Where is The Security Event Europe held?

The Security Event Europe takes place in Birmingham, GBR.

What is the primary focus of The Security Event Europe?

The event focuses on the latest advancements and challenges across the security sector, encompassing physical and cyber security solutions.

Is The Security Event Europe an international gathering?

Yes, as indicated by its location in Europe, the event attracts participants and exhibitors from various countries, fostering international collaboration in the security domain.

The Security Event Europe 2027

Name: The Security Event Europe 2027
Start: 2027-04-27T00:00:00Z
End: 2027-04-29T00:00:00Z
Location: Birmingham

Apr 27–29, 2027Birmingham, United KingdomIn-person

Registration open

The Security Event Europe is a prominent gathering focused on the latest advancements and challenges in the security sector. Held in Birmingham, GBR, this event serves as a crucial platform for industry professionals to explore new technologies, share insights, and foster collaborations. It addresses a broad spectrum of security concerns, from physical infrastructure protection to cyber threats, reflecting the evolving landscape of global security needs. The conference facilitates discussions and presentations on innovative solutions and best practices, aiming to enhance resilience and preparedness across various industries. Participants gain exposure to cutting-edge products and services, engage with thought leaders, and contribute to the ongoing dialogue about safeguarding assets and information in an increasingly complex world.

Committees & topics

Topics
Commercial Security · Enterprise Security · Domestic Security · Integrated Security Solutions · Artificial Intelligence in Security · Biometrics · Access Control · Physical Identity and Access Management (PIAM)

Why it matters

In an era defined by rapid technological change and interconnected global systems, the importance of robust security measures cannot be overstated. Events like The Security Event Europe are vital for ensuring that security professionals remain at the forefront of their field, equipped with the knowledge and tools to counteract emerging threats. The convergence of physical and digital security challenges necessitates a holistic approach, which this event endeavors to provide.

Furthermore, the event's location in GBR, a nation with significant contributions to security innovation and policy, underscores its strategic importance. It offers a unique opportunity for international collaboration, allowing experts from diverse backgrounds to pool their expertise and develop more effective, integrated security strategies. This cross-pollination of ideas is essential for addressing threats that transcend national borders and technological domains.

The discussions and innovations showcased at this event directly impact public safety, economic stability, and national security. By fostering a proactive stance against potential vulnerabilities, it contributes to building more secure societies and resilient infrastructures. The insights gained here can inform policy-making, influence investment in security technologies, and ultimately enhance the collective ability to mitigate risks.

How to prepare

To effectively engage with the discussions at The Security Event Europe, participants should consider conducting a thorough stakeholder mapping exercise as outlined in the "What Is Stakeholder Mapping?" and "Stakeholder Mapping Workshop" lessons. Identifying key industry players, regulatory bodies, and technological innovators beforehand will enable more targeted networking and information gathering. Understanding the diverse interests and influence of these stakeholders is crucial for navigating the complex security landscape.

Attendees would also benefit from applying principles of "Dynamic Analysis" to the security trends and technologies presented. This involves not just observing current solutions but critically evaluating their potential future impacts, vulnerabilities, and adaptability to evolving threats. Considering the "Hidden Stakeholders" in any security solution – those indirectly affected or with latent influence – can provide a more comprehensive understanding of its real-world implications.

Finally, developing clear "Engagement Strategies" is paramount for maximizing participation. Whether aiming to forge partnerships, identify new technologies, or influence industry standards, a well-defined approach to interacting with exhibitors, speakers, and other attendees will yield more productive outcomes. This includes preparing specific questions, identifying potential collaborators, and understanding the broader geopolitical context that shapes security priorities.

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 4 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile.

United Kingdom

A key host and innovator in security technologies, particularly in cyber and critical infrastructure protection.

Role in topic

As the host nation, GBR plays a central role in organizing and shaping the agenda of The Security Event Europe. It is a significant market for security solutions and a hub for research and development in areas such as cybersecurity, surveillance, and counter-terrorism. Its national security priorities often influence the themes and technologies showcased at the event.

United States

A major global player in security innovation and defense, often setting industry standards and driving technological advancements.

Role in topic

The USA is a dominant force in the global security market, with numerous companies and research institutions contributing to cutting-edge security technologies. Its participation at the event, through exhibitors and speakers, often introduces new paradigms in areas like AI-driven security, biometrics, and advanced threat detection, influencing global trends.

