Infosecurity New York: A must miss
Infosecurity New York has tried to establish itself as the No. 2 security conference in the U.S., behind RSA, but poor attendance might mean it's time for quits.
Everyone knows that the premier security conference in the United States is RSA, but which show is No. 2? For years, Infosecurity New York has tried to establish itself in this position. Infosecurity Europe is huge, so show organizers thought that New York would be a great place to expand their European presence and fill an East Coast security event void.
I didn't attend this year's New York show, which is telling in itself, and most of my colleagues also gave Infosecurity a pass. Those who actually did attend told me that the show continues to be poorly attended and not worth the trip.
Infosecurity New York takes place at the gloomy Javits Center. When it was originally built, the Javits Center was meant to revive the economy on Manhattan's west side. Instead, it has become a remote island that may as well be in New Jersey. There is no mass transit to the Javits Center, so you either walk, take a bus, or wait around for a cab if you are lucky enough to find one. You can't stay at a hotel nearby because there are no hotels nearby. One way or another, you are hoofing it toward midtown for everything.
The Infosecurity people always blamed the lack of turnout on the timing of the show. Until this year, Infosecurity took place in December when a night's stay at the La Quinta Inn in Manhattan costs $450. To overcome the problems associated with its preholiday schedule, Infosecurity took place on September 11 to 12 this year. Lovely time in New York, beautiful weather and no holiday pricing, but still few people showed up.
Sometimes in life, you have to know when to quit, and I believe that the time has come for Infosecurity NYC to do just that. There are simply too many trade shows for anyone to attend a second-tier event, even if it is held in one of the country's most exciting and fun cities. The world needs more information security but not more information security trade shows.