It’s not easy to keep a show with a history dating back more than 50 years that attracts 30,000 people every year fresh, but the organizers of ISC West 2026 are confident they’ve done it again this year, preserving the best elements of previous shows and adding even more to see and do.
This year’s event, which is scheduled for March 23 through March 27 at The Venetian Expo in Las Vegas, features four days of education sessions from Monday through Thursday and three days to traverse the exhibit floor, from Wednesday to Friday.
ISC West brings together end users, practitioners, consultants, integrators, dealers, installers, technicians and more to one place. This year, attendees will see more than 700 exhibitors and 150 education sessions with 330 speakers, says event vice president Mary Beth Shaughnessy.
Asked why ISC West has remained in Las Vegas for years and is always in the same window on the calendar, Shaughnessy says, “It works for the industry, works for us. Our customers know what to expect. It’s an event you can count on to kick off the year.”
While there’s plenty on the ISC West 2026 schedule that will be familiar those who make the annual pilgrimage to spend time with their peers and friendly rivals every year, there’s also some exciting, new additions added to this year’s agenda, says Shaughnessy.
That includes the event’s three keynote speakers, new education tracks and some offerings that were tested at ISC East late last year in New York and met with rave reviews. This year’s keynote presentations focus on how digital trust, human psychology and artificial intelligence innovation are transforming the security industry landscape.
ISC West 2026 Keynote Speakers and Education Tracks
The ISC West 2026 keynote series kicks off March 25 at 9 a.m. in Venetian Ballroom F with Haywood Talcove, chief executive officer for government at LexisNexis Risk Solutions, and Paul Eckloff, senior director of public affairs for LexisNexis Special Services, LexisNexis Risk Government, exploring the complexities of digital trust.
The March 26 keynote, set for 9 a.m. in Venetian Ballroom F, features Keith White, chief safety and security officer at Salesforce, looks at the increasing role of AI in security, especially in the age of convergence, and how humans can still lead the way in protecting people, places and things.
The keynote slate wraps up on March 27 at 10 a.m. in Venetian Ballroom F with cybersecurity expert, author and speaker Dr. Jessica Barker taking a deep dive on unlocking the human element of the cybersecurity sector.
“We review key industry trends and growth areas across the year and use those insights to select keynote speakers that align with where the security industry is heading,” says Shaughnessy.
The SIA Education@ISC program features tracks on access control systems, video surveillance systems, new technology and automation as well as a track for dealers, installers and integrators and another one for end users and public safety professionals, says Dr. Elizabeth Reges, director of learning and development for the Security Industry Association (SIA).
The 2026 slate also features attendee favorite offerings, including the Security Operations Centers (SOC) track, RSA@ISC IT for Security Professionals, SIA Security Megatrends, Active Shooter Workshop and Tech Talks.
This year’s slate of workshops, education sessions and roundtable discussions has an increased emphasis on interactive offerings, says Reges. Attendees can choose a four-day passport that serves as an all-access pass for the conference or a one-day education pass.
The new educational tracks on this year’s slate are: Digital Trust and Identity, which explores the evolution of identity technologies; Data Center Security, which examines the evolution of protecting this sector; Perimeter Security, which looks at protecting both physical and digital assets; and Converged Security, which addresses physical and cybersecurity convergence.
As if to drive home the point that AI is ubiquitous in the security industry these days, ISC West 2026 will also features the debut of Rozie.AI Synopsis, a QR code-based intelligent platform that “delivers real-time translations, insightful summaries, key takeaways and personalized session recommendations.”
While Shaughnessy and her team work on ISC West planning all year long, they typically start looking for keynote speakers about six months before the show is scheduled to kick off, she says.
“We review a wide range of thought leaders who align with the message we want to convey and the key trends shaping the industry,” says Shaughnessy. “Because the industry is evolving so rapidly, the technologies and solutions we focus on allow us to showcase a diverse mix of products each year while continually evolving our content to reflect what’s emerging and growing.”
Working with SIA allows the ISC West 2026 event planning team to incorporate the industry’s top megatrends into the show, not only on the show floor, but also into the content it delivers in the educational sessions and featured areas throughout the show, says Shaughnessy.
Photo courtesy of RX Global
What’s New for ISC 2026?
Event organizers are embracing the growing importance of cybersecurity and the convergence of physical and cybersecurity in their ISC West 2026 programming, says Shaughnessy.
“Cybersecurity is no longer a standalone concern,” she says. “It has become a foundational pillar of modern physical security. As digital and physical systems converge organizations can’t afford to lose focus and are rethinking how they protect people, assets and operations in a world that’s increasingly connected.”
Digital trust and identity “go hand in hand with cybersecurity,” Shaughnessy says. This is why ISC West organizers are expanding that focus by adding hands-on demos and thought-leadership presentations to the show floor, while also incorporating the topic into education sessions throughout the week.
“When we explore a new sector, we look to connect content, keynotes and new areas to tie it all together,” she says.
