Comms Connect Melbourne — be there!
A strong line-up of international experts leads the program for Comms Connect’s 11th year. Don’t miss it!
Since 2007, Comms Connect Melbourne has been the number one meeting place for Australasian critical communications users and industry. This year, around 90 expert speakers, 70-plus exhibitors and over 1000 professional delegates — from first responders to mining professionals, from utilities providers to enterprise end users, from manufacturers to developers — will take part in the highly targeted and energised event.
A wide range of topics will be covered, from LMR to 5G, IoT to drones, public safety, LTE, smart cities, mining, research, SCADA, connected workers, spectrum management, CAD and more. There’ll also be a panel session on placing critical communications requirements at the core of future converged networks.
Headline speakers
The conference organisers have put together an impressive line-up of local and international keynote and plenary speakers, including:
- Finding the balance: privacy and security — Michael Doucet, Executive Director, Security Intelligence Review Committee, Canada;
- The FirstNet wireless LTE network and the Internet of Life Saving Things (IoLST) — TJ Kennedy, President, First Responder Network Authority;
- A new kind of network to empower everyone to thrive in a connected world — Karim Nejam, Director, Global Enterprise Product Engineering, Telstra;
- Radiocommunications legislation: a platform for the future — Cathy Rainsford, Assistant Secretary, Spectrum and Security Branch, Market Reforms Division, Department of Communications and the Arts; and
- The UK Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme: a technical insight into its delivery — Duncan Swan, Director, Mason Advisory, UK.
Speaker sessions
Comms Connect always attracts a first-class list of speakers from industry, government and academia, with experts from home and abroad coming together to share their knowledge and insights. Here are just a few of the topics that will be covered:
- Public safety mobile broadband in Australia: next steps — Luke Brown, Emergency Management Australia
- The future for critical messaging — Jim Nelson, Critical Messaging Association of America (CMAA)
- Operational communications: the next wave — Terry Daly, NSW Telco Authority
- Wireless fabric for smart cities — Roy Wittert, Cambium Networks
- Towards a broadband future: a critical broadband standards update — Tony Gray, TCCA
- Upgrading SCADA comms for a large electricity utility’s network — Sarosh Dubash, Schneider Electric
- Enhancing safe work at heights near radio sites — Tony Paul, PicoNet Consulting
- The future connected worker — Damien Batey, Motorola Solutions
The full list of speakers and topics can be viewed on the Comms Connect website at melbourne.comms-connect.com.au/conference-program.
Workshops
It’s important that industry members keep up to date with the latest developments, which is why ARCIA’s preconference technical workshops are always very popular. This year there will be seven workshops, held on Tuesday, 21 November (the day prior to the start of the conference).
- Private LTE workshops, with a focus on mining
- Project and engineering excellence on converged network upgrades
- Global trends in public safety mobile broadband
- The impact of M2M and IoT on public safety
- How to build a network from the ground up
- Using social media to build situational awareness in emergencies
- Complementary digital LMR and LTE networks
Full workshop details are available on the Comms Connect website.
Exhibitors
One of the best parts of Comms Connect is the opportunity to meet and greet face to face with local and international vendors. In particular, it’s a great chance to compare notes, give feedback, get up-to-date information on the latest technologies (including, often, pre-release or developmental details) and generally build connections within the industry. You can see a full of exhibitors at melbourne.comms-connect.com.au/whos-exhibiting.
Don’t forget that you can get a FREE expo pass to visit the exhibition — see melbourne.comms-connect.com.au/pricing-and-registration for more details.
Panel sessions
There will be two panel sessions. The first, on the Wednesday, will discuss ‘Placing critical communications requirements at the core of future converged networks’. The discussion will be led by Inspector (Ret.) Lance Valcour O.O.M, Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, along with Hamish Duff (ARCIA), Alex Stefan (Telstra) and Mike Norfield (Simoco).
The second panel session (on the Thursday, and moderated by ARCIA’s Ian Miller) will be a discussion on the topic of ‘Public safety mobile broadband — the way forward for critical communications in Australia’, which will bring together experts who will discuss the need for a national strategy that covers public safety mobile broadband and next-generation triple zero, and their effect on emergency services communications centres. Not to be missed.
ARCIA dinner and awards
The annual ARCIA Gala Industry Dinner will be held on the evening of Wednesday, 23 November, at the Convention Centre. This year the event will feature a very special celebration — the 10th anniversary of the founding of ARCIA.
Bringing together more than 500 industry professionals, the evening will include: networking over pre-dinner drinks and canapes; live entertainment; a three-course dining and drinks package; and, most importantly, the presentation ceremony for the Industry Excellence Awards, which celebrate and recognise the achievement of outstanding individuals in our industry.
The dinner is always a fantastic opportunity to celebrate what makes the radiocommunications industry great with partners, clients, employees and colleagues. You can book your tickets through ARCIA’s website, arcia.org.au.
In conclusion, Comms Connect sees hundreds of like-minded professionals — from government, the resources sector, first responders, transportation, utilities, enterprise and other sectors who use critical communications — gather to ensure that they have access to the very latest information and technology solutions. This year’s event promises to be one that’s not to be missed. Make sure you’re there to join in!
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Comms Connect Melbourne
Workshops: Tuesday, 21 November (9.30 am–4.45 pm)
Conference: Wednesday, 22 November (9.00 am–5.00 pm) and Thursday, 23 November (9.00 am–4.30 pm)
Exhibition: Wednesday, 22 November (9.00 am–5.00 pm) and Thursday, 23 November (9.00 am–3.30 pm)
Where: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
Who: 1000+ attendees, 90+ speakers and 70+ exhibitors
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