The event also was unique from another perspective. It was the first U.S.-based tradeshow owned and managed by a partnership that includes the hosting convention center. The co-ownership of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center with Imago Productions not only ensures the event will remain in New Orleans, it reinforces the very theme of the conference: the advantages of public and private entities partnering to enhance performance.
Speakers at IDCE2012 ranged from FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, who delivered the keynote address January 17 emphasizing the necessity of government and business to plan together in order to adequately handle future disasters.
"There is no one person or agency that can be in charge and make all the decisions in a major disaster," Fugate sounded the conference theme in his address titled, Private Sector Resources in the Emergency Management Plan: the Public-Private Partnership. "It takes a team and our job as emergency managers is to build that team."
Fugate was followed to the podium by first U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge as the gates opened to a wide range of experts and expertise, from LTG Russel Honoré , who led the U.S. Department of Defense's response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi; to Meir Elran of Israel's Tel Aviv University's Homeland Security Program; to Walt Ehmer, president of Waffle House, which has earned distinction for opening its restaurants quickly after major disasters; to Willy Steenbakkers of The Netherlands Ministry of Security and Justice on the new role of government as supporting private citizens' more active roles in their own safety and security.
On the tradeshow floor, exhibitors not only benefitted from the opportunity to promote their products and services to the decision-makers that comprised the IDCE2012 attendee group, but generated partnerships and agreements among themselves toward their next rounds of innovations and solutions.
"This was a great opportunity for us," noted Roi Maufas of Gorilla Design, which debuted its Disaster Relief Unit, a converted shipping container that provides sustainable living quarters designed to keep an entire family safe from harm through the course of a disaster. "The time we spent here and the contacts we made are extremely valuable and have already contributed significantly to our business."
"We're grateful to all the speakers, attendees and exhibitors who helped us fulfill our goal of bringing together all disciplines of the disaster industry from public and private sectors and from around the globe for a meaningful conference," noted Jimmy Mouton, who created the event concept and directed IDCE2012. "Our idea was to provide a forum for these professionals to share lessons learned, and in the process we learned how valuable an opportunity to come together like this can be."
Upon conclusion of IDCE2012, the partnership of Mouton's Imago Productions and the New Orleans Convention Center announced next year's International Disaster Conference & Exposition, IDCE2013, will be held January 15-17.
The International Disaster Conference and Exposition, held annually in January at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, unites emergency management, homeland security and disaster industry professionals from the public and private sectors around the world to share lessons learned and forward thinking regarding the policies, procedures and best practices shaping disaster preparation, response and recovery, loss mitigation, business continuity and more. Conference speakers, exhibitors and attendees share the latest knowledge, technologies and techniques toward the common goal of minimizing the loss of life and property in future catastrophic events. For more information, visit http://www.internationaldisasterconference.com.