A Decade of GSX: A New Milestone for Safeguards Consulting

For over 10 years, our team has attended the Global Security Exchange (GSX) Conference by ASIS International. This conference brings together security professionals, manufacturers, and integrators to build connections across the industry. It also features a large exhibition hall showcasing emerging technology, educational sessions, and networking events. For the first time, Safeguards Consulting was honored to sponsor the GSX Conference for its 2026 gathering. Our President and Principal Consultant, Mark Schreiber, also had the honor of speaking during his pre-conference session as well as a session during the conference, and our team had the largest attendance at GSX in our firm’s history.  

For many members of our team, participating in GSX has been a longstanding tradition. For others, the experience was just beginning. To provide an inside perspective on the conference from our first-time team members, we asked them to share some thoughts about their experience. 

Our Team's Introduction to ASIS International, GSX, and The Security Industry 

We began the first day with “Building Your Future in Security: GSX Student Welcome & Networking Experience.”  

During the event, our younger team members were introduced to members of ASIS International and had the opportunity to begin building connections within the industry. They also received valuable advice and insights about networking, professional development, and how to make the most of their GSX experience as students and first-time conference attendees.  

One of our first-time team members, Reyna, remarked that, “It was a great time to meet other students who were also just beginning their careers and taking their first steps in the industry. We also had the unique opportunity to meet some of the leadership team at ASIS International, which was especially exciting.”  

For team members who were experiencing a professional conference for the first time, this session provided an important introduction to the value of engaging with industry professionals and stepping outside of the familiar environments of college and the workplace.  

 Exploring the Exhibit Hall: Connecting New Technologies to Our Firm's Role 

Following the student networking experience, our team participated in a tour of the GSX exhibit hall alongside our consultants.  

Throughout the tour, our consultants introduced our younger team members to various industry connections while also allowing them to explore the wide range of security technologies represented throughout the exhibit hall. Rather than simply walking through the exhibits, our consultants used the experience as an opportunity to explain the technologies our team encountered and provide context about how different products and systems can be applied within the security industry.  

Our team also had the opportunity to participate in several demonstrations, allowing our younger professionals to see firsthand how different technologies operate and how they may be incorporated into real-world security environments.  

One of our part-time employees stated this walking into the Exhibit Hall for the first time, "Personally, I feel that the most helpful thing I learned was the connection to the companies and what products they offer/sell and how they connect to Safeguards. I think that being able to see all the different types of security products helped me understand the service our company provides!” 

For our interns and newer employees, this part of the conference provided a hands-on introduction to an industry that they are only beginning to explore professionally.  

A Quick Detour of The Peach State: Beyond the Conference Floor 

After completing our exhibit hall tour, the team took some time away from the conference floor for lunch and team bonding at Ted's Montana Grill, followed by a brief walk through Centennial Olympic Park.  

While these moments were not directly related to the educational programming at GSX, they were an important part of the overall experience. Conferences provide opportunities not only to learn and network, but also to strengthen relationships among the people we work alongside every day.  

Investing in Our Future Security Operations and Marketing Industry Leaders  

Once we returned to the conference, our team split into different groups based on their roles and objectives for the remainder of the day.  

Our marketing staff continued exploring the exhibit hall, visiting various booths and learning more about the products and organizations represented at GSX. The team also explored opportunities for branded content and began brainstorming and filming material for post-conference content creation.  

Meanwhile, our operations team members continued through the exhibit hall on a more in-depth tour, spending additional time learning about the technologies and solutions relevant to their areas of work.  

This allowed each member of our team to experience GSX in a way that was relevant to their individual role while still participating in the broader Safeguards Consulting experience.  

A First GSX Through a Mentor’s Perspective 

In the words of our Marketing Operations Lead, Parker Stalvey, "This week’s conference marked a significant milestone not only for our firm, but also for our team members individually. We were proud to provide our team with the opportunity to attend the Global Security Exchange (GSX) Conference, particularly because it represented a first for many of our employees. 

For several of our younger team members, GSX served as an introduction to professional networking, industry conferences, and the broader security profession. As many of them are college students and early-career professionals beginning to explore and establish themselves within their respective fields, the experience provided a valuable opportunity to step outside of their typical work and academic environments, connect with industry professionals, and begin developing the professional skills and confidence that will support them throughout their careers. 

As a mentor and the team’s Marketing Operations Lead, it was especially rewarding for me to watch my peers experience so many firsts throughout the conference. Seeing them engage with professionals, participate in conference activities, ask questions, and gain a better understanding of the security industry was a proud moment. These experiences are an important part of professional development, and I am grateful that I was able to witness and support their growth firsthand. 

