VIP lounge was set up, allowing delegation members and other prominent guests to engage in more private discussions. Additionally, the exhibition area included a dedicated pavilion for police equipment, with exhibitors specializing in cybersecurity and fire protection grouped together for the first time.
Inaugural a&s Adria Awards
This year’s conference program included the inaugural awards ceremony by a&s Adria magazine. Nominations were accepted in ten categories. Avigilon won for best solution in both video surveillance and access control with its Alta cloud solution. Alarm automatika took the award in intrusion prevention with a hybrid intrusion protection system integrated with fog, while Honeywell’s Li-Ion Tamer system for lithium-ion gas detection led in fire detection. SmartVES was awarded the best public address and evacuation system, again in Alarm automatika's nomination, while “Renata” by Herzegovinian company IT Odjel was recognized as the best software. ARMADA’s AI engine module received top votes in cybersecurity, and the most innovative product was awarded to Senstar’s Multisensor. Tenzor’s “Aura” project won for best case study, and Damir Car, security manager at Rimac, was honored as the most outstanding security manager. The awards were based on scores from an international expert jury and audience votes in an 80:20 ratio.
Conference Program: Leveraging Knowledge to Tackle Security Challenges
The conference segment of the Adria Security Summit 2024 in Sarajevo was marked by a robust program addressing key security challenges and technological innovations. At the opening ceremony, Mahir Hodžić, the Summit's General Manager, reminisced about the humble beginnings in 2015 when the event gathered only 393 visitors and 24 exhibitors. "We promoted the entire region equally from Seoul, Tokyo, and Hong Kong to London and other European cities. In the same way, we are bringing the security industry to the region," emphasized Hodžić. Today, with the Summit counting nearly 3,200 visitors at 170 booths, even skeptics recognize it as a central regional and even international event for promoting the security industry, with its conference program playing a significant role, featuring top experts and thought leaders from the security and related industries.
The first day of the conference featured a presentation by Jacek Weglarz from Konica Minolta, who highlighted the importance of artificial intelligence (AI) in analyzing the vast amounts of data generated by security systems. AI was presented as a key technology for addressing complex challenges, such as facial recognition in public spaces.
Cybercrime: The Third Economy of the World
The second day of the Summit opened with an equally engaging lecture by Boris Goncharov from AMATAS, who warned of the growing threat of cybercrime, describing it as "the third strongest economy in the world, right behind the USA and China."
Panel discussions also touched on key topics such as European Union regulations, particularly NIS2, which introduces stricter standards for cybersecurity. Experts pointed out that the NIS2 directive will affect countries outside the EU, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia.
A panel on facial recognition provided important insights into the application of this technology and privacy-related challenges. Hilmija Arnautović from Hikvision, Vito Lalić from Konica Minolta, and Marijo Kolovrat from Avigilon discussed the growing use of facial recognition technology in public spaces, emphasizing the need for clear regulations and transparency in the use of biometric data. "Many allow their face to be used to unlock their phone, laptop, and even on social media, but when it comes to public spaces, they wonder who uses their data, where it is stored, etc.," concluded Arnautović.
Zero Trust Approach
During the Summit, a panel dedicated to the security of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) was held, with experts discussing the specific security challenges these organizations face. Fernala Sejmen Banjac from DISTI moderated a discussion highlighting the importance of basic security measures, such as network segmentation and multi-factor authentication. "Whether it's small and medium-sized enterprises or large corporations, they are now adopting a general approach in which no one is trusted anymore," stated Lejla Tulić Ivojević from Artco Group, emphasizing that SMEs must take a strategic approach, using preventive measures to minimize risk.
The topic of protecting critical infrastructure attracted special attention, given the new EU regulations CER and NIS2. Ines Cero from Alarm automatika stressed that regional cooperation is crucial for compliance with these requirements, especially in countries like Bosnia and Herzegovina, which have not yet adopted all necessary laws in this area. She provided examples of solutions that Alarm automatika offers, including advanced perimeter protection systems and the integration of LPR cameras for traffic monitoring, which are critical for the security of critical facilities.
Smart Solutions for Lower Crime Rates
The panel on smart cities titled "Smart City Is a Safe City" shed new light on the challenges and opportunities in the digitization of urban environments. Georgi Krastev from Milestone Systems presented examples from Poland, where the application of their software platform resulted in a reduction in crime rates, while Tiberiu-Cristian Nicolae from Bosch emphasized the importance of ecological and security solutions that enhance the quality of life in cities. "Smart cities require the integration of various subsystems to enable authorities to manage more effectively," said Krastev.
In conclusion, we can say that despite the diversity of topics, the conference segment of the Summit was connected by a common thread: the desire to create a unique base of concrete knowledge on tackling security challenges and extracting best practices and values from this inevitable and ongoing struggle through discussions about innovation, regulation, and cooperation.
