According to latest industry estimates, about 100 countries out of 191 have now implemented electronic Machine Readable Travel Documents (eMRTDs) and more than 420 million ePassports are now in circulation worldwide. This adoption of ePassports – and other electronic ID documents – has underpinned the growth displayed by the Security Document World (SDW) conference and exhibition, which is now entering its seventh year, and last year managed to attract in excess of 1300 attendees.
SDW 2013 is to be held in Westminster, London, on May 21 to 23. With th six months to go the show, it already has more than 90 companies signed up to exhibit, with nine stands left on the exhibition floor. A full list of exhibiting companies can be viewed at: http://www.sdw2013.com/exhibitors/
Mark Lockie, Director of SDW 2013, said: “This show started out primarily as a forum for discussing the rapid evolution of the classical paper-based passport, as it entered a new age that saw the addition of contactless chips and biometric capabilities. Since then, we have tracked the development of ePassports and other eIDs through various generations – and at SDW 2013 we will take this one step further, discussing future possibilities, such as those being proposed in the EU’s NewP@ss project.”
NewP@ss is a CATRENE project under the EU’s Eureka programme. Next-generation passports could be used for hosting dedicated e-service applications of both government (electronic visas) and/or private entities (boarding ticket support, airline services, and so on). Speakers at SDW 2013 will explain how these new ePassport technologies are expected to be introduced from 2015 to 2020 and represent a complete paradigm shift.
Global spend
Many countries not yet issuing electronic travel documents – as well as infrastructure at the border, such as e-gates – are often perfectly willing to do so, but in this age of austerity they are naturally considering the necessary investments as a major barrier for project launch. Attendees to SDW 2013 will notice a recurring reference to cost-conscious implementation, where projects can not only realize substantial cost savings and return on investment, but importantly can do so without compromising security, convenience and time-to-market.
Some 55 countries represented in the 2012 show. Mark Lockie said: “As well as covering key topics of interest to a global government audience, our show is designed to help newcomers meet the right industry contacts and gain deeper understanding of the issues involved. We also have a pricing policy that matches the constrained times we are now facing. This has been evidenced by a consistent and high quality level of government attendees over the years.”
Delegates from government departments in Asia, Africa and Latin America can access the event, including conference and exhibition, for £350 plus VAT. Government attendees from other world regions, meanwhile, can register for £450+VAT (rate expires 11 January 2013). Plus, for multiple registrations, for every government delegate registered, the second is at half price.
Industry delegates are also able to attend SDW 2013 at a discounted rate. The show operates a limited-availability, stepped pricing policy. In essence this means that booking early results in lower rates. The non-government delegate rate is at £525 plus VAT for a full three-day ticket – less than half of the standard conference fee.
Delegates can register online at: http://www.sdw2013.com/delegate-booking . To see a full list of conference themes see below.
Document security
Whilst many advanced identity documents have ventured into the electronic age, where secure encryption techniques and architecture are still being implemented to protect identity, this hasn’t meant that the fundamental security features found on the documents themselves have become less important to ensuring authenticity.
The appropriate layering of different security features – from those intrinsic to the substrate to those added at the personalisation stage – remains a critically important task in the fight against document counterfeits.
Appropriate document design using traditional and newer security features – as well as subsequent detection of fraudulent documents in the field – are major themes of SDW 2013.
Entry to the exhibition is free to registered visitors. Meanwhile, all visitors pre-registering before March 31 will be upgraded to Visitor Plus+ status and be entered into the SDW Delegate draw with the chance of winning a free delegate pass to SDW 2013. In addition they will all receive a complimentary £5.00 catering voucher to use at the show.
Pre-registration can be completed at: http://www.sdw2013.com/visitor-registration
About Science Media Partners Ltd
Science Media Partners is a British publishing and events company based in Pangbourne, Berkshire, and the owner of the Security Document World Conference and Exhibition. For further information, contact Mark Lockie, Managing Director, Science Media Partners Ltd, Tel: +44 (0)118 9844932, or email: [email protected]
Conference themes for SDW 2013
•Document crime and forgery detection
•The travel document revolution – Lessons, opportunities and future directions
•Getting to the crux of intelligent border control
•eID opportunities and challenges…
•Establishing trust in identity
•DocEx 2013 ¬– Document examination in focus
•Enhancing document production – From the paper mill to the printer and beyond…
•Emerging trends – Security printing, inks, holograms, design
•Beyond identity documents: Tax stamps, secure labels, ticketing and more…
Conference delegates can register online at: http://www.sdw2013.com/delegate-booking
Exhibition visitors can pre-register at: http://www.sdw2013.com/visitor-registration
