The Electronic Security Association’s (ESA) Video Technology Interest Group (VTIG) will be hosting a very important meeting Wed., June 16, 9:45-11:15AM at ESX 2010 in the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Pittsburgh, PA.

The VTIG Meeting will focus on government relations opportunities and threats of keen interest to video installation and supplier companies including:

• Video Surveillance Mandates. ESA is unveiling a case study report on the successful implementation of video surveillance mandates in shopping center parking lots in Baltimore County, Maryland. Passed two years ago with support of local law enforcement authorities and now yielding substantial public safety results, the Baltimore County ordinance could serve as a model for other market-stimulating local ordinances in other geographies and other application areas. In addition to facts of the case, we will discuss how ESA and its chapter structure can work together to promulgate similar ordinances across the country and in other markets.

• U.S. Senate Bill 3214 Monitoring. Earlier this spring, Pennsylvania Senator, Arlen Specter, introduced a bill intended limit video surveillance “without notification” that could, if enacted, outlaw several common covert surveillance applications and wide variety of residential applications for video surveillance. We’ll provide an overview of the bill and discuss the formation of a working group to monitor the progress of the legislation and organize for action as necessary.

• Tapping Grants for Municipal Surveillance. Over the last several years, substantial funding has been made available to cities and towns for installation of video surveillance systems in crime-prone public areas. Security integrators have an opportunity to tap into these funds for system design and installation work. We’ll provide an overview of the grants and discuss options for providing additional information and education to integrators.

All ESA regular and associate members and non-member guests are welcome to attend the meeting, but RSVP is required.

Please send an email to ESA Business Development Specialist, Jaclyn Sion, at JaclynS@alarm.org to let her know if you will attend or are interested in additional information on these topics as it becomes available.

We proudly present to you: The ESX On Demand Directory. This year’s new platform will eliminate the need to lug around a bulky conference program.

The new multimedia platform puts the entire ESX Show in the palm of your hands. We’re talking session, speaker and exhibitor information all available on your mobile phone. The ESX On Demand Directory App will soon be available for iPhone users. For those of you with other types of smart phones, we have a website that is optimized for smart phone users www.esxweb.com/ondemand. Don’t yet have a smart phone? We’ve got you covered, too. We’ll set up touch screens at the convention center, so that you can access the tool.

Receive Real Time Alerts
With everything ESX at your fingertips, you’ll be up to speed on all ESX updates. This means the minute a room changes, schedule changes or speaker changes, you’ll be notified.

Customize Your Experience
What’s more. Attendees can build their own custom schedule and delegate their favorite exhibitors. Just click the heart icon, and exhibitors and sessions can be saved to “My Kaddy.”

Take ESX With You
With the ESX On Demand Directory, you’ll be able to take ESX home with you well after the show. Contact information for all sponsors and exhibitors will remain available for a full year after you leave Pittsburgh.

To see the technology in action at another show, click here. To experiment with ESX On Demand and to start creating your unique experience go to www.esxweb.com/ondemand. And be on the lookout for the launch of the official iPhone app.

In a recent broadcast on CBS Evening News, video surveillance was highlighted as a means of catching thieves as they attempt to steal solar panels from businesses and wineries.

Watch the video.

When customers shop around for an alarm dealer to take care of their property and life safety needs, that new training smell* your technicians give off can really set your company apart. Customers will not suffer from the dreaded buyer’s remorse once they know your company employs a highly trained staff, capable of handling their needs and concerns. To get that new training smell on your staff, simply sign up for the latest NTS courses being held in your area

*Note: That new training smell isn’t an actual smell. Training is colorless and odorless. It is simply a metaphor for how you, your staff, and most importantly, your customers will feel knowing you’ve got the industry’s newest and best training on your side.

Complete course descriptions (and schedules) are available at www.ESAWeb.org in the Education & Training section. Individuals in states where classes are not currently offered, and who are interested in receiving training, should contact NTS.

