As if there weren’t already enough reasons for you to participate in one of the biggest “who’s who” gatherings in the security industry — the 2025 edition of the Global Security Exchange (GSX) — this year’s three-day extravaganza is in one of the entertainment capitals of the world.
With three days’ worth of opportunities to traverse the GSX 2025 trade show floor and five days of education sessions tied to this year’s event, not to mention countless after-hours (and even before-hours) networking events for up to 16,000 attendees, you’ll have to schedule carefully to ensure you see it all in and around the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.
GSX 2025 Embracing History, Looking to the Future
GSX dates back 70 years, although it has been known by different names in that time, according to Christine Peck, the chief global learning officer for ASIS International, which operates the show. While the show itself has continued to evolve with the times, some familiar faces remain, she says.
“We’re having a really fun time looking at all these old photos of many of our current exhibitors, even in the early days, being with us,” says Peck. “It’s been very fun to see the metamorphosis. We work to evolve and change the event and that, for me, has been one of the most exciting parts of GSX.”
She continues, “Not only is it the place where people come to find information, solutions, connect with their colleagues, talk about the situations that they’re trying to handle and have the opportunity to attend more than 200 educational sessions, but it’s never the same show every year.”
Fret not, though, GSX veterans: all of your favorite show features will be back for another go-around from Sept. 29 to Oct. 1 in the Crescent City.
“We’ve got, obviously, a very vibrant and wonderful exhibit show floor, tons of terrific sponsorships and partners who do a lot of education in the booths and in their particular spaces,” says Peck. “We really look at the show year on year and think about what’s additive and what can we make that’s new?”
According to Peck, “We adjust the content selections every year, and we try to vary the keynotes.” She continues, “We’ve got sessions called Game Changers. We’ve got a whole bunch of aspects every year that really make it an exciting show for people.”
What’s New for GSX 2025
Among the new features of GSX 2025 is the translation of some sessions to more than 80 languages to accommodate visitors from more than 80 countries, says Peck. And, although other events across most industries have ditched their digital attendance option, the GSX digital show option has been going strong since 2017. “And [it] continues to grow,” she says.
“Even if you can’t be with us in person, we want to make you feel you’re getting what you need from the education and resources that we’re providing,” says Peck. “Our research helps us to figure out what are the problems and challenges our members are looking to solve year on year.”
The education sessions at GSX 2025, whittled down from more than 550 submissions, cover themes that any security industry professional will consider timely. These include the following:
- Crime
- Digital Transformation
- Information Security
- Law and Ethics
- Managing Organizations
- National Security
- Physical and Operational Security
- Professional Development and
- Risk Management
“Those are the pillars around which we work,” says Peck. “We can ratchet that up or down as we need to.” She notes that, with ASIS International set to release its school security standard soon, there will be plenty of attention on that, both in the classroom sessions and on the show floor.
Here’s a rundown of this year’s GSX keynotes:
- Monday, Sept. 29, 8:30 a.m.: Ian Bremmer, president of Eurasia Group and global politics and markets expert, “The New Abnormal: Who are the Winners and Losers in a G-Zero World?”
- Tuesday, Sept. 30, 8:30 a.m.: Sol Rashidi, best-selling author and former Amazon and Fortune 100 C-suite executive, “The AI-Powered Security Paradigm”
- Wednesday, Oct. 1, 11:15 a.m.: Paul M. Nakasone, former commander, U.S. Cyber Command and former director of the National Security Agency, “Lasting Leadership Lessons from the World’s Second Oldest Profession”
Narrowing down the keynote speakers and their focus topics is “a very thoughtful process,” says Peck. She continues, “It takes time, obviously, to make sure that we’ve got the right balance and we’ve got the right messengers and we’ve got people who entertain, intrigue, leave people with some things to think about and expand their horizons.”
The event will also include ASIS Celebrates, a ticketed event at the World War II Museum on Tuesday, Sept. 30 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and a registration-required Women in Security and Next Gen happy hour on Monday, Sept. 29 from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the convention center.
“We’ve really had a chance over the years, given the research that we do throughout the year following up on the show, to really get to the heart of the matter of what’s important for people and what they want to know, what they want to do and how they want to learn at GSX,” says Peck.
It’s “a delicate balance,” she says, when it comes to preserving annual GSX show features and embracing what’s new and coming soon to the security industry.
“One thing that I always talk about in the event world is that the pattern of the meeting is incredibly important to people, so they know what to expect,” says Peck. “GSX is obviously our keystone event. It’s a huge pillar for us, but it’s also part of a year-round education program that we run for our members and for our partners and constituents in the security industry space.”
Even before GSX 2025 officially kicks off, the event will feature a volunteers day and a program dedicated to chief security officers.
Organizers have also added back in the Military and Law Enforcement Appreciation Day breakfast, set for Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 7:30 a.m. That event is open to all active and retired military, law enforcement and first responders, but requires a ticket.
Attendees can decide between an all-access pass — which includes all education sessions, all pre- and post-show events and everything the show floor has to offer — and show floor-only passes, which Peck says are “enormously popular.”