The experience was also personally meaningful for me, as GSX was my first security industry conference. While I was able to experience many of these firsts alongside our team, I also gained a deeper understanding of the industry, expanded my own professional network, and learned more about the role we play as a firm within the security profession. 

Overall, I am incredibly proud of our team and everything we accomplished during this year’s GSX Conference. I am especially excited to continue witnessing the growth and development of our employees, our marketing team, and Safeguards Consulting as a whole. I look forward to seeing how the experiences and connections we gained this week continue to shape our team and contribute to our firm’s continued growth." 

More Than Attendees: Serving GSX and Our Team Through Mentorship and Volunteerism 

We were also proud to be active participants in this year’s conference. Several members of our team served as volunteers directing traffic flow within the building and assisting with registration and questions. Overall, our team served in numerous mentorship and volunteer roles throughout this year's conference; both internally and externally. 

Signing Off with a Sweet Finish in the Peach State 

For Safeguards Consulting, GSX 2026 was about more than attending another industry conference. It was an opportunity to learn, build relationships, explore new technologies, contribute to the broader security community, and provide our team with experiences that will continue to shape their professional development. 

For our first-time attendees, the conference offered an introduction to an industry that many are just beginning to explore. For our more experienced team members, it provided another opportunity to strengthen existing relationships, expand their knowledge, and share their experience with the next generation of professionals. 

As we reflect on this year’s conference, we are proud of the role our team played at GSX and grateful for the opportunity to experience it together. From the exhibit hall and educational sessions to networking opportunities, volunteer roles, and time spent together as a team, each experience contributed to a memorable week in Atlanta. 

We are excited to carry the connections, knowledge, and experiences from GSX 2026 forward as we continue serving our clients, supporting our industry, and investing in the growth of our team. 

From Peaches to Oranges: We Look Forward to Seeing You in Orlando, FL, in 2027   

As we trade the peach state, Georgia, for the orange state, Florida, we look forward to continuing our GSX experience in Orlando, Florida next year!  

To learn more about the GSX Conference, visit: 

gsx.org

To learn more about our involvement with ASIS and GSX, visit our GSX webpage: 

gsx.sgc.tech

Beyond Consultants at GSX: Why Marketing and Other Departments Should Be There

Meet Your Trusted Advisor's Trusted Marketer  

Over the past 4½ years, I, Parker Stalvey, have proudly served on the marketing team at Safeguards Consulting, Inc. I began my career with the firm as a Marketing Intern, progressed into a part-time Marketing Operations Specialist role, and now serve as the full-time Marketing Operations Lead. 

Throughout those years, I have gradually stepped into the waves of security knowledge and expertise through my role. I have developed a general understanding of many of the concepts our firm works with, particularly in areas such as access control and Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED). I have written about our services, researched industry topics, supported our involvement with professional associations, and helped communicate the work our consultants perform for our clients. 

However, there was still a gap in my understanding...  

I do not believe I ever fully understood the complete circle of the products and technologies our consultants evaluate and advise clients on, nor did I fully understand the business development side of the security consulting industry. 

That changed considerably when I attended my first Global Security Exchange (GSX) Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. 

Before GSX: Understanding Security from a Marketing Perspective 

Before GSX, the only professional conferences I had personally attended were the American Marketing Association (AMA) Southeastern Collegiate Conference and the Society of Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) Southeastern Conference. 

Both experiences were valuable in their own ways, but neither provided the same exposure to the security industry that I experienced at GSX. One was focused solely on marketing, and the other on architecture, engineering, and construction industry (A/E/C) marketing.  

That said, I had attended several security networking events during my time with Safeguards Consulting, so I was not completely unfamiliar with the professional community surrounding our industry. From a marketing perspective, I have also spent years consistently writing about our firm's role in the security industry and the various professional associations, manufacturers, vendors, connections, and organizations with which we interact. 

However, much of my knowledge about our vendors and their products had previously been limited to individual research and specific product tasks. It never gave me a chance to fully explore or to see the products function in person.  

If I needed to write about a particular company, technology, association, or industry topic, I would research it, gather the information I needed, and incorporate that knowledge into whatever marketing initiative I was working on. Which is useful knowledge, but it is different from experiencing the industry and its representatives firsthand.

How GSX Sold Me as a Marketing Employee  

When I attended GSX, I finally had the opportunity to bring many of those individual pieces of information together: all the product research, company tagging on social media, the memorization of names and company roles from our customer relationship management (CRM) system, etc.  

Instead of researching a manufacturer from behind my computer, I could walk into the exhibit hall and meet representatives from the company. 

Instead of reading about security technology, I could see it demonstrated. 

Instead of writing about industry professionals and organizations, I could meet and speak with them. 

Instead of hearing about the products our consultants encounter, I could see the larger ecosystem of technologies and solutions surrounding our industry. 