Key Courses

CERTIFIED ALARM TECHNICIAN – LEVEL I (CAT – LEVEL I)

Available Online

• April 6 – 8 – Little Rock, AR
• April 14 – 15 – Elk Grove Village, IL
• April 14 – 15 – Brookfield, WI
• April 15 – 17 – Montgomery, AL
• April 15 – 17 – Utah
• April 16 – 18 – Knoxville, TN

TROUBLE SHOOTING, SERVICE AND MAINTENANCE (TSM)

• April 9 – 10 – Milford, CT
• April 21 – 22 – Erie, PA
• April 22 – 23 – Harrisburg, PA

ELECTRONIC ACCESS CONTROL (EAC)

• April 13 – 14 – Pompano, FL
• April 20 – 21 – Phoenix, AZ
• April 20 – 21 – Charlotte, NC
• April 27 – 28 – Doraville, GA
• April 27 – 28 – Baltimore, MD
• April 27 – 28 – Philadelphia, PA
• April 27 – 28 – Dallas, TX

VIDEO SYSTEM TECHNOLOGIES (VST)

• April 8 – 9 – Cullman, AL
• April 10 – 11 – Port Allen, LA
• April 10 – 11 – Nashville, TN

ADVANCED INTRUSION SYSTEMS (AIS)

Also known as Advanced Burglar Alarm Technician

Available Online

• April 7 – 9 – Rochester, NY
• April 23 – 24 – Jackson, MS
• April 23 – 24 – Memphis, TN

FIRE ALARM INSTALLATION METHODS (FAIM)

Available Online

• April 14 – 16 – Elmsford, NY
• April 15 – 16 – Greensboro, NC
• April 29 – 30 – Montgomery, AL

Non-Technical Courses

UNDERSTANDING ALARM SYSTEMS

• April 17 – Lafayette, LA

Get ready for your trip to Pittsburgh. Take a look at this interesting video about the fabulous Pittsburgh Convention Center.

A great article is also available, highlighting many of the great things Pittsburgh has to offer you during your trip to ESX. Read the Article.

ESX 2010 addresses the industry’s most vital topics with valuable content from the industry’s best presenters. Fifty seminars are organized into the following tracks:

Business Development and Management Track

This track covers a host of powerful and dynamic sessions which will provide every employee in your company with the ideas and tools to make better decisions when it comes to managing and developing your business. Some seminars in this track include: “Good-to-Great Employees” and “Financial Accounting for Security Companies.”

Central Station Operations Track, sponsored by Sur-Gard

This track covers key topics from technology to procedures and techniques to management and development of central station operators. Some seminars in this track include: “Central Station Supervision and the Law” and “PERS as a Profitable Solution.”

Installation Management Track

This track is filled with pragmatic tips and processes for increasing the productivity and quality of the installation function, whether it’s installing alarms, access control or video systems. Some seminars in this track include: “Installation Estimating for Profit” and “The Substance, Impact and Future of NFPA 731.”

RMR Track

This track will help you get on top of methods to maximize and capitalize on RMR—whether it’s tied to traditional alarm monitoring, next generation monitoring of video, managed access control or even service and maintenance contracts. Some seminars in this track include: “Pricing and Selling Service RMR” and “Turning the iPhone and Remote Updates into RMR.”

Sales and Marketing Track, sponsored by Videofied

This track provides the expert strategies, tactics and practices you need to succeed. Some seminars in this track include: “High Impact Sales Management” and “Building Your Referral Network: Peer-to-Peer, Real-World Tips.”

Technology Track, sponsored by ADI

This track tackles the most compelling, opportunity-rich and challenging tech topics in the electronic security industry. Some seminars in this track include: “Migrating to IP Technology” and “Using Technology for Residential Lifestyle Enhancements.”

CEDIA Mini-Track

This track includes CEDIA courses that provide great primers on residential systems that are a natural extension of a home security integrator’s business. The CEDIA courses offered are: “Fundamentals of Residential Lighting and Lighting Control,” “Fundamentals of Multi-Room Audio Systems” and “Fundamentals of Home Theater Design.”

Young Security Professionals Mini-Track

This track tackles new and innovative approaches to security integration and monitoring and the challenges of leadership for a new generation of security professionals. The seminars included in this mini-track are: “From Soup to Nuts: An Employment Law Primer for Young Security Professionals” and “Next Gen Business Systems.”

All ESX Seminars and Workshops are available as a-la-carte purchases, starting at just $59 for members. Deluxe packages are also available to allow you access to all seminars, workshops and a number of special events.

Click here for a complete listing of seminars and their affiliated track.

Have you provided your staff with their share of industry training lately? If not, then head on over to NTS and order up some world-class training for your technicians and improve the quality of your staff today. NTS can even help you out with meeting the certification needs of your employees.

