An AcceleRISE Recap From SIA RISE

The SIA RISE Content Steering Committee shares highlights from the 2023 conference held Aug. 14-16 in Denver, Colorado, and bringing together the security industry’s emerging leaders.

If AcceleRISE 2022 felt like a homecoming for the industry’s brightest young and newer professionals, following two years without an in-person conference, AcceleRISE 2023 can only be described as an event that took the momentum from the year before and took it to levels previously unseen. 

AcceleRISE 2023 kicked off with its annual “Drinks with Don” reception. While the eponymous SIA CEO was nowhere to be physically seen in the Mile High City, we were joined by a cardboard cutout of Don and a wide range of scenes to take group pictures in at the Denver Selfie Museum. It was a wonderfully lighthearted way to kickoff this year’s conference, with attendees breaking the ice on networking with many others who were there to attend the conference. 

From the moment you stepped in the door to AcceleRISE 2023, there was value. Quite literally speaking, Day 1 featured a complimentary (thanks to ZKteco USA) headshot booth, where attendees were able to come away from the show with professionally taken, shiny new headshots. The excitement from the headshots was palpable and parlayed into delight as attendees searched through their goodie bags to find custom-made vintage Colorado Rockies hats, adorned with the AcceleRISE logo, to be worn at Day 2’s postconference event. RISE Chair Jake Brown was downright presidential in kicking off the conference, and emcees Avory Ransome and Erin Mann brought energy and pizzazz between sessions.

By lunchtime on the first day, we had the opportunity to hear from speakers on topics such as Communication Skills for Small-Talk to Team Meetings, ChatGPT and Building your Personal Board of Directors. All three sessions gave tangible takeaways for the audience to apply for their work and personal lives. Sabrina Wilson’s session on a personal board of directors was a crowd favorite due to its unique look on mentorship and surrounding yourself with people that can elevate your life in a number of ways. After lunch, we were treated to a dynamic session on using and developing emotional intelligence, or EQ, followed by the impressive Dr. Erica Grant and Lee Odess’ discussion of quantum computing and digital transformation in the industry. Day 1 was capped by a networking event at Wynkoop Brewing Company, sponsored by Jen and Lee Odess. Good times were had by all!

Day 2 kicked off with an intense workout at altitude, as attendees made their way over to the Denver Athletic Club for a wake-up call. Following the workout, attendees shuffled back to the event space to hear from Dr. Alka Khungar on taking a nonlinear career path to an eventual $100K promotion. It was a great start to the day and teed up the next session, CEO Idan Meir’s presentation on his company, RightHear, which offers a new take on accessibility for the visually impaired. This topic resonated greatly, as there was quite a bit of engagement from the crowd. Robust sessions centered around a career spent in crisis management, as well as a lesson on personal finance, rounded out the afternoon as we waited in anticipation for this year’s debate. The debate, which was started in 2022, was yet again a highlight this year. The debaters argued over the viability, legality and morality of facial recognition in law enforcement. Unlike the prior year’s debate, this one was nearly too close to call. Day 2 was capped off with an outing to a Colorado Rockies baseball game, thanks to the generosity of ASSA ABLOY. 

Day 3 featured three perfect sessions to close out the conference. Starting with a powerful forum from four of the industry’s most energetic and intelligent professionals, Keyser Santana, Kelsey Carnell, Dakota Bierly and Amanda Payne, we learned the importance of advocacy, mentorship, networking and self-care in our professional lives. This was a great way to start the final day, which was followed by another thought provoking session on the innovations coming in access control. Finally, the acclaimed Door Dork, Benji Bolick, and Kim Hooper ended the conference with an incredibly dynamic session on personal brand building that left the audience hanging on every word and counting down the days to next year.

Didn’t attend AcceleRISE? Check out the agenda to learn more about this year’s event and prepare for next year!