ASIS International, recognized as the largest association for professionals in security management, has launched its 2026 Global Security Exchange (GSX) conference at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. Scheduled to run until September 16, the conference features over 200 educational sessions and more than 500 exhibitors from upwards of 150 countries.
The event commenced with two days of pre-conference activities on Saturday and Sunday. These included ASIS Volunteers’ Day, alongside the ASIS Awards of Excellence and the Outstanding Security Performance Awards (OSPAs), which celebrated noteworthy achievements in security leadership, innovation, and service.
Security Management and Collaboration
Eddie Sorrells, the 2026 ASIS President, addressed attendees with a reflective tribute on the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001, remembering it as a significant event that impacted individuals across about 100 countries. Sorrells emphasized that the tragedy underscored the global nature of security threats, highlighting the necessity of public-private collaboration in addressing and managing these challenges. "That understanding has helped define and move us into the modern era of the security profession," Sorrells noted.
ASIS International CEO Bill Tenney also spoke on the broader consequences of September 11, 2001, on the security industry. He focused on the need for leadership that is forward-thinking and deeply rooted in human connections. "I have seen this profession from different vantage points," Tenney said, stressing that advancements in security require a collaborative approach.
Technological Evolution in Security
The exhibit hall saw participation from over 530 organizations spanning more than 15 countries
Peter Diamandis, Founder of the XPRIZE Foundation, initiated Monday’s General Session with a keynote on the transformative role of exponential thinking and emerging technologies. He prompted security leaders to adapt to rapid changes and highlighted the importance of technology in reshaping security approaches and fostering resilience. "The takeaway right now for everybody in the security business is reinventing your agent-governance program," Diamandis conveyed.
The exhibit hall saw participation from over 530 organizations spanning more than 15 countries. Attendees had access to four focused learning stages comprising the Career HQ, X Stage, Threat Intelligence Zone, and the School Security Zone, each offering targeted programming.
Innovative Security Leadership
A Game Changer session, moderated by Rachel Briggs and featuring Jeremy Baumann, Joe M. Olivarez Jr., and Manish Mehta, concentrated on the evolving needs of security leadership. The session emphasized the use of data-driven insights and industry trends to strengthen organizational planning, drawing insights from The Clarity Factory's annual CSO Survey.
The educational sessions at GSX cover a wide array of topics fundamental to the security sector, including Intelligence, Organizational Resilience, Information Security, and more. Notably, this year ASIS International is offering the ANSI/ASIS School Security Standard to K-12 schools across Georgia at no cost.
Upcoming GSX Highlights
Tuesday’s GSX sessions will include a General Session on integrating AI and data into decision-making processes, alongside press availability for interviews with ASIS International experts on various security topics. Additional sessions focus on challenges related to smuggling, AI advancements in security, and transforming security operations through experiential risk management.
The conference will also feature a celebratory event at the Georgia Aquarium, marking it as a significant gathering for advancing security knowledge and professional collaboration.
ASIS International, the world’s largest association for security management professionals, opened its 2026 Global Security Exchange (GSX) conference at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. The event continues through 16 September and features more than 200 education sessions and over 500 exhibitors from more than 150 nations.
The conference opened with two days of pre-conference programming on Saturday and Sunday, including ASIS Volunteers’ Day and the ASIS Awards of Excellence and the Outstanding Security Performance Awards (OSPAs), which recognized excellence in security leadership, innovation, and service.
Security management professionals
2026 ASIS President, Eddie Sorrells, CPP, PCI, PSP, took the stage with a tribute to those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the tragedy. "The events of that day directly impacted people around 100 countries, reminding us that 9/11 was not an attack on one nation, but a moment of global consequence."
"That understanding has helped define and move us into the modern era of the security profession. Public-private collaboration, once perhaps seen as helpful, is now essential to how we anticipate threats, strengthen resilience, and respond when lives and livelihoods are at stake." Sorrells left attendees with a call to approach the future with curiosity, agility, and optimism.
Public-private collaboration
Sorrells was joined on stage by ASIS International CEO Bill Tenney, who also spoke about September 11, 2001, as a pivotal moment in the evolution of the security profession. He emphasized the importance of future-focused leadership rooted in connection and human impact.
"Beyond the policies, technologies, and operating models that followed, September 11 did something deeply human. It brought this profession closer together," he said. “I have seen this profession from different vantage points: as a veteran, in government service, in the private sector, and now in the privileged role of leading this extraordinary organization. Each experience has reinforced the same truth: security cannot advance in isolation.” Tenney said.
World of accelerating change
Peter Diamandis, MD, Founder and Executive Chairman, XPRIZE Foundation and Executive Founder and Director, Singularity University, opened Monday’s General Session, sponsored by Allied Universal, with keynote on the mindset shifts required of security leaders in a world of accelerating change.
Discussing how exponential thinking and emerging technologies are reshaping security challenges and creating new possibilities for protection, resilience, and organizational transformation, Diamandis energised the audience with a bold vision of technology's role in building the future. "The takeaway right now for everybody in the security business is reinventing your agent-governance program," he said.
Reshaping security challenges
The exhibit hall welcomed over 530 organizations from over 15 countries, featured four dedicated exhibit floor learning stages including the Career HQ, X Stage, Threat Intelligence Zone, and the School Security Zone, offering attendees focused programming in the heart of the action.
Monday's Game Changer session with Jeremy Baumann, CPP, Joe M. Olivarez Jr., and Manish Mehta, moderated by Rachel Briggs, titled, "The Next Generation of Leadership: What Tomorrow’s Security Leaders Need to Know," highlighted how corporate security teams can use data-driven insights, emerging trends, and industry benchmarks to strengthen and inform organizational planning, gleaning insights from the annual CSO Survey from The Clarity Factory.
Informing organizational planning
Education sessions covered topics from across the security profession, including Intelligence, Organizational Resilience, Information Security, Site Security, Supply Chain Security, Personnel Security, Investigations, Executive Protection, and Governance. This year for the first time, ASIS International is offering the ANSI/ASIS School Security Standard to all schools K-12 in the conference's host state of Georgia, free of charge.
Program highlights for Tuesday’s GSX lineup include:
- General Session: Upgrading Your Decision-Making with AI and Data
- Press Availability: Interview opportunities with ASIS International Subject Matter Experts on School Security, Executive Protection, Intelligence, and more.
- Game Changer: What to Watch: Mapping Risk Priorities Using ESRM
Education Sessions Preview:
- Drugs, Arms, and Human Trafficking: When Organized Criminal Groups Use Your Shipments for Smuggling Illicit Cargo
- The Rise of Physical AI: How to Leverage 3D Spatial Intelligence in Modern Security
- What to Watch: Mapping Risk Priorities Using ESRM
- Lead With Hospitality: Transforming Security Operations Into Experience-Driven Risk Management
ASIS Celebrates! at the Georgia Aquarium.