For the first time, I could begin connecting the dots between what I had been learning through my marketing role and how those products, companies, technologies, and relationships fit together within the broader security consulting environment. 

That perspective was incredibly valuable and sold me on my attendance as a marketer was worth the investment for both me and our firm. 

You Cannot Promote Yourself or Your Firm to the Industry Without First Understanding It  

I am not a security consultant. My role is in marketing, and much of my day-to-day work centers around content, communications, branding, strategy, and supporting our firm's overall marketing efforts. 

So, why should someone in my position attend a security conference, and why should anyone outside of consulting and sales attend? 

After my first GSX experience, I believe the answer is simple: because effective marketing of yourself and your firm requires understanding the industry you are marketing to. 

It can be easy for marketing employees to become removed from the technical or professional services their organizations provide. We spend our time thinking about messaging, campaigns, social media, websites, content, and engagement. Meanwhile, our consultants are focused on serving clients and applying their expertise within the security industry. 

GSX helped bring those two perspectives closer together.

Walking through the exhibit hall, attending sessions, speaking with industry professionals, and seeing security technologies firsthand gave me a much better understanding of the environment in which our firm operates. 

I was able to see the products, technologies, and solutions that our consultants encounter in their work. I also gained a better understanding of the terminology used throughout the industry and the conversations taking place among security professionals. Much of this was due to our consultants, who happen to be industry experts and leaders, explaining each booth and our relationship to the company and asking for product demonstrations. Outside of gaining direct knowledge and access to asking them first-hand questions about the products, this interaction with our consultants also promoted bonding across our team branches.  

While each department has its own area of focus and expertise, we ultimately function as one organization. I often think of a firm much like the human body: it is made up of many different parts, each with its own distinct role, but every part must work together and communicate effectively to sustain the health and growth of the whole. In the same way, every branch of a firm must understand how its work connects with and supports the work of others. When those areas operate in alignment, the organization is better positioned to grow, adapt, and fulfill its mission. You will quickly find that I have quite an adoration for metaphors. 

As a marketer, I am responsible for helping communicate who we are, what we do, and why our work matters. To do that effectively, I need to understand the industry we serve and the work our firm performs. The more I learn about the security industry, the better equipped I am to communicate our services accurately, meaningfully, and authentically. That knowledge also allows me to better guide our marketing team and ensure that our efforts remain aligned with the company's broader objectives, goals, and mission(s). 

You Do Not Have to Be a Consultant to Learn From a Security Conference 

One of my biggest takeaways from GSX was that you do not have to be a consultant to benefit from attending a security conference. Most of our marketing team attended the conference, and each person I followed up with stated they felt more equipped and knowledgeable after leaving the conference. Our interns that attended also agreed that they gained more experience in one day at the conference than they had ever experienced inside a typical classroom setting. Our operations intern also agreed.  

In fact, bringing employees from different areas of a company can create a more well-rounded conference experience. 

Our team included marketing employees, operations employees, interns, and consultants (overall security, physical, and cyber). While each group approached the conference differently, everyone had something to learn. 

Our consultants could focus heavily on technical solutions and professional education. Our marketing team could pay attention to industry trends, messaging, technology, content opportunities, and relationship-building. Our younger employees could experience professional networking and an industry conference for the first time. 

We were all attending the same conference, but we were not experiencing it in exactly the same way. 

Experiencing the Technology First-Hand Changes the Way That You Market It 

One of the most valuable parts of GSX for me was walking through the exhibit hall. 

Before attending, I could read about security technology, look at a product website, or hear a consultant explain a solution. However, there is something different about seeing those technologies demonstrated in person and speaking directly with the companies developing them. 

Exploring the exhibit hall helped me create and inspire content that is more informed. As marketers, it gives us better questions to ask our consultants. It helps us recognize potential topics for future content. It also allows us to better understand what our audience may actually care about. 

Additionally, it helped me to better understand how other companies in the industry were promoting themselves and their services/products. Marketing security is very different than how you would market soda, clothes, or nail appointments.  

Simply put, industry exposure gives marketing context that cannot always be gained from behind a screen. 

Developing My Understanding of the Business Development Side  

Another area where GSX expanded my perspective was business development. 

As someone who works in marketing, I have always understood that relationships and visibility play an important role in supporting a firm's growth. However, GSX gave me a much clearer view of how those relationships develop within the security industry. 

The exhibit hall was not simply a collection of booths and salespeople. 

It was a place where manufacturers, security professionals, consultants, integrators, and other industry representatives were building relationships and having conversations about their work. 

Watching those interactions helped me better understand the relationship between marketing, networking, business development, and technical expertise. 

Marketing does not operate independently from the rest of the business. 