Complete course descriptions (and schedules) are available at www.ESAWeb.org in the Education & Training section. Individuals in states where classes are not currently offered, and who are interested in receiving training, should contact NTS.

KEY COURSES

CERTIFIED ALARM TECHNICIAN – LEVEL I (CAT – LEVEL I)

Available Online

• Feb. 26 – 28 – Bossier City, LA
• March 2 – 4 – Atlanta, GA
• March 4 – 6 – Cullman, AL
• March 9 – 11 – Pittsburgh, PA
• March 10 – 12 – Rochester, NY
• March 16 – 18 – Orlando, FL
• March 18 – 20 – Gulfport, MS
• March 18 – 20 – Utah
• March 19 – 21 – Milford, CT
• March 19 – 21 – Chattanooga, TN
• March 23 – 25 – Bettendorf, IA
• March 26 – 28 – Kenner, LA
• March 30 – April 1 – Charlotte, NC

TROUBLE SHOOTING, SERVICE AND MAINTENANCE (TSM)

• March 3 – 5 – Long Island, NY
• March 6 – 7 – Johnson City, TN
• March 10 – 11 – Des Moines, IA
• March 19 – 20 – Memphis, TN
• March 19 – 21 – Nashville, TN
• March 26 – 27 – Jackson, MS

ELECTRONIC ACCESS CONTROL (EAC)

• Feb. 26 – 27 – Jackson, MS
• March 25 – 26 – Montgomery, AL

VIDEO SYSTEM TECHNOLOGIES (VST)

• Feb. 23 – 24 – Indianapolis, IN
• Feb. 24 – 25 – Erie, PA
• Feb. 24 – 25 – Seattle, WA
• March 2 – 3 – Denver, CO
• March 2 – 3 – Chicago, IL
• March 10 – 11 – Detroit, MI
• March 10 – 11 – Philadelphia, PA
• March 16 – 17 – Milwaukee, WI
• March 17 – 18 – Boston, MA
• March 20 – 21 – Lafayette, LA

ADVANCED INTRUSION SYSTEMS (AIS)

Also known as Advanced Burglar Alarm Technician

Available Online

• March 6 – 7 – Lafayette, LA
• March 9 – 10 – Allentown, PA
• March 18 – 19 – Montgomery, AL
• March 27 – 28 – Nashville, TN

FIRE ALARM INSTALLATION METHODS (FAIM)

Available Online

• Feb. 20 – 21 – Monroe, LA
• Feb. 26 – 27 – Memphis, TN
• March 13 – 14 – Kenner, LA
• March 23 – 24 – Ft. Walton, FL

NEW COURSES

LIFE SAFETY CODE COURSE & WORKSHOP

• Feb. 20 – Mobile, AL
• March 24 – Birmingham, AL

NON-TECHNICAL COURSES

UNDERSTANDING ALARM SYSTEMS

• March 17 – Birmingham, AL

L to R: Jeff Schulz, Video Project Specialist, and Jim Rao, Director of Video Technology, Vector Security, Inc.; Chris Marsicano, Northeast Regional Sales Manager, Don Beeby, VP of Sales, and Tony Fujita, Executive VP, CBC (AMERICA) Corp.

Citing the quality of Vector Security’s business relationship with their company, CBC (AMERICA) Corporation recently selected Vector Security as the recipient of its first “Video Integrator of the Year” award. CBC (AMERICA) Corp. offers a complete line of CCTV security products under CBC’s own brand names, Computar and GANZ.

Don Beeby, Vice President of Sales for CBC (AMERICA), indicated that their selection of Vector Security was based upon a number of critical factors, including Vector’s integrity and commitment, wide usage of their products and willingness to help direct their engineering efforts in ways which better positioned CBC in several vertical markets, especially national retailers. “The sign of a true partner is not just that they bring you into an account, but that they work to refine your products to better service the demands of the market. That’s exactly what Vector has done and they’ve helped create a win-win-win situation for their customers, for Vector Security and for CBC.”

Jim Rao, Vector Security’s Director of Video Technology for its National Accounts Division, adds, “Normally and understandably, most video integration awards and recognition typically go to companies that are engaged in large scale video integration projects such as healthcare, municipal systems, transportation and public utilities. The fact that Vector Security received this award, as an integrator that focuses primarily on retail, makes it an even greater honor. “