ISC West 2026 will also feature a section called ISC Startups, a cluster of about 25 first-time exhibitors looking to make connections across the security industry. The offering was popular when it debuted at ISC East last year, says Shaughnessy.
“It’s designed to spotlight our early-stage companies and emerging innovators,” she says. “It’s going to bring together startups that are rethinking how security challenges are solved: through new technology, fresh business models and bold new ideas.”
This year’s show will also see the debut of the Security Experience Center, an immersive, fully operational experience powered by SAGE Integration to “showcase the future of physical security in 2026 and beyond,” Shaughnessy says.
“It’s bringing together leading technology partners in a live, integrated environment,” she says, noting attendees will be led through a series of themed pods, each of which will represent “a key area of a commercial building.”
“It will demonstrate how advanced security technologies work together in real-world scenarios,” Shaughnessy says. “Our customers will leave with a practical view of what’s possible when systems are designed to integrate, scale and really perform as one.”
After walking the trade show floor or taking in a day of educational opportunities, attendees can close out the first full day of Expo Hall activities with a concert by country singer Chris Lane, scheduled for Wednesday, March 25 at 5 p.m. on the main stage.
Lifelong Security Learning
Reges notes that many ISC West 2026 sessions will steer clear of traditional lectures; instead, they will embrace formats that lend themselves to relationship-building through networking and peer-to-peer exchange.
“There’s been a lot more demand for that,” she says, adding Tech Talks are more technical, while some of the panel discussions feature integrators, manufacturers and consultants and interactive workshops highlight some of the latest topics of interest, including cybersecurity and active shooter protection and prevention.
“We’ve heard from attendees that they really are looking for peer-to-peer exchange, so we’ve added some of those to the program as well, where a moderator is facilitating those conversations and really trying to get a lot of interaction among audience members,” Reges says.
“It’s just how people learn and it’s not just about how we structure it to deliver education, but it’s knowing what brings the most value to attendees who are going to the show,” she says. “A lot of times we learn the most about the industry just by talking to peers and who are in the same space.”
Feedback from previous ISC West shows underlines that point, Reges says.
“People really appreciate the time to connect in person with their colleagues to talk about challenges and solutions and what’s working for them and sharing lessons learned across organizations,” she says. “That type of exchange is really valuable and we want to be able to bring that into the program in a formalized way.”
The call for presentations for education sessions opened in May 2025 for this year’s show and the advisory board reviewed hundreds of submissions in the summer and finalizing the slate in the fall after a secondary review with partners including PSA Network, InfraGuard and RSA.
Some of the educational offerings, including the Security Industry Cybersecurity Certification review course, Security Project Management seminar and active shooter workshop, are “back by popular demand,” Reges says. However, most of the classes are new every year, even though the tracks remain consistent, including access control and video surveillance.
“We have some returning presenters who may talk on similar topics, but we try not to deliver the same presentations year over year,” she says. “We want them to keep it fresh and to focus on what’s new and exciting and evolving within the industry to provide the most relevant information.”
This year’s education passport includes access to a networking event on March 24, tickets to the concert on the main stage on Wednesday night and upgraded lounges to facilitate more chats and meetings, says Reges.
In addition to the AI tool that will allow you to get a summary of any educational class on the ISC West 2026 slate, “You’re going to see AI across the board,” she says.
Reges is proud of how well the ISC West 2026 educational slate captures the key trends across the security industry today.
“As fast as technology evolves within those months (between when the sessions are chosen for inclusion and when the show happens six months later), we’re still pretty on target with the general topic of what’s covered,” she says.
Reges encourages ISC West 2026 attendees to register early for paid training courses, the security project management (SPM) seminar, Security Industry Cybersecurity Certification (SICC) review course and Open Supervised Device Protocol (OSDP) Boot camp, noting they tend to fill up quickly.
Constant Evolution
While the bulk of ISC West 2026 is already set in stone, that doesn’t mean there’s no wiggle room to make last-minute additions and updates, says Shaughnessy.
“We’re constantly evolving, looking to improve the customer experience and provide more value,” she says. “There’s always room for something new, depending on the investment needed and how large it is. We may try to squeeze it in or look at it as a new idea for next year’s show.”
Organizers have already drawn the floor plan for ISC 2027, she says, noting that “we have great new ideas” for next year’s event already, even before the 2026 edition has kicked off.
Among the new additions to ISC West in recent years are The Bridge, the Cyber Hub and the Career Zone.
Even though Shaughnessy has been planning ISC Security Events for several years now, she’s amazed at how different the 2026 show will be compared to the first one she organized a decade ago.
“It’s remarkable how quickly the industry and its technologies continue to evolve.” she says. “We focus on making the experience more valuable for our customers. Each year, new technologies and rising expectations for engagement allow us to offer something fresh and meaningful at ISC.”
“I think, if you were to ask any security professional, they would say how much the industry has changed over the years,” Shaughnessy concludes. “It is completely different from two or four years ago — nothing like it was when I stepped into this role 10 years ago.”
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