The more I understand how our consultants build relationships, how our firm interacts with vendors and industry organizations, and how security professionals identify challenges and solutions, the better I can understand how marketing supports those efforts and why it is vital we invest in those interactions.

Promoting Professional Development  

Another important lesson from GSX was that professional development is not limited to formal training. 

For me, some of the most valuable learning happened through conversations. 

I spoke with professionals I had never met before, learned about different organizations, listened to conversations about the security industry, and gained a better understanding of the professional community surrounding the work we do. 

For younger employees and those early in their careers, these experiences can be especially meaningful. Our firm experienced this firsthand as we took half a dozen first-time attendees to GSX this year.  

Attending a conference teaches you how to introduce yourself, start conversations, ask questions, navigate professional environments, and build relationships. Those are skills that extend far beyond a single conference or industry. 

Give New Perspectives an Opportunity to Participate  

I also believe there is value in having marketing employees and other employees that are non-consultants at a security conference because we naturally look at the experience through a different lens. 

While a consultant may immediately recognize the technical significance of a product or solution, a marketer may be thinking about how that technology should be explained to an audience that does not have the same technical background. 

We may notice a messaging opportunity, a content idea, a potential partnership, a social media opportunity, or a question that a prospective client might have. As an example, I created 3 blog ideas simply from attending a quick and free industry session in the exhibition hall - this blog post being one of those ideas. 

Hear My Sales Pitch: Consider the Investment  

Every organization must make its own decisions about how to allocate conference opportunities and resources, and these can be very difficult and awkward decisions. However, after my first GSX experience, I believe there is value in considering employees beyond the traditional conference attendee - executives, consultants, and salespeople. 

Marketing employees, operations employees, administrative professionals, interns, and other non-consultant team members can gain something different from the experience:  

• They can develop industry knowledge. 

• They can build professional connections. 

• They can better understand the work their colleagues perform. 

• They can identify even more opportunities that support the organization as a whole. 

Yesterday, I returned to work not only with photos, new connections, and content ideas, but also with a better understanding of the industry that Safeguards Consulting serves and a spark of inspiration (with plenty of emails to catch up on as well). As a side note, the content that our marketing team developed during the conference made the investment worth it alone. 

A Conclusion on Marketing Security  

Over the past 4½ years, I have grown tremendously, both personally and professionally. However, I also recognize that professional growth does not happen in isolation. If an organization wants its employees to become valuable contributors, it must be willing to invest in them as well. 

At Safeguards Consulting, that investment has taken many forms. One of the most significant has been the willingness of our President and Principal Consultant, Mark Schreiber, to share his industry knowledge with me and with the rest of our non-consultant team. His mentorship has helped prepare us for important industry discussions, professional interactions, and the marketing campaigns and decisions we make on behalf of the firm. 

Our consultants also play an important role in developing employees outside of the consulting side of the business. They do not simply consult with our clients; they also serve as mentors to the rest of our team. They have helped create a trusted and supportive working environment where employees feel comfortable asking questions, seeking clarification, and learning more about the industry and how their individual roles contribute to the firm's larger mission. We take our role as trusted advisor very seriously, both externally and internally.  

That said, as mentioned earlier, mentorship has been incredibly important to my own development. 

Without the willingness of our consultants to share their knowledge, many of us on the marketing and non-consultant side of the firm would have a much more limited understanding of what Safeguards Consulting actually does and how our work connects to the broader security industry. Thus, leading to a struggle in our roles.  

However, there is still a difference between learning about an industry and experiencing it firsthand. 

That is where opportunities such as GSX can make a meaningful difference. 

As marketers and other non-consultant employees, we can sometimes experience a knowledge gap when we enter highly specialized industry discussions or participate in initiatives centered around technical expertise. Even with strong internal mentorship, there are simply some things that are difficult to fully understand without being immersed in the environment where those conversations are taking place. 

Being surrounded by security professionals, manufacturers, integrators, consultants, and other industry representatives allowed me and my other non-consultant team members to see the conversations we support from a different perspective.  

It gave me an opportunity to take the knowledge I had gained through years of mentorship, research, and marketing work and connect it to the larger security industry in a tangible way. 

For me, that combination of mentorship inside the firm and firsthand industry exposure outside of it is what made GSX such a valuable professional development experience. 

Promote the Attendance of Your Marketers and Other Non-Consultant Team Members  

So, when your next conference opportunity arises, I hope you will consider promoting your marketing team and other employees when it comes to discussing the attendance of your team. 

To read more about our team’s experience at GSX, visit:

From Peaches to Promising Opportunities: Safeguards Consulting Wraps-Up GSX 2026

Sincerely,  

The Trusted Marketer for Your Trusted Advisor, Parker Stalvey, 

Marketing Operations Lead at Safeguards Consulting, Inc.