Comms Connect Melbourne — just weeks away!

The region’s premier critical communications event features a packed program of first-class speakers, exhibits and workshops.

Since 2007, Comms Connect Melbourne has been the number one meeting place for Australasian critical communications users and industry. This year, as it celebrates its 10th anniversary, 80-plus expert speakers, 90-plus exhibitors and over 1400 professionals — 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.

The conference will include concepts not previously included in the program and technologies on the show floor that are being displayed by exhibitors for the very first time. And for the first time the conference and exhibition will be located in the same space, with only the workshops remaining in the Convention Centre.

Topics to be covered cover the gamut of the business- and mission-critical communications sectors: public safety mobile broadband, body-worn video and biometrics, situational awareness, push-to-talk, defence comms, spectrum sharing, Next-Gen Triple Zero, government radio networks, research and development and security and cyber attacks.

Speaker sessions

Comms Connect always attracts a first-class list of speakers from industry, government and academia. This year’s line-up will be no exception, with experts from home and abroad coming together to share their knowledge and insights.

Keynotes will be presented by:

• Kevin Vinsen, Research Associate Professor at the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research in Perth, who will speak about the incredible radio and computer technology being developed for the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope.
• Bill Schrier, Senior Advisor, FirstNet, who will speak about challenges and opportunities in public safety mobile broadband communications.
• Station Officer Graham Tait, Systems Officer, Operational Communications, Fire & Rescue NSW, who will present on the topic of what happens when disasters occur and emergency responders converge to help the trapped and injured.
• Crispin Blackall, Director, Global Enterprise Product Engineering, Networks, Telstra Operations, who will speak about the mobile network evolution and ‘unlocking new ways to connect’.

The full list of speakers and topics can be viewed on the Comms Connect website at melbourne.comms-connect.com.au/conference-program.

Workshops

With the rapid pace of technological change, it’s all the more important that industry members keep up to date with the latest developments, which is why the Comms Connect preconference technical workshops are always very popular. This year there will be eight workshops, held on Tuesday, 22 November (the day prior to the conference beginning).

• Workshop 1: Understanding radio over IP.
• Workshop 2: Keeping the spectrum clean — ACMA activities and compliance priorities.
• Workshop 3: Implementation of location services within a radio dispatch environment.
• Workshop 4: Fleet management cradle to grave utilising OTAP (over-the-air programming).
• Workshop 5: Mission-critical communications redundancy: the future looks bright.
• Workshop 6: Integrated operations: beyond IT/OT convergence.
• Workshop 7: Critical communications, where to from here.
• Workshop 8: Building a radio network from the ground up — an independent workshop on planning required to deliver a private land mobile network.

Exhibitors

One of the best parts of Comms Connect is the opportunity to meet and greet with exhibitors. In particular, it’s a great chance for equipment users and suppliers/manufacturers 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 list 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

Comms Connect Melbourne 2016 will feature three panel sessions that will be of great interest to everyone in the industry. The first session, ‘Public safety information management: the art of the possible’, will be held on Wednesday, 23 November and will include panel members Phil Kidner (TCCA), Inspector Trevor Gould (Queensland Police Service), Bill Schrier (Senior Advisor, FirstNet) and  Ashley Van Amstel (NSW Rural Fire Service).

The second panel session, ‘The role of critical communications in motorsport’, will take place on Thursday, 24 November and will feature Dave Reynolds (V8 Supercar driver), Barry Ryan (Erebus Motorsport) and Jason Owen (Gearhouse Broadcast Australia). It’s hoped that two different V8 supercars will be on display in the exhibition hall.

The final session, ‘Public safety mobile broadband — the way forward for critical communications in Australia’, will be held at the conclusion of the conference on Thursday, 24 November. This not-to-be-missed session will be led by ARCIA’s Ian Miller and will feature input from Bill Schrier and Garry Kerr (Public Safety Business Agency).

ARCIA Gala Industry Dinner

The annual ARCIA Gala Industry Dinner will be held on the evening of Wednesday, 23 November at the Convention Centre. The evening will include: networking over pre-dinner drinks and canapés; live entertainment; a three-course award winning dining and five-hour drinks package; a luxury corner featuring massage stations; 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 the Comms Connect website: melbourne.comms-connect.com.au.

In conclusion, Comms Connect sees hundreds of like-minded professionals — from government, the resources sector, first responders, transportation, utilities, enterprise and other sectors that use critical communications — gather to ensure that they have access to the very latest information and technology solutions. This year’s 10th anniversary event promise 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, 22 November  (9.30 am–4.45pm)

Conference: Wednesday, 23 November (9.00 am–5.00 pm) and Thursday, 24 November (9.00 am–4.00 pm)

Exhibition: Wednesday, 23 November (9.00 am–5.00 pm) and Thursday, 24 November (9.00 am–3.30 pm)

Where: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre

Who: 1400+ attendees, 80+ speakers and 90+ exhibitors

Web: melbourne.comms-connect.com.au