Comms Connect Melbourne 2014 speaker and workshop program released

Since 2007, Comms Connect has delivered dedicated events for critical communications users and industry. With the successful launch of Comms Connect Sydney in June 2014, everyone in the field is eagerly awaiting the 8th national conference and exhibition in Melbourne.

More than 1200 people are expected to attend, from a broad range of industry sectors, including utilities, public safety, government (local, state and federal), transport, mining, oil and gas and the wider commercial environment.

With almost 80 exhibitors and dozens of speakers taking part in workshops, panel sessions, keynotes and general industry seminars, Melbourne’s Convention and Exhibition Centre will be the place to be from 30 September to 2 October 2014.

Keynote addresses

The organisers have secured a number of very high-profile keynote speakers to begin the sessions on the first and second days. On the Wednesday, Deputy Chief Eddie Reyes of Alexandria, Virginia, Police Department will present an address on ‘Next Generation 9-1-1 (0-0-0): Are public safety agencies ready?’. NG911 is a topic of great interest to many in the critical communications field, so it should be interesting to hear what a US leader has to say.

He will be followed by Michael Hallowes, National Director, Emergency Alert Program, of the Department of Justice in Victoria, who will speak on the topic of ‘Emergency alert - reaching communities in disasters’. The day of his address will mark the official start of the 2014 bushfire season, so it will be timely to be given this briefing by an expert in a leadership role.

Shane Fitzsimmons AFSM, Commissioner of the NSW Rural Fire Service, will speak at Comms Connect Melbourne.

On the Thursday, Shane Fitzsimmons AFSM, Commissioner of the NSW Rural Fire Service, will present an address on ‘The value of communication networks in a public safety environment’. Commissioner Fitzsimmons spoke at Comms Connect Sydney earlier in the year and presented a real eye-opener into how the NSW Rural Fire Service communicates amongst its many members and locations, and how the service is harnessing social media to both receive and disseminate information on fires.

Organisers also anticipate a keynote contribution from a senior ACMA executive, to be announced.

New public safety stream

This year’s Comms Connect Melbourne will feature an additional stream across the two days of speakers sessions - public safety and emergency management. In addition to individual presentations, there’ll be a panel discussion on Next Generation Triple Zero (NG000), led by Deputy Chief Eddie Reyes and Inspector Peter Ferguson, Victoria Police, and moderated by Inspector (Ret.) Lance Valcour O.O.M. - Chair, Law Enforcement Information Management Section, International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Among the other public safety and emergency management presentations will be:

• Unmanned aerial systems in public safety: understanding their future potential - Detective Inspector Ged Griffith, Crime Strategy Group, Victoria Police
• Surf Life Saving Australia: creating a radio infrastructure that meets the business demands of today and the future - Bruce Forward, Manager Oceania & International Sales, Omnitronics; and Chris Stevens, Lifesaving Communications Advisor, Surf Life Saving Australia
• Wireless and interactive prehospital care and remote medicine: blueprint for the future
• Dr Brian Burns - Prehospital & Retrieval Specialist, Sydney Helicopter Emergency Medical Service, Ambulance Service of NSW
• Bring Your Own Device - what else might you be bringing? Steve Darrall - Practice Manager, Securus Global

Other streams

There will be more than two dozen other presentations and panel discussions spread across the other two parallel streams over the two days. The full program is available on the Comms Connect website, but here is just a small selection of presentations that caught the eye of your editor:

• The true value of critical communications in the information age - Peter Clemons, Managing Director, Quixoticity
• Cyber security: the broken link - Greg Jones, SCADA Team Leader, Titan ICT Consultant
• The Internet of Things: trends and upcoming changes in Wireless M2M - Shane Murphy, Vice President and General Manager, KORE Wireless
• Using Tetra to ensure Queensland Gas Corp’s (QGS) exploration schedule - Ian Hill, Manager, Automation Engineering, Queensland Gas Corporation
• Unlocking the strategic value of social conversations - Guy Simons, Business Engagement Manger, BAI
• Putting a value on the Land Mobile Radio spectrum and industry - Hamish Duff, President, ARCIA; and Scott Minehane, Managing Director, Windsor Place Consulting
• An educational session on how video applications impact LTE bandwidth - David Lum, Director of Asia Pacific & Middle East Product Operations & Regulatory Support, Motorola Solutions Singapore
• Global mobile broadband developments to support mission-critical public safety requirements - Scott Leyonhjelm, Principal Consultant, UXC Consulting
• Building a mission-critical mobile innovative centre - Denis O'Shea, CEO, Mobile Mentor
• Benefits of 10.5 GHz band in LTE enabled public safety and utility wireless backhaul networks - Krisztian Som, Radio Solutions Business Manager, NEC Australia
• How to successfully introduce new technology in Operationally Critical Environments - Robert Tait, Lead Consultant, Nova Systems

Training workshops

Six workshops will be held on Tuesday, 30 September, which is the day before the main conference sessions commence. The topics will be:

• Advanced Radio over IP
• In a converged communications environment, just how secure is your radio system?
• Next Generation Triple Zero (NG000): Challenges and Opportunities
• Ensure network migration success with change management
• Practical guide to working with fibre optics
• TETRA: Advanced systems planning, integration and deployment

More details of the topics to be discussed and who will take part in the discussions is available on the Comms Connect website. These workshops tend to fill up quickly, so make sure you get your registration in as soon as possible.

More details

Full details of the conference program, exhibitor list and registration details are available right now on the Comms Connect website. Make sure you take advantage of this once-per-year opportunity to take part in Australasia’s leading critical communications conference and exhibition, featuring a who’s who of experts from industry, government and academia.