Germany

Known for precision engineering and robust industrial security solutions, with a strong focus on data privacy.

Role in topic

DEU contributes significantly to the European security landscape, particularly in industrial security, access control, and data protection. German companies often showcase high-quality, reliable solutions that emphasize regulatory compliance and engineering excellence, reflecting the nation's strong stance on privacy and industrial standards.

France

A leader in defense and aerospace security, with expertise in complex systems integration and public safety.

Role in topic

FRA brings expertise in large-scale defense systems, critical infrastructure protection, and public security management. French firms often present integrated security solutions for urban environments, transportation networks, and sensitive government facilities, leveraging their experience in national defense and intelligence.

Topics & background

The background behind each topic and the actors that shape it.

Commercial Security

Commercial security concerns the protection of businesses, retail premises, offices, and commercial real estate against threats ranging from theft and vandalism to organized crime, terrorism, and increasingly cyber-physical intrusions. Since the early 2000s, the sector has shifted from guard-based models toward integrated electronic systems combining CCTV, intrusion detection, and remote monitoring, propelled in Europe by post-9/11 counterterrorism standards and EU directives on critical commercial infrastructure. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated demand for touchless and remotely managed systems, while the post-2022 energy crisis and rising organized retail crime across Western Europe have pushed retailers and property owners to adopt more sophisticated loss-prevention technologies. Today the commercial security market is shaped by tension between rapid technological innovation — AI video analytics, cloud-managed systems, integration with insurance telematics — and a fragmented European regulatory landscape covering data protection (GDPR), surveillance ethics, and private security licensing. The United Kingdom, Germany, and France dominate the European market, while major manufacturers from China and the United States compete amid growing scrutiny over supply chain trust and 'high-risk vendor' policies. States are also debating how to allocate responsibility between private security providers and public law enforcement as commercial spaces become softer targets.

Key players

Enterprise Security

Enterprise security covers the converged physical and information security needs of large multi-site organizations, including multinationals, financial institutions, energy companies, and critical infrastructure operators. The discipline emerged in the 1990s as global firms consolidated dispersed security functions, and matured after the 2007–2008 financial crisis when boards began treating security as an enterprise risk management issue. The convergence of IT and operational technology (OT), accelerated by cloud adoption and the Industrial Internet of Things, has erased the traditional line between cyber and physical domains — exemplified by incidents such as the 2021 Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack and intrusions into European water and energy utilities. The contemporary enterprise security agenda in Europe is dominated by the implementation of the NIS2 Directive, the Critical Entities Resilience (CER) Directive, and the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) for the financial sector, all of which impose stricter governance, incident reporting, and supply chain due-diligence obligations. Enterprises now face simultaneous pressure from state-sponsored threat actors, insider risk, geopolitical sanctions compliance, and ESG-linked security disclosures. Debate centers on how to harmonize cross-border incident response, manage third-party and cloud dependencies, and integrate AI-driven security operations centers without weakening accountability.

Key players

Domestic Security

Domestic security — the protection of residential properties and private dwellings — has evolved from mechanical locks and alarm bells into a connected ecosystem of smart cameras, video doorbells, sensors, and app-based monitoring. The 2010s consumer-IoT boom, led by products such as Ring, Nest, and a wave of European competitors, democratized home surveillance but also raised novel concerns about privacy, data sovereignty, and the use of household footage by law enforcement. In Europe, rising burglary rates in some markets after the pandemic and persistent fears of organized property crime have sustained consumer demand even amid cost-of-living pressures. The current policy debate focuses on three issues: data protection and the lawful basis for processing imagery of neighbors and passers-by under GDPR; the cyber resilience of consumer devices, now addressed by the EU Cyber Resilience Act and the UK Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act; and the social implications of community surveillance networks. Insurers, telecoms, and energy utilities are entering the domestic security market through bundled offerings, blurring lines between safety, convenience, and surveillance. Regulators are also examining algorithmic features such as person and package detection that increasingly rely on cloud AI.