The demographics of the attendees are slowly shifting from being primarily those who are in the middle to toward the ends of their careers to an increasing number of young people, she says.
“It’s exciting to see that part of the attendance grow,” says Peck. “You’ve got a lot of decision-makers who come to our show, people who can buy the products, who are using the products, who are managing the products, who are supervising teams on up to CSOs as we look at the depth and the breadth.”
Attendees come from around the world and range from integrators to manufacturers to end users to consultants and others who are partnering with someone on a security-related project, says Peck.
This will be the first time GSX has been in New Orleans since 2005 and their return has led to some serious southern hospitality, she says. The show is expected to return to the Gulf Coast in 2028, says Peck.
“It’s really exciting to have them back in the spotlight,” she says. “Everybody who works at the Convention Center…everybody who works at the Convention and Visitors Bureau…really want to give us their best, so we have another great experience when we go back.”
According to Peck, “The nice thing about the city is how accessible it is. If you want to go and have a big time, you can get yourself over on ASIS-sanctioned activities. But, obviously, there’s a lot of entertainment over in that part of the world, too. And, of course, the food…you just can’t beat it.”
Learning Opportunities of All Kinds
In addition to the expanding Game Changers opportunities, GSX 2025 will build upon the success of the debut of last year’s Resilience Zone, which is aimed at helping organizations to understand how better to manage crisis communications and brainstorm solutions.
The X Stage features rapid-fire learning sessions for integrators, with a mix of sponsored sessions and educational content, while the Security Sync-Up Lounge allows attendees to take a quick break and recharge themselves and their electronic devices.
The expanded ASIS Hub is a place to find the latest information, get help and learn more about programs, products and services, and the ASIS Store moved last year onto the show floor. Animal lovers will be happy about the area featuring puppies and kittens, many of which were adopted at least year’s show, while philanthropists can participate in the OneBlood drive again this year.
Peck wants GSX 2025 attendees to “come and learn what you need to continue to enhance your skills as a security professional, and fill up your toolbox, fill up your educational needs and fill up your soul by seeing your good colleagues and friends.”
In addition, GSX 2025 includes locally slanted events, such as Canada Night, a gathering of sub-Saharan African attendees and more, says Andy Cutler, vice president of communications for ASIS International.
“What we’re trying to do is connect people on a global level but also afford them the opportunity to connect with their friends and colleagues that live in their regions, but they don’t see every day,” he says. “We’re trying to do a little bit of both there.”
GSX 2025: Always Staying Current
Although the large majority of GSX 2025’s structure remains in place from when the agenda is set and registration opens for attendees, there is always some wiggle room to fit in a topic that’s too big to ignore but that comes along after the show’s schedule is set, says Peck.
“A lot of last-minute changes and additions has potentially the tendency for us to look disorganized,” she says. “However, we’ve got some flexibility on some of the stages that we look at. We really keep the structure pretty much as it is, but there are some places if we have a new development or if there’s something that just must be addressed, we can do that.”
Sometimes, current events are woven into some of the keynote presentations, says Cutler.
“We are happy to have any speaker come and learn about our members and our attendees so that they can really feed that back and have a great big sense of the nature of the people who come to GSX,” says Peck.
Organizers have already started to nail down their keynote speakers for GSX 2026 in Atlanta even before the 2025 event ribbon is cut with a pair of giant scissors.
“Sometimes, people you really want [for the event] need 18-month or 24-month notice in order to be able to say yes,” says Peck. “As soon as we get back from GSX, we’ll start the conversation based on the data and feedback about what we’re looking for in terms of presentations and what those content requests should be.”
She continues, “It’s year-round, and it’s involved. So, the show continues to evolve and really be innovative for our members and attendees.”
Peck always loves to see familiar faces walking the floor or sitting in the classrooms at GSX shows every year. However, organizers also love to have first-timers come to the event and eventually become veteran attendees themselves.
“Once we got you, we want to keep you,” she says. “We really want to make first-timers feel very excited, very welcome and really help them navigate the show.”
Peck is torn about whether it’s better for GSX attendees to meticulously plan their schedules ahead of coming to the show or just coming to the event and seeing where their travels take them.
“You’ve got people who come with a directive, and then you might have people who are a little more free flowing,” she says. “We try and give everybody as much information as they can handle, so that they can look at that schedule and say, ‘Okay, I know at this time, I’m going to be doing this and then I’m going to go to the exhibit show floor and I want to see these people and then I want to sit in this stage and I want to see this content.’”
Cutler compares attending a trade show to taking a vacation.
“I’m always amazed that people can fly halfway around the world and say, ‘We’re just going to wing it. We’re just going to with the flow,’” he says. “We’re trying to meet the attendees where they’re at. Whether it’s for language, whether it’s a first-timer or a long-time attendee, what we really are trying to say to them is, ‘We just want you to know everything that’s going on, so you can make the right decision for you.”
This article was originally published in CS sister publication, Security Sales & Integration, and has been edited.
