2019-12-04

IWCE Announces Agenda and Opens Registration for its 44th Annual Conference for Critical Communications Industry

Source: The Critical Communications Review | Gert Jan Wolf editor

IWCE the leading annual event for critical communications technology professionals, today unveiled its full program for its 44th annual conference to be held at the Las Vegas Conference Center, March 30th to April, 3rd 2020

Organizers expect more than 7,000 attendees for this year’s five-day day event which offers a two-day expo, educational workshops, short courses, power sessions, keynote addresses, town hall meetings, and networking events. The event will also host over 400 exhibitors from April 1-2 showcasing the latest products and services in hardware, networks, applications, interoperability and integration that drive communications systems.

IWCE Conference Director Stacey Orlick commented:

“We are delighted to officially announce the program for IWCE 2020. Since its inception IWCE has provided an opportunity for all those who work within the sector to stay ahead of all the latest developments. There are so many new technologies changing the critical communication industry right now we expect 2020 to be one of the most interesting events yet! We expect the biggest buzz to be around 5G, FirstNet, drones, Artificial Intelligence, augmented reality, wearables and push-to-talk communications. In addition, attendees can learn about the latest developments in safe cities, new infrastructure that affects utilities and transportation, in-building wireless systems, technology advancements and the latest regulatory insights that they should be aware of. It’s also always a great opportunity for professionals to network with their peers or gain a new certification in our partner ETA’s Educational Forum. We hope to see you in Las Vegas in March!”

What’s New

For the first time this year, attendees can experience our new outdoor Drone Demonstration where they can see the drones in-action! There will also be an expanded Safe Cities technology section on the main expo floor where there will be a theatre showing content rich sessions that have a particular focus on advances in critical communications. All exhibit hall pass holders will be able to enjoy these new attractions.

Speakers and Topics

The Keynote this year will be given on April 1st by Chief Jeffrey D. Johnson, CEO of The Western Fire Chiefs Association who will discuss “The innovations that are actually changing street performance for responders.” A second Keynote Address will be presented by Bryan Wiens, Senior Product Manager, Cloud Services, InterTalk Critical Information Systems.. Other speakers include:

  • Michelle Geddes, Public Safety Communications Director, City and County of San Francisco, Department of Emergency Management
  • Robert Zanger, Wireless Engineering and Operations Unit (WEOU), Department of Justice
  • Bill Schrier, Senior Advisor, FirstNet Authority
  • Shelley Westall, Broadband Program Manager, Washington State Public Works Board
  • David Witkowski, Executive Director, Wireless Communications Initiative, Joint Venture Silicon Valley
  • Vincent Sritapan, Portfolio Manager, Physical & Cyber Security, US Department of Homeland Security Science & Technology Directorate

The main tracks at this year’s conference will be 

  • NEW! 5G Track
  • NEW! Safe Cities Track
  • NEW! In-Building Wireless Track
  • NEW! Smart X Track
  • Connectivity Track
  • Push-to-Talk & The Future of Voice Track
  • Interoperability & Networking Track
  • Disaster Comms Track
  • Public Safety Broadband Track
  • FirstNet Track
  • 911 and Emergency Communications Track
  • Network Infrastructure Track
  • Planning & Preparation Track
  • Critical Infrastructure Track
  • Cybersecurity Track
  • Transformative Tech Trace
  • ETA Technical Track