Key players

Integrated Security Solutions

The 'security solutions' category captures the shift away from siloed products toward integrated systems that combine video surveillance, access control, intrusion detection, fire safety, and cyber monitoring under a single management platform. This trend began in the 2000s with the move from analog to IP-based systems and accelerated with cloud and edge computing in the 2010s. Major system integrators and platform providers now market end-to-end offerings to end users such as airports, ports, stadiums, and smart cities, often delivered as managed services rather than capital purchases. In Europe, the integration agenda is shaped by interoperability standards (ONVIF, OSDP), cybersecurity baselines for connected devices, and procurement rules that increasingly exclude vendors deemed high-risk. The Russia–Ukraine war and tensions over Chinese-made equipment have pushed governments to issue guidance restricting certain surveillance brands in sensitive sites, reshaping the integrator landscape. Debate continues over open versus proprietary architectures, the cybersecurity of long-lived installed systems, and how to manage vendor lock-in when security platforms become quasi-utilities for the operators that depend on them.

Key players

Artificial Intelligence in Security

AI has transformed security operations over the past decade, moving from rule-based video analytics to deep-learning models capable of object recognition, behavior analysis, anomaly detection, and predictive threat assessment. The deployment of AI in CCTV, access control, and cybersecurity tools has accelerated since 2018, driven by advances in computer vision and the falling cost of edge inference. High-profile use cases — from facial recognition at sporting events to predictive policing pilots in several European cities — have generated both efficiency gains and substantial civil-liberties controversy. The EU AI Act, agreed in 2024 and entering force in phases through 2026–2027, classifies many security applications as 'high-risk' and imposes strict requirements on real-time biometric identification in public spaces, with narrow law-enforcement exceptions. The United Kingdom has taken a lighter, sectoral approach, while the United States relies on a patchwork of federal guidance and state laws. Key disputes concern the use of remote biometric identification, algorithmic bias in threat detection, transparency obligations for security vendors, and the export of AI surveillance technology to authoritarian states.

Key players

Biometrics

Biometric technologies — fingerprint, facial, iris, voice, and behavioral recognition — moved from forensic and border-control niches into mainstream identity verification during the 2010s with smartphone unlock features and automated border gates. Europe pioneered large-scale biometric systems including Eurodac for asylum fingerprints, the Schengen Information System, and the forthcoming Entry/Exit System (EES) and ETIAS, while ICAO biometric passports became a global norm. Commercial adoption has expanded into banking onboarding, workplace access, and event ticketing. The central controversy is the use of biometrics, especially live facial recognition, in public spaces. The EU AI Act largely prohibits real-time remote biometric identification in publicly accessible areas by law enforcement, with limited exceptions, and imposes high-risk obligations on most other biometric uses. GDPR treats biometric data as a special category requiring explicit lawful basis. Litigation in the Netherlands, Italy, France, and the UK has constrained both public and private deployments, while debates continue over biometric template protection, demographic accuracy, and cross-border interoperability of identity systems.

Key players

Access Control

Access control has evolved from mechanical keys and magnetic-stripe cards through proximity (125 kHz) and smart-card (13.56 MHz) credentials to mobile credentials carried in smartphones and wearables. The 2010s saw the rise of cloud-based access control and the gradual replacement of proprietary protocols with open standards such as OSDP, while mobile credentialing via NFC and Bluetooth Low Energy has gained share since the pandemic-era demand for touchless entry. Major European employers, universities, and transport operators have moved toward unified credentials spanning physical doors, IT logins, and payment. Current challenges include the cyber vulnerability of legacy credentials and controllers, integration with identity providers and zero-trust architectures, and the regulatory treatment of mobile wallets that store building keys. The EU's eIDAS 2.0 framework and the rollout of the European Digital Identity Wallet are expected to reshape how access credentials are issued and verified across borders. Disputes within the industry concern open versus proprietary ecosystems, the security of cloud-hosted access platforms, and the privacy implications of detailed entry/exit logs that increasingly feed workforce analytics.

Key players

Physical Identity and Access Management (PIAM)

Physical Identity and Access Management (PIAM) emerged in the late 2000s as a discipline bridging HR, IT identity management, and physical access control systems. It addresses the full lifecycle of identities — employees, contractors, visitors, and vendors — across multiple sites, ensuring that access rights are provisioned, reviewed, and revoked consistently. Early adoption was driven by regulated sectors such as pharmaceuticals, energy, and finance, where compliance regimes like SOX, NERC CIP, and GxP demanded auditable access governance. The post-2015 wave of insider-threat incidents and the convergence of cyber and physical identity catalyzed broader uptake. The contemporary PIAM agenda is shaped by NIS2 and CER obligations to demonstrate control over who can physically reach critical assets, the rise of contingent and hybrid workforces, and pressure to integrate PIAM with IT IAM and HR platforms such as Workday and SAP SuccessFactors. Vendors including AlertEnterprise, Genetec ClearID, HID, and Quantum Secure compete to provide unified governance across heterogeneous estates. Debates focus on privacy of workforce movement data, cross-border identity portability under eIDAS 2.0, and how AI-driven access reviews should balance automation with human accountability.

Key players

Resources

News, lessons, and country profiles to prep for The Security Event Europe 2027.

Recent reporting to ground your prep

Supreme Court Upholds Election Commission Dis

Trump's Federal Election Strategy

Arming an archipelago: Is time running out for Europe's oldest DMZ? | Euronews

Comprehensive approach to security: Federal Council launches consultation on Switzerland's security policy strategy

Lessons

Bite-sized lessons to build the basics

Dynamic Analysis

Hidden Stakeholders

Engagement Strategies

Stakeholder Mapping Workshop

Courses

Guided courses that go deeper on the topic

Crisis Management

Advanced Negotiation

Multilateral Negotiation

Policy Brief Writing

The states in play, with the data that shapes their stance

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

United Kingdom April 2027

By committee

Frequently asked questions

The Security Event Europe 2027

Apr 27–29, 2027Birmingham, United KingdomIn-person

Registration open

Committees & topics

Topics
Commercial Security · Enterprise Security · Domestic Security · Integrated Security Solutions · Artificial Intelligence in Security · Biometrics · Access Control · Physical Identity and Access Management (PIAM)

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 4 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile.

United Kingdom

A key host and innovator in security technologies, particularly in cyber and critical infrastructure protection.

Role in topic

United States

A major global player in security innovation and defense, often setting industry standards and driving technological advancements.

Role in topic

Germany

Known for precision engineering and robust industrial security solutions, with a strong focus on data privacy.

Role in topic

France

A leader in defense and aerospace security, with expertise in complex systems integration and public safety.

Role in topic

Topics & background

The background behind each topic and the actors that shape it.

Commercial Security

Key players

Enterprise Security

Key players

Domestic Security

Key players

Integrated Security Solutions

Key players

Artificial Intelligence in Security

Key players

Biometrics

Key players

Access Control

Key players

Physical Identity and Access Management (PIAM)

Key players

Resources

News, lessons, and country profiles to prep for The Security Event Europe 2027.

Recent reporting to ground your prep

Supreme Court Upholds Election Commission Dis

Trump's Federal Election Strategy

Arming an archipelago: Is time running out for Europe's oldest DMZ? | Euronews

Comprehensive approach to security: Federal Council launches consultation on Switzerland's security policy strategy

Lessons

Bite-sized lessons to build the basics

Dynamic Analysis

Hidden Stakeholders

Engagement Strategies

Stakeholder Mapping Workshop

Courses

Guided courses that go deeper on the topic

Crisis Management

Advanced Negotiation

Multilateral Negotiation

Policy Brief Writing

The states in play, with the data that shapes their stance

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

United Kingdom April 2027

By committee

Committees & topics

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Topics & background

Resources

Related conferences

RUSI Latin American Security Conference 2026

Link India Strategic Dialogue on Bangladesh Elections 2026

UK Trade Policy Forum 2026

Colombia’s armed conflict in regional and global context: Peace prospects, Venezuela spill over, and geopolitics ahead of elections

Meeting on “Transatlantic Security Amid Geopolitical Fluctuations”

Security and Resilience

Frequently asked questions

Committees & topics

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Topics & background

Resources

Related conferences

RUSI Latin American Security Conference 2026

Link India Strategic Dialogue on Bangladesh Elections 2026

UK Trade Policy Forum 2026

Colombia’s armed conflict in regional and global context: Peace prospects, Venezuela spill over, and geopolitics ahead of elections

Meeting on “Transatlantic Security Amid Geopolitical Fluctuations”

Security and Resilience

Frequently asked questions